JANUARY 2004 e.News
	MAYOR'S STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS SET FOR FEBRUARY 11TH
	CITY OF CALABASAS HIRES NEW CITY MANAGER
	CITY HIRES NEW CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
	WILD WALNUT PARK OPEN FOR HIKING AND PICNICS!
	THINGS TO DO IN 2004
	WINTER RECREATION BROCHURE
	CITIZEN EMERGENCY RESPONSE TRAINING
	BATTERY RECYCLING
	AHMANSON HIKING TRAILS OPEN
	A.C. STELLE MIDDLE SCHOOL OPENS
	CITY RECEIVES NEW CNG SHUTTLE BUSSES
	WHAT'S ON CTV
	CALABASAS MEETINGS & HOLIDAY CLOSURES

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HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE CITY OF CALABASAS!

Resolve to make at least one person happy every day, and then in ten years you may have made three thousand, six hundred and fifty persons happy, or brightened a small town by your contribution to the fund of general enjoyment.
- Sydney Smith

The inaudible and
noiseless foot of Time. 
- Shakespeare

All my possessions for a moment of time.
- Queen Elizabeth I's last words

Photos from e.News are taken by the City of Calabasas
Media Operations Department (except snowflake picture - courtesy of Ntnl. Geographic)
e.News is developed by
the Media Department .

The 6^th Annual State of the City Address will be delivered by Mayor James Bozajian o

For more information on the State of the City Address, call Calabasas City Hall at (818) 878-4225.

Calabasas is pleased to welcome our new City Manager Tony Coroalles to the City.  Mr. Coroalles began his position in December 2003.  His role as City Manager will include professional leadership in the management of the City and execution of City Council policies.  He will also provide effective municipal services through the coordination and direction of all City activities, finance and personnel.

Mr. Coroalles comes to Calabasas with a lot of experience under his belt.  As Assistant General Manager of the Department of Recreation and Parks for the City of Los Angeles, he managed over 1,200 full-time and 4,000 part-time employees as well as parks and open space in the City. He also served twenty-seven years in the US Army, retiring as a Colonel. As the Garrison commander for U.S. Army Alaska, Coroalles was responsible for managing the Army's three bases in Alaska; Ft. Richardson in the Anchorage area, Ft. Wainwright in the Fairbanks area, and Ft. Greeley in Delta Junction.  In addition to the typical city functions (Public Works, Water and Power, Sanitation, Contracting, Police, and Personnel), he managed over 1 million acres of open space, a ski slope, 2 golf courses, and a destination resort at Seward, Alaska.

The council chose Coroalles not just for his experience, Calabasas Mayor James Bozajian said, but also for his ideas and his sense of direction for Calabasas. "[Coroalles]...will bring quality to the city of Calabasas," said Bozajian.

Coroalles says that his principal focus for the City of Calabasas is to deliver value in City services to the taxpayer.  That is, give residents the best that their money can buy in terms of City services, programs and infrastructure.

The City is happy to introduce another new face on the staff, newly appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Gary Lysik.  Gary began his position in mid-December 2003. His position will oversee all aspects of business related to City finance.

Prior to joining the City, Gary was employed by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority as the Director of Finance. He has served as the Vice-President of Finance at Reinstatement Services, Inc., and the Director of Financial Systems for Edison Security, a subsidiary of Edison International. Prior to his work with Edison, he served Northrop-Grumman Corporation as Manager in the Program Office and Finance Department.

Mayor James Bozajian said, "I think his familiarity with the region, having worked for a local agency, and his strong experience in financial matters combine to make him an excellent fit for Calabasas.  I was particularly impressed with his interview—he was articulate, personable and seemed highly interested in the job."

Currently in the dissertation phase of his Doctorate degree in Educational Technology at Pepperdine University, Gary also holds an MBA from Pepperdine and a Bachelor of Science Degree from California State University.  His interests and hobbies include golf, HAM Radio, and family centered activities.

