=.  Chances for rain increase today … maybe even a thunderstorm.

=.  Thunderbolts and lightning … very very frightening … Malibu elects a mayor.

=.  Bruce Silverstein gets blackballed by the council majority … Steve Uhring turns down the job.

=.   For the sixth time … the city council is unable to select a city manager.

=.   Fire trucks could not reach Soho House when it caught fire because the Nobu parking lot was jammed.

=.  SCE did not exactly disclose the full extent of the billing snafu that hit some with double bills. 

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This is Malibu’s Only Local Daily News … the day edition … I’m Hans Laetz reporting. 

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The little rain storm moving down the coast is going to be a little colder and wetter than originally predicted.

We might … if a thunderstorm develops … get more than a tenth of an inch of rain.

And thunder and lightning is possible this afternoon.

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Everyone Furious: Silverstein Contrite, A Bit; Uhring Shuns Mayoral Gavel; Council Majority Returns To Grisanti As Reluctant Mayor

Ugly. Juvenile. Theater of the absurd. 

Those are some of the words used to describe last night’s Malibu city council meeting … where the city council needed three votes to decide on a new mayor.

And the losing side is furious. 

In the end … Paul Grisanti was selected to serve another term … on a 3-2 vote.

The council majority made it clear there was no way … no how … that Bruce Silverstein would be given the honorary seat …. which has no real legal power.

Silverstein made a last minute plea last night … seeking the vote of three council members.

NEWSCART A73104 MAYOR BS well okay

“You’ve got a bunch of people who are just holding onto their anger and can’t let it go … and I guess it was stoked by a new report. 

“I’m not a person who believes in looking back with regret or resentment for things that happen in the past. 

“Because the past is the past in the past, and the past was shaped by all the events that were occurring at that time. 

“And I’ve been asked to apologize. 

“I’m not going to apologize for what I did for the same reason I’m I don’t look back and regret it or resent it. 

“But I’m not proud of that report.  

“If anyone thinks that I am proud that the Ellis Report came back … and said I was hostile and unprofessional … I don’t know where they would get that from. I never suggested that. I’m not proud of that.

“I don’t agree with the conclusions and I’m not proud of the conclusion. B

“But I’ve learned a lot in the past year and I think I’ve exhibited that in the past 3 to 6 months as a number of people who spoke on my behalf have said.

“So I really don’t just get this. 

“Again … there’s. … there’s …. Steve said they were nine people I thought they were 12 people.

“But there’s a bunch of people who just come and they complain about things that are just ancient history at this point … water over the dam. 

“And you’re going to make decisions based on that??? 

“Well… OK..”

Bruce Silverstein … not apologizing… yet attacking half of the people who spoke at last night’s city council meeting.

Too little and way too late … said the other council members.

First … the three member majority tried to make Silverstein’s ally … Steve Uhring … the mayor.

Uhring threw it back.

NEWSCART A73102 MAYOR SU

“We’re like back in high school…. This is high school stuff. 

“‘I don’t like him so I’m not gonna vote for him even though he deserves it even though he may be more qualified than all of us to do this job’ and we’re going to say ‘nah nah nah I don’t like him’.”

But there was no way that Karen Farrer … Paul Grisanti … or Mikke Pierson would vote for Silverstein for mayor.

Farrer went to the Ellis report … to use the words found by the independent investigator … the words used by city staff to describe Silverstein.

NEWSCART A73101 MAYOR KF it is classic bullying

“Hostile.

“Unprofessional.

“Frequently aggressive.

“Contentious.

“Distrustful.

“Unfriendly.

“Challenging.

“Disturbing.

“Combative.

“Burdensome.

“Demanding.

“A constant barrage.

“Crackpot.

“Conspiracy theories.

“Unrelenting.

“Unprecedented.

“Egregious.

“Harsh.

“And critical. 

“Those are not my words …those are found throughout the report. While this behavior was not found to be within the legal description of gender-based harassment, it is classic bullying.”

Silverstein called all this  “kabuki theater” and said it was an act … the selection of Karen Farrer as mayor was preordained.

“Bad guess Bruce.” Farrer said. “I’m not interested in being mayor. I nominate Paul.”

