CLEARLAKE, Calif. – At its Thursday night meeting, the Clearlake City Council honored two longtime members entering retirement and welcomed the next generation of council members.
Taking their oaths of office Thursday night were newly elected council members Denise Loustalot and Gina Fortino Dickson, and Joyce Overton, who won her third term on the council.
Before the new council members were seated, Mayor Joey Luiz made presentations to retiring council members Judy Thein and Curt Giambruno.
Giambruno was a city planning commissioner for nine years before serving two and a half terms on the council.
Thein served two terms, having been elected in 2004. Before that, she had served more than 20 years in the city’s finance department.
Luiz recognized and thanked both of them for their contributions.
Thein said she had spent 30 amazing years working for the city, and was looking forward to enjoying more time with her husband, Bob.
“Clearlake is an amazing place,” she said. “I have always been and I always will be proud to call Clearlake my home.”
Her advice to the new council members: “Always take the high road and it will take you wherever you want to go.”
Luiz then thanked Vice Mayor Jeri Spittler for her efforts over the past year, noting she had championed such issues as a smoking ban in city parks and an ordinance allowing leashed dogs in parks. She, in turn, thanked him for always being there for her.
Following a 15-minute break and reception, it was time for Loustalot, Dickson and Overton to take the oaths, which was administered by City Clerk Melissa Swanson.
After they took their oaths and were seated, they joined Spittler and Luiz in choosing the council’s leadership for 2013.
Overton nominated Spittler to be mayor and Loustalot to be vice mayor, which the council unanimously approved.
The council then discussed whether to send new members to a League of California Cities training for new council members.
City Manager Joan Phillipe said the city had not budgeted the training for new council members for several years. The estimated cost to send two people was just under $2,800.
Spittler said she wanted the city to consider paying for the training. “I am in favor of education for the council members.”
Overton said she spent a lot of her own money to go to such trainings after the funding was cut. She said it’s a definite asset to have new council members trained, adding that it’s an extraordinary training.
During the discussion council members suggested there were ways to cut the costs.
The majority of community members who offered public comment favored the training.
“It should be part of the budget,” said Jim Honegger.
Carl Webb also encouraged the council to approve the expense, noting that the most important thing the council can do is spend the city’s money wisely. “They can’t spend it wisely if they don’t know how.”
The council agreed to approve funding the training for Loustalot and Dickson.
The other item of business for the new council was getting an update from Phillipe on efforts to create an ordinance to prohibit commercial medical marijuana cultivation and cultivation on vacant properties, and limit outdoor cultivation.
She said the draft ordinance is proposing to address the issue through zoning and nuisance abatement.
Spittler said commercial grows don’t belong in neighborhoods, and she agrees with how the county set up its cultivation ordinance, with lot size determining plant numbers.
Overton said there is no reason for grows with more than six plants in the city limits. She was concerned that the city would become overwhelmed if rules weren’t implemented, adding that she thinks Clearlake needs more strict rules because of the city’s smaller parcel sizes.
Loustalot agreed with Overton. “If it was up to me it would be zero, but that’s just not fair.”
Dickson, who formerly served on the city’s planning commission, agreed that the city needed to step in and manage what is going on with marijuana cultivation. She wanted to see different plant limits for different zoning, and also wanted it to start with the planning commission.
The council heard from several community members who recounted issues with smell, neighboring properties being trashed, crime and safety. They also heard from a medical marijuana user who was concerned about what approach they might take to restrict access to the drug.
City resident Jim Scholz told the council, “You have the right to say no,” when it comes to allowing the grows, noting there is a lot of opposition to home growing. He said he supports medical marijuana, but questioned if it has to be grown in backyards.
Beth Kaiman told the council that grows can be “inherently dangerous.” Seven months ago she lost her home and pets due to a marijuana grow near her home that burned. She said medical marijuana can help people, but added that it should not be allowed in the city limits.
County Supervisor Jeff Smith welcomed the new council members, estimating that the Board of Supervisors has spent “hundreds and hundreds of hours” on the marijuana topic.
He asked what is to be done for people who have lived in neighborhoods for years and now can’t enjoy their homes because of the number of grows. Smith said code enforcement is needed, and the city can start tomorrow by enforcing those code issues.
Luiz said an ordinance was needed to protect the city’s residents, and that a large percentage of the city’s homicides have been related to marijuana grow operations. Second only to the crime issues are health safety matters, such as RVs parking on vacant lots where grows are taking place, he said.
He said many people are coming to Clearlake from out of state to be involved in criminal enterprise, and they don’t care who they hurt or the damage they leave behind.
“We’re a city. We're mainly neighborhoods,” said Luiz.
Luiz suggested that marijuana appears to be on track to eventually become legalized, and he wants the city to keep that in mind as it moves forward so as not to lose possible future economic opportunities.
Regarding code enforcement, Phillipe said they are going to use existing staff to return to some level of code enforcement service. She said they have a lot of complaints that staff already has prioritized, and they are considering what finances they have available to cover enforcement.
As the meeting drew to a close, Phillipe and Spittler both welcomed the new council members.
Loustalot thanked everyone, noting she never thought she would be there.
“I just want to serve my community to the best of my ability,” she said.
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