BEVERLY HILLS—The deadline for arguments for or against the Hilton Initiative has been set for August 2 at 5:30 p.m., according to a press release from the city of Beverly Hills. The arguments have to be received at the Beverly Hills City Clerk’s office before the scheduled deadline, and the rebuttals are due by August 12.

The text of the ballot question concerning the Hilton Initiative that was approved by the Beverly Hills City Council is: “Hilton Condominium Tower Initiative — Shall an ordinance be adopted allowing a 26 story (345 feet) residential building instead of two residential buildings of eight stories (101 feet) and 18 stories (218 feet); increasing open space from approximately 1.25 acres to 1.7 acres for use as a private garden that is generally open to the public subject to no reasonable restrictions determined by the property owner; prohibiting any discretionary architectural review; and reducing graywater use requirements?”

The direct arguments for or against the Hilton Initiative cannot be more than 300 words and the rebuttals cannot be more than 250 words. Both arguments and rebuttals have to be submitted as a hard copy either by mail or hand-delivered at the City Clerk’s office.

The authors of both arguments and rebuttals must include their names and signatures on the hard copies. If it is written on behalf of an organization it has to include the name of the organization and at least one principal officer who is an author.

The direct arguments will be available to the public at the City Clerk’s office for 10 days after the August 2 deadline, and the rebuttals will be available to the public for 10 days after the August 12 deadline. A request for a copy to be sent can be fulfilled during the ten day period by emailing City Clerk Byron Pope at bpope@beverlyhills.org. Copies of the arguments and rebuttals will be available at the Beverly Hills Public Library.

The Beverly Hills City Council has set November 8 as the date the special municipal election for the initiative will be held. The initiative will also be included on the presidential election ballot.