Grisanti again nominated Uhring. 

Uhring again declined, repeatedly.

On the third ballot … Grisanti was elected … and said he would gladly hand over the ceremonial title to Uhring.

Silverstein was eventually re-elected to the second seat, mayor pro tem, on a 5-0 vote.

“Good news, Paul, we know how to work together, we’ve been working together for 9 months.” Silverstein said with a chuckle.

“Indeed we have,” the incoming mayor agreed.

Silverstein’s supporters were furious. 

John Mazza said the vote was parallel to what was happening to Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress. 

NEWSCART A73100 MAYORJM  

“This is exactly what is happening in Washington. And if it follows through, when the anti-development pro general plan people winning the next election, do you want them to say ‘OK let’s have a February 14, 2022 committee and put them on it?’

“Do you want them to take everybody off any political assignment or committee that’s on the wrong side?”

Silverstein and his supporters believe the Malibu mayor’s seat was stolen from them.

Grisanti and Silverstein opponents point the fact the Silverstein’s slate won far fewer votes in the last election … than did Silverstein …, Uhring and Andy Lyon. 

In the end … even Steve McClary … the interim city manager who works for these five council members … was left shaking his head.

NEWSCART A73110 SM 

“You know I watched a little bit of what was happening tonight and I was… I mean I was… I mean I’m at a loss of words. I think if we all work together we would have a lot of commonality… And we all share a lot of the same goals.”

By the way … the city council met for the sixth time behind closed doors and still has not been able to select a permanent city council.

Nor has it acted on its agonized item of making Steve McClary a better offer … than the temporary contract that he is working under during this none moth plus paralysis. 

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Support for KBUU Radio also comes the the Malibu Association of Realtors.

When choosing someone to represent you when you buy … sell or rent a house … local knowledge is very important.

Malibu zoning rules … Coastal Commission rules …

Members of the Malibu Association of Realtors are local experts.

The Malibu Association of Realtors …  supporters of our local community … and supporters of local radio 99.1 KBUU.

SCE Kept Double-Billing Quiet For Almost A Month, CPA Rates To Drop

Turns out Southern California Edison knew about errors with double billing for almost a a month … before it told anyone.

And SCE only acknowledged the billing snafu after a Malibu reporter began asking about it. 

Malibu city councilman Mikke Pierson sits on the board of directors for the rival Clean Air Alliance … the CPA. 

Pierson says the number of erroneous bills sent out by SCE may have been … not the 145 thousand disclosed by SCE … but more like double that. 

These customers were not charged by SCE for power generation in December … but got double bills in January. 

SCE SNAFU MP AAA isn’t that charming

“SCE was aware of the error on the billing… ready for this one… in early January but did not notify CPA until nearly one month later … until nearly one month later when CPA and his customers started seeing some abnormally high bills and CPA staff started inquiring. Isn’t that charming?”

Pierson says there is some good news ahead for CPA customers …. 

SCE SNAFU MP BBB

“If you stay with … if you’re with the Clean Power Alliance you’ll see an overall drop in your bill starting sort of around March 1 of about 6%. This 6% drop only applies to CPA customers not Edison customers.”

But even those CPA customers also have to pay the monopoly delivery firm … SCE …  for power delivery.

And that SCE delivery charge is typically two thirds of your monthly power bill.

SCE has dramatically increased its delivery charges. 

And … SCE has shifted everyone to time of use rates that can really sock customers who use heavy appliances during afternoon and evening hours. 

Think air conditioners… swimming pools filters … those things. 

How much of an increase???

The CPUC approved 8.9 percent rate hikes for SCE last summer … but many people report their bills are much higher than that. 

How much higher?
SCE has not provided that exact detail. 

Pierson last night shot down rumors posted on the NextDoor platform …. that he was being quiet about the issue because he is paid by the CPA.

Pierson was appointed by the city council to sit on the CPA’s board … every city on the CPA gets that.

And none get paid. 

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Support for KBUU Radio comes from the Malibu Brewing Company.

Malibu Brewing Company is a locally owned craft brewery, proudly supporting our community, and local public radio. 

Just released: a limited, holiday-spiced Winter Ale …  a perfect fireside companion.

