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"A lot
of people like snow.
I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water."
- Carl Reiner
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SPIRIT OF CALABASAS & CITY BRING RELIEF SUPPLIES
TO LOUISIANA |
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In the wake of Hurricane Katrina,
The
Spirit of Calabasas Foundation (SOCF) and The City of Calabasas in
southern California have joined with a sister community,
Plaquemines Parish, to help in an urgent rebuilding process. A twenty-foot
truck filled with needed relief supplies, including school materials
and computers, was delivered and unloaded during a
ceremony at Plaquemines School District headquarters in Belle Chasse, Louisiana on Friday, December 2.
Located south-east of New Orleans, Plaquemines Parish had a resident
population of more than 26,000 before Katrina struck, about the same
size as Calabasas. Calabasas resident Red Godfrey, after traveling to
New Orleans with the Red Cross shortly after the disaster, joined
other volunteers to form SOCF. The
Foundation intends to deliver much needed materials and manpower to
the disaster area. The SOCF and
 the City of Calabasas hope to set an example that will
inspire volunteers from other cities and towns to seek out sister
communities similar to theirs in hurricane damaged Louisiana and
Mississippi to offer much needed assistance and relief.
A donation drive was held at Calabasas City Hall over the
Thanksgiving weekend. Volunteers collected needed school supplies as
requested by Parish President Benny Rousselle and Parish School
Superintendent James Hoyle.
The City of Calabasas rented a truck and City employees helped load
the truck with donated computers for a school computer lab, office
equipment, file cabinets, and numerous
 boxes of supplies. City
employees drove the truck from Calabasas to Plaquemines and the truck
was unloaded at the local school district after the 1,900 mile drive. Calabasas
City Manager Tony Coroalles, City Councilman Jonathon Wolfson and
other City officials joined SOCF leaders Red Godfrey and Robert
Friedman to deliver the supplies and tour the Parish with
Parish President Rousselle.
For more
information about the Spirit of Calabasas Foundation, please send an email to
calabasasspirit@aol.com. |
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SNOW SNOW SNOW DAY
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 Snow Day in the
Park returns to
Gates Canyon Park in Calabasas on December 4 and this year's
"snowfall" promises to be better than ever!
Between 11:00a.m. and 1:30p.m., thirty-five TONS of snow will be on
the ground for frolicking by children of all ages. Admission is only $5
per child ages 2-12 and children under 2 are free! The mid-day event
will also feature refreshments, pictures with Santa, and arts & crafts.
So bring your innertube, sled or saucer and get ready for snow-filled
fun in southern California! For more information, please call
(818) 880-6461. |
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HOLIDAY CONCERT AT
THE COMMONS |
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 The
Commons at
Calabasas and
The Calabasas
Shul will be hosting a Menorah lighting and holiday concert on
Tuesday, December 27 beginning at 6:30 p.m. The celebratory evening
will feature live music, potato latkes, a fireworks show and
entertainment for the whole family. The event is free and open to the
public. For additional information, please contact the Commons at (818)
222-3444. |
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CITY
COUNCIL CONSIDERS ORDINANCE TO BAN SMOKING IN CITY |
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 The
Calabasas City Council will
consider an ordinance at their meeting on January 11, 2006 that would
make Calabasas a smoke-free city in all public areas and
places (such as the Commons) where the public can congregate. At their
November 16, 2005 and
October 19, 2005 meetings, members of the
Council discussed the possible regulation of second-hand tobacco smoke
and other tobacco-control strategies. Members of the Council
expressed an interest to hear from the community, especially
businesses, that would potentially be harmed by such a ban. The
City's
Community Development department sent out a survey to area
businesses and held a forum at City Hall to discuss the issue on
November 15, 2005 to obtain the consensus of the business community.
The response so far has indicated limited concern about the ordinance
and a great deal of support for such a smoking ban.
The ordinance
would regulate second-hand smoking in outdoor settings, work to
enhance workplace protections against second-hand smoke exposure,
prohibit smoking in cars in the presence of children and include
enforcement methods to ensure the ban is taken seriously.
Certain exemptions will be included in the ordinance that are
sensitive to business interests and the Council hopes to have the
final ordinance drafted and passed within sixty days. Residents
can view previous Council discussion on the issue by watching the
November 16, 2005 and October 19, 2005 meetings in the
CTV Web Archive. The next City Council
meeting is currently scheduled for January 11, 2006 at 7:30p.m. |
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CALABASAS PROJECT PROTECTS LAS VIRGENES CREEK FROM URBAN RUNOFF |
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 By the end of
December, the City of Calabasas plans to complete the
“Bioremediation and Infiltration of Urban Runoff to Las Virgenes
Creek Project,” successfully diverting polluted urban runoff into a
new filtration system. The $440,000 project, funded predominately
by a Proposition 13
Clean Beach Initiative (CBI) Grant from the
California State Coastal Conservancy, will significantly protect the
Las Virgenes Creek from pollutants that would otherwise flow
downstream through the creek and into the ocean.
Runoff is the water that flows from your yards and outside
businesses into gutters and then into storm drains that ultimately
leads to the ocean. Unfortunately, on its path to the gutters,
runoff picks up pesticides, car oils, trash, and other pollutants
that contaminate the natural streams on the way down to the ocean.
The Calabasas project is targeting a 102” diameter storm drain
located behind A.E. Wright Middle School because of its huge 670
acre watershed. This drain accumulates water not only from
residential and commercial land uses, but also from open space,
landfills, and freeways. All of these land uses have contributed to
pollution in the Las Virgenes Creek.
To preserve the creek, urban runoff
will be diverted from the large storm drain into a 12” pipe. The
diverted water will run through a screen to separate solid
pollutants, and then be pumped into a bio-filter that naturally
cleans the water as it seeps into the ground. This project will not
only preserve the vitality of the local Las Virgenes Creek, but also
protect the ocean we all share and enjoy. Please call the
Calabasas Public Works office at (818) 878-4225 for more
information. |
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LOS
ANGELES COUNTY REPORTS RISE IN WHOOPING COUGH CASES |
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 Los Angeles
County is currently experiencing a significant increase in the number
of reported cases of
pertussis (whooping cough), similar to the trend
throughout California and the United States. Over 178 pertussis
cases were reported to the
County Immunization Program by the end of
August, which is nearly a three-fold increase in the number of cases
reported during the same time period of the previous 5 years and
exceeds the total number of cases reported during the entire year of
2004. Not since the 1970s has Los Angeles County experienced
this magnitude of pertussis morbidity during this specified time
period.
According to the County, adolescents
and adults continue to be the primary reservoir for transmission to
infants who are too young to have received at least 3 doses of a
pertussis-containing vaccine. The need to protect infants from
pertussis infection is underscored by the fact that to date in 2005,
there have been two pertussis-related deaths among infants less than 2
months of age in LAC.
For additional information about pertussis,
please visit the Los Angeles County Immunization Program's website at
http://lapublichealth.org/ip/index.htm or
call (213) 351-7800. |
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WINTER RECREATION BROCHURE |
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 The
2005 Winter Recreation brochure will be available in print for and
online beginning December 3. The brochure features detailed
information about adult and youth classes, senior citizen programs,
community news and information, sports activities and much more.
One of the highlights of the winter season will be the
Winter Break Sports N’ More Camp that will be held at the A.C. Stelle
Middle School during two sessions: December 19-23 and December
26-30. For more information, please call (818) 880-6461.
Remember, you can also easily register for classes online! |
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WAYS TO
MAKE YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON GREENER |
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 Americans
generate about 25 percent more trash between Thanksgiving and New
Years than any other time of the year, according to the California
Integrated Waste Management Board.
However, there are many alternatives in
decorating gifts that
are creative and environmentally friendly.
The beautiful colors and patterns in
holiday wrapping paper actually contain dyes
and chemicals that make it difficult to be recycled.
Gift bags and
pre-printed gift boxes are great alternatives to wrapping paper,
especially since they are reusable.
Be creative by wrapping presents in
fabric or turn gift-giving into a game by hiding presents around the
house.
Consider giving gifts that do not
generate waste such as music or sports lessons, gym memberships, or
tickets for special events: concerts, the opera, a musical or
sporting event.
Holiday trees can be properly cared
for and recycled after the holidays: cut about one inch off the base
of the tree trunk and place it in the tree holder with hot water.
Also, consider purchasing an artificial tree or a live tree that can
be planted after the holidays. Properly recycle trees by removing
all tinsel, ornaments, decorations, nails, bags and metal tree
stands. Place trees and holiday greenery on the curb, next to the
recycling bins, on your appropriate recycling day.
Holiday trees and other holiday
greenery will be collected on regular solid waste collection days
for a maximum of fifteen collection days following December 25.
For more information, please contact the City of
Calabasas Recycling and Solid Waste Coordinator at (818) 878-4225. |
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E-WASTE
AND PAINT COLLECTION EVENTS |
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 Two
free and special waste and recycling events will be taking place in
December for Calabasas residents. The city is holding a free
electronic waste collection on Saturday, December 3 at
the future Calabasas Civic Center site located at Park Sorrento behind
the Commons shopping center from 10:00a.m-3:00p.m. Acceptable items
include but are not limited to CD players, laptops and personal
computers, microwave ovens, printers, radios, stereos, telephones, and
VCR’s. On Saturday, December 10, there will be a free
water based paint and use oil collection event at the Calabasas Tennis
and Swim Center located at 23400 Park Sorrento from 10:00a.m - 2:00p.m. For more information, please contact the City of Calabasas
Recycling and Solid Waste Coordinator at (818) 878-4225. |
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ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION TO HEAR FROM WASTE DISPOSAL EXPERT |
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 Coby Skye, an Associate
Civil Engineer working for the Los Angeles County Department of
Public Works, will provide insight and direction for solid waste
disposal policies in Los Angeles County, during the next
Environmental
Commission meeting. Mr. Skye is instrumental in assisting the
Alternative Technology Advisory Subcommittee in developing a
demonstration conversion technology facility. About half of all waste
generated in California is disposed, resulting in 40 million tons of
trash discarded each year. Convergent technologies are a capable of
converting trash that remains after recycling into useful products,
such as green fuels and renewable energy. Currently, over 140
conversion technology facilities are successfully operating in Europe
and Asia, but no commercial facility exists in the United States. The
next
Environmental Commission meeting will be held on December 6
at 7:00p.m
in the Council Chambers in City Hall and shown live on CTV. |
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LAS
VIRGENES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD MEETINGS NOW ON CTV |
|
 To
help inform and educate the community about the local education
system,
CTV
has begun
videotaping and televising
Las Virgenes
Unified School District (LVUSD) Board meetings. The LVUSD Board
recently gave their approval for the tapings and has extended
gratitude to the members of the
Calabasas City Council for offering this service to residents.
Calabasas staff began videotaping the meetings on October 11, for
scheduled playback on CTV and on-demand web-streaming through the
City of
Calabasas website. CTV has also agreed to make tapes of LVUSD
Board Meetings available to neighboring cities served by the LVUSD for
playback on their government access channels.
LVUSD School Board meetings are
held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 6:00 p.m. in
the Board room of the LVUSD District Office located at 4111 North Las
Virgenes Road in Calabasas. The meetings are replayed at the
following times:
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City of Calabasas |
Thursday at 8:00a.m.,
Saturday morning at 12:00a.m., and Saturday afternoon at 2:00p.m. |
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City of Agoura Hills |
Thursday at 3:00p.m. and
Tuesday at 7:00p.m. the week after a meeting. |
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City of Hidden Hills |
Friday at 10:00a.m. and
Wednesday at 1:00p.m. the week after a meeting. |
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City of Westlake Village |
Sunday at 12:00p.m. and
Thursday at 7:00p.m. the week after a meeting. |
All LVUSD School Board meetings
will be archived and viewable anytime via the CTV on-demand web
archive:
http://www.cityofcalabasas.com/ctvarchives.html. |
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CALABASAS
MEETINGS
& HOLIDAYS |
|
 Calabasas
City Hall will be closed on Friday, December 23, Monday, December 26 and
Monday, January 2, 2006. City Hall will also close at noon on Friday,
December 30.
Have a safe and happy holiday season! City Council Agenda Items
are available online, the Thursday prior to a City Council Meeting.
Agendas for all commissions
are available online the Friday prior to the commission meeting.
For a complete
calendar of events and meetings during
December, please visit our
Calendar Page. |
That’s all for this month. If you have any questions
about e.News or City
issues in general, please email our Media Operations Director, Deborah
Steller,
at
dsteller@cityofcalabasas.com.
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