CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The city of Clearlake’s new council members will be sworn in during the council’s regular meeting this week.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

At the Thursday meeting the council will honor retiring members Judy Thein and Curt Giambruno.

Newly elected council members Gina Fortino Dickson and Denise Loustalot, and reelected member Joyce Overton will take their oaths of office, and the mayor and vice mayor for 2013 will be selected.

Once the new members are seated, they will get right to work on a number of business matters.

Among the items on the agenda is a discussion on proceeding with an ordinance to prohibit commercial medical marijuana cultivation and cultivation on vacant properties, and limit outdoor cultivation.

City Manager Joan Phillipe’s report explained that city staff has been working to have a draft ordinance ready to present to the council at the start of the year.

The council will discuss having the ordinance address grows as a zoning and nuisance abatement issue or to take an alternative approach.

“With a new council seated it is timely to confirm that this is still the direction that staff should be heading in or if there is a different approach that we should he considering,” Phillipe said in her report.

In other business, the council will continue the second reading of an ordinance regarding taxi cabs and other for-hire vehicles to a future meeting, hold the second reading of a new ordinance meant to better organize code enforcement matters in the city code, accept the Nov. 6 election results and discuss paying for Loustalot and Dickson to attend the League of California Cities New Council Member Training in Sacramento Jan. 16-18.

Items on the council’s consent agenda – to be considered at the start of the meeting and usually accepted on one motion – include the city’s 2012 conflict of interest code, consideration of a lease agreement between the city and Shomisa Norzei for public property at 14962 Lakeshore Drive to be used as a parking lot, and an agreement between the city and county to provide funding for the renovation and operation of a new visitor center at 14295 Lakeshore Drive.

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