The 13^th annual Calabasas Fine Arts Festival will take place over two days on Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2, 2010 from 10:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. at the Calabasas Civic Center and the Commons at Calabasas shopping center (adjacent to the original Park Sorrento Fine Arts Festival location).  Admission and parking are both free.   

As always, hundreds of artists will be on hand selling unique art that can fit into any budget.  The Calabasas Fine Arts Festival features a number of returning artists along with an exciting list of new artisans. The show will have a variety of genre’s of art including, glass, acrylic, mixed media, metal and sculpture art, wood work, photography, jewelry and much, much more. Please join Calabasas for this wonderful May weekend of great artistry, entertainment, food and fun!  For more information about the Calabasas Fine Arts Festival, please visit www.calabasasartscouncil.com or visit www.cityofcalabasas.com.

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has announced that the City of Calabasas will be presented with two Compass Blueprint Recognition Awards during a reception at the La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, California on May 5, 2010.   The Calabasas 2030 General Plan has been selected to receive the Compass Blueprint Recognition Award for Achievement in Sustainability and the Las Virgenes Creek Restoration project will receive the Compass Blueprint Recognition Award for Visionary Planning for Environmental Sustainability.  The Compass Blueprint Growth Vision, created by SCAG in 2000 in a collaborative workshop process, aims to influence the way development moves forward in Southern California. SCAG presents the Compass Blueprint Recognition Awards annually in recognition of projects that demonstrate excellence and achievement in the four key elements of Compass Blueprint planning: Livability, Mobility, Prosperity and Sustainability. 

The Las Virgenes Creek Restoration project, which involved the removal of 440 linear feet of concrete from the creek and a restoration of native vegetation, was completed in November 2007 and the restored area is now used for resident recreation and City events.  The project has also been honored with two awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The Calabasas 2030 General Plan was created through an 18-month effort to revise the City’s original 1995 General Plan.  A General Plan Advisory Committee, the Planning Commission and the City Council developed and approved the Calabasas 2030 General Plan which serves as both the community’s vision and policy document to guide land use decisions.  The Plan focuses on “smart growth” in Calabasas while maintaining a strong commitment to the preservation of open space and sustainability.  More information about the SCAG Compass Blueprint Recognition Awards may be found online at http://www.scag.ca.gov. 

Calabasas residents are urged to take advantage of the State’s “Cash for Appliances” rebate program which began April 22, 2010. The State Energy Commission has identified three residential appliances eligible to receive rebates: clothes washers (rebate $100), refrigerators (rebate $200), and room/window air conditioners (rebate $50).  These rebates are in addition to existing rebates offered by Edison and appliance manufacturers.

To qualify, the appliances must be ENERGY STAR-listed, meet CEE tier standards, and certified to the Energy Commission as meeting all state and federal appliance efficiency standards.   For a list of eligible appliances and rules on how to obtain your rebate, log into http://www.cash4appliances.org.  

The California International Theatre Festival (CITF) returns for a second year in Calabasas from July 17 – 25, 2010.  The Festival, which features performances from around the globe, recently announced their 2010 line-up which features performances from China, Ireland, Israel, the United Kingdom and more.   Check the official CITF website for the full performance schedule and to purchase CITF tickets. 

The Festival is once again featuring an Apprentice Program which offers 20-30 promising students age 18 and up an exciting opportunity to expand their theatre education and training over a period of three intensive weeks. Apprentices will attend daily workshops with acclaimed faculty and special seminars with visiting artists from around the globe. This unique international training program will expose students to a series of diverse acting, movement, & vocal disciplines including commedia, clown, mask work, kabuki and innovative character creation, taught by Grotowski, Decroux, Adler, & Lecoq trained master teachers. It also will provide apprentices with hands-on experience in producing and launching an international theatre festival. Classes are taught by a dedicated international group of artist faculty that includes Master Teachers from Universities and theatres nationwide as well as international artists from the festival.

More information about the Apprentice Program and the official application form are available online.

Linda Purl, an award-winning star of Broadway, film and television, takes the stage at Founders Hall in the Calabasas Library (200 Civic Center Way in Calabasas) on Saturday, May 22, 2010 to perform her dazzling, critically acclaimed live show.   Purl will sing a number of standards such as "Come Rain or Come Shine," "The Best Is Yet to Come" and "I'll Be Seeing You" during the intimate concert that crosses several musical genres.  

Linda has starred in over 40 television Movies of the Week, and will soon be seen on ABC’s Desperate Housewives.  Linda was last seen as Helene Beasley, Pam’s Mother in The Office. She is probably best known as Charlene Matlock from the series Matlock and as Ashley Pfister, Fonzie’s fiancée, from Happy Days

Tickets for the May 22 concert are $20 and include a cheese and dessert reception before the show.  A no host wine bar will also be available.  The reception begins at 7:30p.m. and the performance is at 8:00p.m.  Please call (818) 224-1655 for ticket reservations or for additional information.

