Thou shall be allowed to vote

Last week, City Council was asked to make a promise. They were requested to promise the taxpayers of Santa Clara that IF there is a proposal to build a stadium that would require spending public money, then Santa Clara voters will get to vote on it.

Note the big, blinking, red IF.

This means

1. If the feasibility report from the City's consultants says that we've all been smoking crack, and that we all should just go take a cold shower and forget about the stadium, then there will be no vote.
   
2. If the 49ers decide that they would like to build and operate the stadium with their own money after all, then there will be no vote.
   
3. If the 49ers decide that it would be easier to thumb wrestle a better deal out of Gavin Newsom than to squeeze a $300 million subsidy out of peasants with pitchforks, then there will be no vote.

In fact, Brian from the local Libertarian Party addressed Council before they voted on this request, and explained it using an even simpler analogy:

The 8th Commandment says, "Thou shall not lie." It does not say, "Thou shall not lie, but really, thou don't have to promise that until the temptation to lie comes up." (Paraphrased.)

Seems simple enough...

So, did City Council pledge to tell the truth let the voters have their say?

Nope.

They voted to

[refer] TO THE CITY CLERK TO RETURN TO THE COUNCIL NO LATER THAN JULY 10, 2007 CITY COUNCIL MEETING REGARDING NOVEMBER 2007 AND FEBRUARY 2008 POTENTIAL BALLOT MEASURE CALENDARS AND HISTORY OF LAND USE BALLOT MEASURES. (Meeting minutes)

Or, in layman's terms: