The 2009 Calabasas Pumpkin Festival, presented by the City of Calabasas and the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce, returns on Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, 2009 from 10:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. at Juan Bautista de Anza Park in Calabasas.  The theme of this year's festival is "Hometown Event - Big Time Fun."  The Pumpkin Festival, which attracted over 33,000 visitors in 2008, will feature carnival games, arts & crafts, live entertainment, delicious food and beverages, derby races, pumpkin pie eating contests and a fun zone with inflatable rides.  New for 2009 will be the addition of a number of pumpkin-themed foods and beverages available for sale from numerous vendors on site.  On Saturday, there will be a special $2.00 off for an unlimited ride pass from 10:00a.m. to 12:00p.m.  Plenty of additional information is available on the official Calabasas Pumpkin Festival website. 

Curious to learn about permitted development projects going on in your neighborhood or other planning activities in the City of Calabasas?  On the first of every month, the Calabasas Community Development Department publishes a monthly projects report that is available on the Calabasas website and can be emailed each month by signing up on the City website.   The report lists all new applications submitted to the Planning Division and all permits issued by the Building and Safety Division that involve an exterior modification on a property.  The report contains the date a permit was requested or issued, the address for the requested permit, and a description of the requested permitted activities.  For the convenience of residents, the site also lists all of the public meetings regarding ongoing development projects in Calabasas.  The monthly reports and email sign-up may be found on the Calabasas Development Notices webpage.

The Friends of the Calabasas Library are in the early stages of planning a new program for Calabasas Library cardholders.  While the program is not ready for launch yet, the Friends of the Library hope to announce the distribution of free general admission passes to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).  LACMA features  more than 100,000 works of art from ancient times to the present.  Free passes are not yet available and the program is still being finalized however an update should be available in the next edition of e.News.  

The City of Calabasas has launched an official Twitter page at http://twitter.com/Calabasascity that will feature concise information on Calabasas events and activities, severe weather updates, road closure information and other City announcements.   Twitter works as an instant messaging service that sends out messages to Calabasas Twitter page subscribers and lists all messages on the City's Twitter page.  Each message is limited to 140 characters ensuring that information is brief and to the point.  To sign up for a Twitter account and automatically receive "tweets" from City of Calabasas, please visit http://twitter.com/Calabasascity.  

The inaugural Calabasas Sun Sets Summer Series  comes to a close on September 13, 2009 with "The Best of Broadway – A Gershwin Celebration" beginning at 5:00p.m. at Calabasas Lake (courtesy of the Calabasas Park Homeowners Association).   From Tin Pan Alley to Broadway to the silver screen, George Gershwin did it all.  His unique blend of jazz, blues and classical music made him one of the most innovative composers of all time.  
Field seating will be available on the grass so concert attendees should feel free to bring lawn chairs, a picnic and perhaps a  sweater if the weather dictates.  A limited amount of fixed seating will be available.  No tickets are necessary and the event is free to the public.  To access Calabasas Lake, please enter at the Calabasas Tennis & Swim Center located at 23400 Park Sorrento in Calabasas.  Parking is free. 
The Best of Broadway performance ends a very successful first season of the Sun Sets series.  Thanks to all the performers and attendees for coming out on Sundays this summer!  For more information about Sun Sets, please call (818) 224-1600.

The 12th annual The Method Fest Independent film Festival, scheduled for March 25 - April 1, 2010 in Calabasas, is looking for character and story-driven films featuring strong acting performances. The Method Fest features American and foreign feature films and short films and is named after "The Method" school of acting, which revolutionized the approach in acting, particularly in film.

The Method Fest will feature tributes to actors and top filmmakers, acting workshops, panels and seminars.  A variety of other activities will complement the Method Fest screenings including filmmaking seminars, daily/nightly parties and receptions, industry events, a variety of Indie Music events, a Lifetime Achievement Tribute, and the Awards Ceremony. The Method fest’s Youth Program includes a short film and screenplay competition for middle school and high school students and awards for filmmaking and acting.

Deadlines for film submissions for the 12th annual The Method Fest are October 1, 2009 for Early Bird submissions, December 1, 2009 for Regular Entry submissions, and February 1, 2010 for Late Deadline submissions.  For more information, please call (310) 535-9230 or visit the festival web site at www.methodfest.com.