Join in the development of a new Bicycle Master Plan!  The City of Calabasas is looking for interested individuals to volunteer their time for a new Calabasas Bicycle Advisory Group (CBAG).  This group will provide input and recommendations for the development of the City’s 2010 Bicycle master plan.  The CBAG will meet regularly to discuss a variety of topics, including:

   -The state of bicycling within the City
   -City Bicycle facilities 
   -Input and guidance in the development of the Master Plan including project needs and project priorities

Applicants who are not selected and all members of the public are are always encouraged to submit their comments and recommendations to the CBAG.

Residents interested in volunteering for the CBAG may contact Ryan Thompson via email at rthompson@cityofcalabasas.com or by telephone at (818) 224-1673.  Please apply by May 30, 2010.  Selection of members will occur during the first week of June.

Summertime Calabasas Beach Bus will begin service on June 21, 2010 and will run on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays until August 20, 2010.  The bus drops off and picks up passengers at six convenient locations in Calabasas and at Zuma Beach in Malibu.  The fare is only $1 each way.  There are three bus departures per service day from Calabasas and three departures from Zuma Beach back to Calabasas.  A full schedule and list of locations is available online.  Please note that exact change and a valid picture ID are required to ride the Beach Bus!  There is no beach bus service on Wednesdays, Saturdays, or Sundays.  There will also be no service on Monday, July 5, 2010.  For more information, please call (818) 880-6461. 

The Calabasas Big Sunday Creek Clean-up will take place on Sunday, May 2, 2010 from 9:00a.m. to 11:00a.m. at Las Virgenes Creek on Agoura Road and Las Virgenes Road just behind the Starbucks. 

Big Sunday is an annual volunteer weekend that takes place each year in the Los Angeles area and Calabasas is participating this year with a special Creek Clean-up Event. Big Sunday will take place on May 1 and May 2, 2010 and include a series of environmental events labeled as Green Sunday.  Big Sunday volunteers come from, and volunteer in, all neighborhoods from the greater Los Angeles area.  There are volunteer opportunities for every passion, every talent, and every age. Projects are scheduled throughout the weekend to work with any schedule.  Projects can last anywhere from one hour to two days.  Everything about Big Sunday is completely non-denominational and non-political.

For more information on Big Sunday, please visit http://www.bigsunday.org.  For more information about the Calabasas Creek Clean-up, please call (818) 224-1600.

The A.E. Wright Middle School Pedestrian and Bicycle Footbridge and Trail is about to begin construction thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The project includes the construction of approximately 200 feet of trail and a 200-foot long, 12-foot wide footbridge that will span Las Virgenes Creek and connect A.E. Wright Middle School and Lost Hills Rd.  The long walk currently required to bypass the creek bed lengthens walking periods and forces students who do want to cross Las Virgenes Creek to use the creek bed as a crossing which is neither an all-weather nor a safe year-round access to the school. The trail will offer a shorter (reduction of nearly one mile), safer route for residents of the community (eliminate the need to cross various streets and driveways), and reduce traffic to the school.  Construction is scheduled to begin Monday, June 21 2010 and be completed this Fall.   This project is part of the City’s Safe Routes to School efforts, after Staff discovered that students would traverse across Las Virgenes Creek to get to school.

The Calabasas Library is host to two different age-specific book clubs that are open to the community.  Have a 3rd through 6th grader at home with an interest in reading?  The Library features a Wednesday Book Club specifically for kids in grades 3-6.  Membership in the book club is free and the next meeting is on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 4:00p.m. at the Library to discuss the book The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.  For more information, please call Jill Nevins at 818-225-7616 or email jnevins@cityofcalabasas.com.
 

The Second Thursday Library Book Club for adults will meet on Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 6:30p.m. in the Calabasas Library.  The March book choice is The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  Membership in the adult book club is also free however a library card is required to participate.   For more information and to take part in the club book choice survey, please call Caroline Russom at (818) 225-7616 or email crussom@cityofcalabasas.com.

2010 SPRING/SUMMER RECREATION BROCHURE

The City of Calabasas Recreation department has once again published a combined Spring and Summer Recreation brochure for 2010.  The double issue, mailed to residents and available online, gives families a chance to plan early for summertime activities and classes while also taking advantage of all the spring recreation opportunities in the City.  The new brochure features detailed information about adult and youth classes, senior citizen programs, community news and information, sports activities and much more.   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, May 1, 2010), 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, May 15, 2010, 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, May 8, 2010 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.

