Good afternoon.

The City Council's budget and audit committee will uh please come to order.

Let's uh call the roll and establish a quorum.

Thank you.

Councilmember Ashby, Councilmember Jennings, Councilmember Shaneer, and Mayor Steinberg.

Here.

All right.

Thank you very much.

We do have one important item today.

Just to recount, it was the 7th of June, I believe, when the committee met to discuss the issue of Measure U.

We we set some direction as a committee, obviously subject to the full uh city council.

And this is now the next step to begin reviewing uh language consistent with the committee's direction of June the 7th.

Welcome.

Good afternoon, Mr.

Mayor and Committee members.

My name is Consuelo Hernandez.

I'm the Director of Governmental Affairs.

It actually was June 12th when I presented to the committee on the 12th, sorry.

Close enough.

On the impending expiration of Measure U, the committee directed staff to return with a draft ordinance and ballot question language.

Today we have before you that draft ordinance, which it passed by the voters would put in place a one cent transactions and use tax.

The ordinance also includes requirements for an independent annual audit and a citizens oversight committee.

Also included in the staff report is proposed ballot question language for the committee's review.

And I'm happy happy to answer any questions.

All right.

Well I appreciate it.

I know that this proposed ballot language is a little bit of an amalgam, if you will, of some of the things that we more importantly, the community have been talking about for uh some time here.

But I think the main thing is we want to make sure from our city attorney's perspective that this measure uh, even as as drafted, remains a would remain a majority vote measure.

Is that a yes?

Yes, Mayor.

This is a majority vote by the voters.

Okay.

And it's language that the uh attorney's office would feel uh is appropriate, in other words, does not violate the advocacy restrictions or prohibitions uh around ballot language?

We have reviewed this ballot uh language, Mayor, and feel comfortable that it is acceptable.

Okay.

When may I may I note one thing, Your Honor?

Uh Your Honor.

Your Honor, yes, thank you.

I should have worn my robe today.

As you know, uh some of the language that's been included in the uh the ballot question is the result of a pending initiative measure um that may go to the state voters in November.

Um if that measure doesn't go forward, the council may consider uh a potentially changing some of the language in this ballot question when it comes to the council uh in July.

I just wanted to put that in the case.

And that actually begs a lot a larger uh issue, which is that of course we're four members, um, not a majority of the city council.

And this uh question, of course, will go to the full city council on the 31st of July.

Where are we timeline-wise if members had some suggestions that carried the carried the day in terms of a majority of uh majority of members?

Are we uh do we have enough flexibility for there to be any changes, including the one you just mentioned, um, and still meet the de all the deadlines?

Well, I believe uh this is set for July 31st.

Is that correct?

Uh July 31st.

We do have a little wiggle room, but not much.

Um it would be, I think the clerk's preference and our preference to come to some agreeable language on that date, and perhaps we can bring some alternative approaches, multiple alternative approaches.

You don't have to do that.

But um that that we are already on a very thin, uh very narrow timeline given that July 31st date.

Okay.

There has been some suggestion floating around of, you know, that maybe for the full council, um, this, you know, this whole issue obviously has been a very public uh issue.

It's not that it's uh been any sort of a secret, but that um that that there could be some value in having uh uh something ten amount to a workshop.

Um I would say, you know, just looking at the calendar and council recess and all that that i I would be open, depending on how the committee feels that we vote on this the evening of the 31st and that that afternoon, two or three o'clock in the afternoon we could have a full council discussion or workshop on the overall approach if that's what if that was Can you clarify maybe?

Well, there's in other words, um we could essentially begin the measure you hearing on the 31st in the afternoon so that there was plenty of time for members to be able to talk about their views and perspectives and approaches, and then we obviously the committee um assuming they're going to recommend this particular language this afternoon.

This is what the council will vote on on the 31st, but at least it gives some time in that afternoon to be able to have our broader discussion um and some potential tweaks at the end if if they were necessary before uh the vote the evening of the 31st of July.

Just a thought.