According to Lysik, one of his biggest and most immediate challenges is to develop a financial tracking and reporting system that would allow for heightened visibility of revenue and expenditures on a project-by-project basis. He feels that the benefit of developing and implementing such a system would be to provide a more transparent financial accounting system and improve the visibility of where City funds are being spent. In light of the current budget crisis of the State, it becomes even more necessary to develop such a system.

The eight and half acre natural preserve includes a half mile hiking trail through a walnut groove, which oversees parts of the San Fernando Valley.

The acquisition of the land was made possible through a grant from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.  The project is expected to be completed sometime next year.

For more information on parks in Calabasas visit: http://www.cityofcalabasas.com/recreation.html

The Winter Recreation Brochure is now available online. Remember, you can also register for classes online!  Winter classes are posted on the website.  If you haven't already registered, it's not too late to choose from the great selection of activities that our Recreation staff has lined up for you this winter.

Kids ages 7 - 13 won't want to miss out on the excitement of the 2004 Winter Basketball league!

The L.A. County Fire Department will be conducting a twenty hour Citizens Emergency Response Training program that will be held on four Saturdays beginning in January.  The dates for the training will be January 10th and 24th and February 14th and 28th at Calabasas City Hall. The classes will be  held from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm with a one hour break for lunch.

Those interested in taking the course can call Tom Wheeler at (818)878-4225 extension 294 to register.

Class instruction includes:

1. Overview of the CERT program
2. Communications
3. Shelter Management
4. Human Services
5. Logistics and Transportation
6. Medical Team
7. Animal Rescue
8. Finance and Administration
9. Post Disaster-Spontaneous volunteers
10. Team safety assessment
11. Public Information officer

Do you have some used batteries laying around the house from all of those new holiday presents?? If so, bring them to one of the locations below and we'll take them off your hands.  The City of Calabasas recycles old batteries to help keep our environment safe.

Recycling Drop Offs:

Accepted Battery Types:

**Lead-acid vehicle batteries are not accepted at the above sites.

For more information, please call (818) 878-4242, ext. 306.

Thanks to the efforts of many who fought to save Ahmanson Ranch as open land space, we are happy to inform you that the trails are now open for those who would like to embrace its beauty to hike its trails.

The park is open from sunrise to sunset. Entrance is at the northern end of Las Virgenes Road.  Additional parking will be available in a few months at the end of Victory Blvd. in Woodland Hills.  Alcoholic beverages, smoking, campfires, littering, and unauthorized vehicles are prohibited.  Dogs are welcome but need to be kept on a leash.

For more information call Calabasas City Hall at (818) 878.4225

The doors opened on the new A.C. Stelle middle school last week on January 5th.  Students, parents and teachers were happy to finally take up residence at the new school located on Mulholland Highway.  Traffic calming efforts were successful in easing the usual before and after school congestion thanks to the involvement of the Lost Hills Sheriff department, private security guards and volunteers from the Parent Faculty Club (PFC) directing traffic.  School District and City officials were on hand to make the transition for students and parents a comforting one.

To help reduce traffic, a letter was sent out to parents to encourage their children to walk to school. The walkers turned out in great numbers.  As an incentive to continue this trend, the school has set up incentives starting Monday Jan. 12, 2004, where students who either walk, carpool, or take the bus, will randomly be awarded with goodies from the school cafeteria.

For more information, comments or concerns, please contact the Calabasas Traffic Department at (818) 878.4225

Be sure to tune in to CTV on cable channel 3 in Calabasas or online webstreaming to watch your favorite CTV programs:

Visit the CTV Channel Guide for a complete listing of programming.

Calabasas City Hall will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 19th.

City Council Agenda Items are available online, the Monday morning prior to a City Council Meeting.

Agendas for the City Council and all commissions are available online the Friday prior to the commission meeting.

For a complete calendar of events and meetings during January, please visit our Calendar Page.