It makes a special gift for the beer-lovers on your list.

Find Malibu Brewing Company premium craft beer in select retailers, or order direct at brew malibu dot com

Firefighters Needed Ladder Truck To Extend Across Overcrowded Nobu/Soho Parking Lot During Fire

The overcrowded parking lot at Soho House and Nobu is no secret … the traffic jam a source of frustration for 10 years in Malibu. 

And now … it has been confirmed as a major fire hazard.

Fire trucks could not get into the parking lot last Friday when grease in the exhaust system caught fire and spread.,

Firefighters needed to use a hook and ladder truck parked on PCH to clamor over the jammed parking lot … filled with stacked parking.

Jefferson Wagner runs his surf shop across the street.

NEWSCART A73107 SOHOFIRE WAGNER

“What I witnessed was a difficult situation for both fire service to the event … the fire in the ceiling between roast between the ceiling and the HVAC unit… (and) the management that the sheriff had to do because the parking lot was over burdened by parking. They had to use the ladder unit from (Fire Station) 125 to service the roof on the Soho House in the fire there, because the parking lot was too full.”

And it was a substantial fire… Not just a grease fire in the vents. City manager Steve McClary talked about the fire at last night’s city council meeting.

NEWSCART A73108 SOHOFIRE SM

“It was quite a large fire I know that they were 50 occupying’s that were evacuated. Fortunately they were no injuries apparently.

“We did have building staff out to take a look at the property today and there was damage obviously that was done to the building… pretty significant.”

Soho House and Nobu have been in violation of the Coastal Use Permits for 10 years.

Planning commissioner John Mazza has been firing away on this issue for 10 years and he says there’s a real danger here … beyond just a crowded PCH.

NEWSCART SOHOFIRE MAZZA

“The highway was closed. They had to fight the fire from the street, they had to bring a unit in from out of town because we don’t have tall buildings so we don’t have hook and ladders. And this all goes back to the fact that over 10 years ago Soho and past Nobu were busted for violating their CUPs. And we had five hearings on it at the planning commission and the prior city manager pulled the whole thing under her purview a year and a half ago and nothing was done about it.”

More than two years ago … the city attorney Chart Hogin said she was negotiating with the lawyers for Soho House and Nobu about the parking lot jam … which spills over all the time onto PCH to creat a major traffic bottleneck.

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Support for KBUU Radio comes from the Malibu Foundation.

The Malibu Foundation underwrote the KBUU solar panels and batteries at the transmitter … which keeps KBUU’s FM transmitting on 99.1 during storms and blackouts… 24 seven… on clean renewable Malibu sunshine.

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More And More Discounts For Fire-Hardened Home Fire Insurance

California’s insurance commissioner has asked California home insurance companies to give discounts to homeowners who reduce wildfire risk to older houses.

Insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara said homeowners who live in the houses built before 2008 need to follow the same building standards they were instituted back then for new construction. 

That means a fire-resistant roof, at least 5 feet of defensible space around a home, a clearly defined evacuation route in a neighborhood and the removal of overgrown trees in a community.

Firefighters have said most of the houses that burned in Malibu three years ago were older houses …. that did not meet the modern standards. 

Lara says there are 12 insurance companies … representing 40% of the insurance market … already offering discounts to homeowners taking hardening measures. 

That’s up from only 7% of the market that was offered such discounts three years ago. 

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Support for KBUU Radio comes from the Malibu Brewing Company.

Malibu Brewing Company is a locally owned craft brewery, proudly supporting our community, and local public radio. 

Just released: a limited, holiday-spiced Winter Ale …  a perfect fireside companion.

It makes a special gift for the beer-lovers on your list.

Find Malibu Brewing Company premium craft beer in select retailers, or order direct at brew malibu dot com

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You can hear the news live every morning until 9:30 on KBUU.

FM 99.1 in western Malibu.  Also: streaming at www.radiomalibu.net

Between 10 and 2 … you can hear the newscast playback loop on KBU2. That’s on FM 99.1 HD2 in your car, or streaming at s7.viastreaming.net/6500

If humanly possible, the KBUU NewsScript is usually published at around midday at www.radiomalibu.net