Construction activities for the Calabasas Annual Rubberized Overlay Project will begin on Monday, June 21, 2010 and continue throughout the summer.  This year’s street resurfacing program will include rubberized overlay and crack sealing.  The streets to be overlayed are Mulholland Highway (Northern City limit to Paul Revere Rd.), Parkway Calabasas (Park Entrada to Camino Portal), Dry Canyon Cold Creek Road (Mulholland Hwy to 678 ft E/O of Mulholland Hwy), and the Creekside Park gated parking lot/playground area.  The roads that will be Crack Sealed include: Mulholland Highway (Old Topanga Canyon Road to 24325 Mulholland Hwy lot entrance) and Dry Canyon Cold Creek Road from Old Topanga Canyon Road to the main Viewpoint School parking lot entrance.   Traffic control and access will be provided at all times. There will be limited access on days when actual paving occurs, but only for a short period. The Contractor will re-open the streets as soon as it is safe and possible to do so. The streets will be paved one travel lane at a time, therefore, access will be provided when needed.  Residents with questions or in need of special accommodations may call (818) 224-1674.

The Citywide Fiber Optic Interconnect project includes the installation of fiber-optic cable along portions of Las Virgenes Road, Mureau Road and other streets which will link eleven additional traffic signals to the City’s Traffic Management Center (TMC) and with each other.   The project, which was partially funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will begin construction on Monday, May 3, 2010 and continue through this Fall.  This third phase of the interconnect project will provide enhanced communication capabilities for City facilities.  Also, the interconnected network will consolidate control of the City’s traffic signals, allowing for improved corridor management.  

The  Citywide Fiber Optic Interconnect project work should pose minimal traffic delays to residents.  For more information about the Citywide Fiber Optic Interconnect project, please visit the official project page or call (818) 224-1688.

The City of Calabasas will be retrofitting fifty-six curb ramps across the City in order to make them compliant with the most recent standards from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  The retrofit will ensure that the curb ramps at intersections have a minimal slope to them, making it easier for wheelchairs to negotiate, and a tactile tile to warn visually impaired pedestrians that they are about to enter the street.  The ramps to be retrofit are located at Parkway Calabasas & Park Entrada, Parkway Calabasas & Paseo Primario, Parkway Calabasas & Camino Portal, Mulholland Hwy & Eddingham Ave, Mulholland Hwy & Daguerre Ave., AC Stelle Middle School driveway & Mulholland Hwy, Paul Revere Rd. & Mulholland Hwy, Parched Dr. & Mulholland Hwy, Freedom Dr. & Mulholland Hwy and in the Saratoga Hills neighborhood.  Work on the ramps begins in May and will continue for approximately eight weeks.  Residents with questions or concerns may contact Tatiana at tholden@cityofcalabasas.com.    

Conejo Players Theatre - Thousand Oaks
Heaven Can Wait
Through May 15, 2010
Thurs., Fri. & Sat. at 8:00pm
Sun. at 2:00p.m.

Madrid Theatre - Canoga Park
     May 2010 Calendar

Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza - Thousand Oaks

Parents in Calabasas can still register their kids for spring swim lessons.  Registration forms are currently available at the Calabasas Tennis & Swim Center.  Joe, the “Tiki Guy,” is at the Swim Center to accept registrations and answer phone calls on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:30p.m. - 6:30p.m.  Class space is limited and the classes will fill-up quickly!  For more information, please call at the Lagoon at (818) 222-8777.

Are you a swimmer who needs to work on technique, build endurance or need to be pushed to swim at a higher level? The City of Calabasas Recreation Department is hosting a Masters Swim Program that begins a new session on June 1, 2010.  Workouts will include drill sets, endurance sets and sprints and will be supervised by an on-deck coach.  Intermediate fitness swimmers to advanced swimmers are welcome to register.   The fee for the program is $30 for Calabasas Tennis & Swim Center members and $105 for non-members.  Please contact Raine at (818) 222-2782 for more information or visit the Calabasas Tennis & Swim Center and pay an $8 drop-in class fee to try the out class! If you like the workout, register for the session! 

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.

Select CTV programming is now available on YouTube!

This month on CTV:

PREVIEW, AN EYE ON THE ARTS #20- Andy Anh Ha & Vigen Ovsepian
(View this program anytime with CTV Archiving)

Andy Anh Ha creates amazing, one-of-a-kind paintings on wood canvases. He has an eye for creating movement and beauty in his works of art. Tune in to find out more about this amazing artist and his inspiration for his artwork. For more visit Andy's website at: www.andyanhha.com

Vigen Ovsepian creates beautiful art pieces using ceramics, clay and sometime incorporating metal in some of his work. Ovsepian makes amazing artwork that is one-of-a-kind, nothing like you have seen before. Tune in to see and hear more about his brilliant work, and his inspiration for his pieces.

Calabasas City Hall will be closed on Monday, May 31, 2010 in observance of Memorial Day.

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. 

Want City Agendas delivered to your email? Sign up at http://www.cityofcalabasas.com/connect.html.

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