Each year, the Calabasas Environmental Commission hosts an environmentally-themed drawing contest open to students in elementary and middle schools.  The contest theme is “The Benefits of Food Waste Recycling” and students are encouraged to submit hand-created drawings.  Drawings must be done on 8½” x 11” format in landscape orientation.  Contest submissions are due to the City of Calabasas, Environmental Services Division at City Hall (100 Civic Center Way, Calabasas, CA 91302) by Monday, November 2, 2009.  Thirteen winners will be chosen by the Environmental Commission on November 3, 2009 based on the creativity and theme of their illustrations.  The winning drawings will be printed as part of the 2010 City of Calabasas Community Recycling Awareness calendar.  The first winner’s drawing will be printed on the cover of the calendar and each winner will receive a $25.00 gift certificate.  For more information, please contact City of Calabasas at (818) 224-1600 or visit the Environmental Services Division website.

The Calabasas Tennis & Swim Center will be hosting a free Back to School Pool Party on Friday, September 4, 2009 from 4:00p.m. to 9:00p.m. The pool party will feature music, exciting games, prizes, food and plenty of swimming fun.  Admission is free so bring the family to celebrate the end of another great summer!  The Calabasas Tennis & Swim Center is located at 23400 Park Sorrento in Calabasas.  Please call (818) 222-2782 for more information.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department is offering Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training classes on Thursday evenings from October 8, 2009 to November 19, 2009 (7:00p.m.–9:30p.m.) and Saturday morning, November 21, 2009 (9:00a.m.–12:00p.m.).  All classes will be held in Founders Hall of the Calabasas Library, 200 Civic Center Way in Calabasas.  The  CERT Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.  This free CERT training is open to all interested community members so participants do not have to be residents of Calabasas in order to attend.  Please click here to view the class schedule. 

Participants must attend all classes in order to receive a certificate of completion.  Previous CERT students who need to “make-up” a missed module or would just like a “refresher course” on a particular subject of interest are welcome to attend just that module. To sign up to attend these classes, please contact Debbie Larson, City of Calabasas Risk Management Analyst, at (818) 224-1616; or Maria Grycan, Los Angeles County Fire Department Community Services Representative, at (310) 456-7923.

2009 FALL RECREATION BROCHURE

The 2009 Calabasas Fall Recreation brochure is now available online.  As always, the brochure was mailed to all Calabasas residents and extra paper copies are available at City Hall, the Agoura/Calabasas Community Center and the Calabasas Tennis and Swim Center.  The brochure features detailed information about adult and youth classes, senior citizen programs, community news and information, sports activities and much more.  Please look for Enrichment classes and other after school programs in the Recreation Brochure.  For more information about Calabasas recreation opportunities or for help with class registration, please call the Recreation department at (818) 880-6461.

The City of Calabasas  organizes two free monthly electronic waste collection events in addition to the usual monthly water based paint and used oil collection event. On  the first Saturday of each month (Saturday, September 5, 2009), an electronic waste collection will take place at the Albertson’s parking lot, 26521 Agoura Road (at Las Virgenes Road) in Calabasas from 10:00a.m to 3:00p.m. A second monthly electronic waste event will take place on the 3rd Saturday of the month, September 19, 2009, in the Vons Shopping Center parking lot at 23381 Mulholland Drive in Woodland Hills from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.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, September 12, 2009 there will be a free water based paint and used oil collection event at Calabasas City Hall located at 100/200 Civic Center Way (map) adjacent to the Commons from 10:00a.m to 2:00p.m. For more information, please contact the City of Calabasas Recycling and Solid Waste Coordinator at (818) 224-1600.

The City is conducting outreach to inform animal owners of the new animal waste removal ordinance.   Ordinance No. 2009-252, which went into effect on February 28, 2009, requires that pet owners clean up after their pets on all private and public property within Calabasas. To publicize the new law, City staff has handed out a number of promotional flyers and waste removal bags.   The ordinance requires any person who walks or exercises an animal in or upon any public or private property to have in their possession the appropriate means to retrieve and dispose of animal waste. Any person who does not properly clean up after their animals is subject to penalties, as provided for in the City of Calabasas Municipal Code.

The intent of the ordinance is to prevent the contamination of waterways and avoid health hazards by promoting a safe environment. For this reason, Calabasas residents have been very receptive to the ordinance and have shown great enthusiasm for compliance.  Calabasas pet owners are eligible to receive free pet waste disposal bags at the front counter at City Hall (located at 100 Civic Center Way adjacent to the Commons at Calabasas).  Residents with questions regarding the new animal waste ordinance should contact Armando Saavedra, Code Enforcement Officer, at (818) 224-1723. 

Registration for the 2009 Calabasas Classic 5k/10k Runs is up and running.   The 6th Annual Calabasas Classic will be held on Sunday, November 8, 2009 in Calabasas on a scenic course that is certified and sanctioned by USATF.  The first 500 registered participants in the 5k/10k or combo races will receive a custom embroidered race hat by HeadSweats Race cap especially designed for 2009.  Additionally, the first 1000 pre-registered runners of the 5k, 10k or combo runs will get a GreenLayer Polyester Repreve Fabric short sleeved shirt made from recycled fabrics.  On an average, every pound of Polyester Repreve yarn conserves the equivalent of one half a gallon of gasoline.  Quantities will be limited so register early.  For more information on registration for the Calabasas Classic 5k/10k, please visit www.CalabasasClassic.com or email Julie Talbert directly. 

The Ventura County Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) is pleased to announce the availability of scholarships for high school students entering college or university in an engineering/public works related major from any high school located within the APWA Ventura Chapter membership region.  The region includes City of Calabasas as well as Agoura Hills, Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Port Hueneme, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Oxnard, Ventura, Westlake Village, and County unincorporated areas.    

Applicants must be a 12^th grade student and/or a graduating high school student from the spring or summer of 2009, and who is attending college or university in the fall of 2009, and will be pursuing studies in an engineering/public works related field of study. Examples of engineering/public works related fields of study may be found online.

The selection of the scholarships will be based on the academic achievements of the student and their expressed interest to pursue a career in engineering or public works related field.  To be eligible for consideration for a scholarship, the applicant must complete and submit the application form posted online and other required documents listed in page 2 of the application. 

Please note that all applications are due by Monday, September 14, 2009.  The Scholarship Committee sincerely requests that the applicant’s counselors or teachers review the scholarship application before submitting them. For questions or additional information, please call Dr. Alex Farassati at (818) 224-1680.  Applicants must complete the application and mail it to:  City of Calabasas, c/o Dr. Alex Farassati, APWA Scholarship Committee, 100 Civic Center Way, Calabasas, CA 91302.

Calabasas Lake (enter adjacent to Tennis & Swim Center)
Sun Sets: The Best of Broadway: A Gershwin Celebration
Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 5:00p.m. 
Free event!

Conejo Players Theatre - Thousand Oaks

Madrid Theatre - Canoga Park
     September 2009 Calendar

Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza - Thousand Oaks

The City of Calabasas and the Lost Hills Disaster Communications Service would like to invite the public to attend an Amateur Ham Radio Study and Exam Session for an Entry Level FCC License on Sunday, September 27, 2009 at the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station.   The class will take place from 9:30a.m. to 5:00p.m. and the one hour exam will begin at 2:00p.m.  There is a $25.00 class fee that includes class expenses and snacks and a $4.00 exam fee.  Please note that registration is required and walk-ins will not be accepted.  Register today by sending a check to Norm Goodkin, 22287 Mulholland Drive #162, Calabasas, CA 91302.  Please write "September Ham Class" on the check memo and include a note with the names and email address for attendees.  Please note that no refunds will be available for cancellations after September 20, 2009.  For more information, please contact Debbie Larson at (818) 224-1600 or dlarson@cityofcalabasas.com.

The City of Calabasas, in conjunction with the Las Virgenes Unified School District, is once again inviting Calabasas families to take part in the 13^th annual International Walk to School Day program on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 beginning at 7:30a.m.  

Walk to School Day is an opportunity for parents and their children to take advantage of cooler weather by walking to and from school during daylight hours, reducing traffic, and increasing exercise levels.  Last year, students, parents, and community leaders from all 50 U.S. states walked to school during the event.  Walkers from the U.S. will be joining many countries from around the world to celebrate International Walk to School Day.     

The City hopes that at least 80% of Calabasas students will kick off the day at 7:30 a.m. walking to school with parents, teachers and community leaders.  During the walk, volunteers will be handing out gifts and prizes to those participating in the walk. Other special activities include morning assemblies and rallies at each of the schools.  For more information about Walk to School Day in Calabasas, please contact Maralyn Gold at (818) 224-1691.

Be sure to tune in to CTV on cable channel 3 in Calabasas, through live online web-streaming, or watch any meeting or CTV program
at ANYTIME through the CTV archive.

CTV programming is now available on YouTube!

This month on CTV:

Calabasas Teen Forum
(View this program anytime with CTV Archiving)

The panel of teens discuss both the positive
and negative aspects of the various social networking websites.


(left to right): Daniella Lavi, Hadi Elzayn, Shaina Nazarian
Host, Jason Peirce,
Nick La Maina, Raina Advani and Rishabh Agarwal

Author's Night
(View this program anytime with CTV Archiving)

Host Karyn Foley's guest is children's author Alva Sachs.

City Hall will be closed on Monday, September 7, 2009 in observance of the Labor Day holiday. 

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.  All City Council meetings and commission meetings take place in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Way in Calabasas.

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