KBUU News Tues: Defense Attorney Insults Mother Of Murdered Boys – CPUC Solar Power Decision Goes To State Supreme Court – Malibu City Council Set To Dole Out $200,000 To Charities – How Nice: Tire Company Selling Monster Offroad Tires With 5% Benefit to Malibu

About 8 hours of heavy rain will hit Malibu at about 3 Thursday morning … according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.

Total rainfall: about 2 inches. 

More on the weather … in just a few minutes.

Defense Attorney Insults Mother Of Murdered Boys

Attempts by a defense lawyer to shift blame in the death of two little boys in a crosswalk look like they backfired in a spectacular way yesterday.

Nancy Iskander testified yesterday that two cars — one driven by Rebecca Grossman and the other by her romantic interest, former Dodger pitcher Scott Erickson — roared into her family at “an insane speed.”

The vehicles were racing, Iskander testified, and she said it was Grossman’s that hit the boys.

Iskander was the first witness to be called in the long-awaited trial.

Grossman is charged with two counts of murder … and could face 34 years to life in prison.

Her lawyer … Tony Buzbee … drilled into the still-grieving mother.

His cross examination tried to identify inconsistencies in Iskander’s statements to detectives. 

The woman … who had witnessed two of her four small children mowed down.

Buzbee focused on the distance between Nancy Iskander and the two boys.

 and her older sons, which he said she had previously characterized as “within six inches” and “a half-step behind you.”

“It was just a slip to say that they were close by,” Iskander replied.

Buzbee tried to put the mother on trial … for statements she made in September 2020 when her sons Mark and Jacob, 11 and 8, were struck by a sport utility vehicle as they crossed the Westlake Village road. 

Grossman was behind the wheel of the white Mercedes SUV that hit them at more than 70 mph, authorities say.

Grossman is being tried in Los Angeles County Superior Court on two counts each of second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, plus one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death.

Grossman’s lawyers indicated in their opening statement Jan. 26 that they plan to argue Mark and Jacob were moving at a 45 degree angle away from the median when they were struck.

“I saw and heard two cars coming towards us . . . at an insane speed,” she told the court, “you wouldn’t even imagine on the highway, crazy speed.”

“They were coming towards us and changing lanes, switching lanes as if they were racing or playing,” 

“So I had to jump from in front of that car. I still see it in my dreams, the black bumper coming towards me to kill me and Zachary,” she said.

“And I look back and the white car passed and killed Mark and Jacob.”

Buzbee’s opening statement, he made it clear that he intends to blame the driver of the black car Grossman’s alleged boyfriend, former Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson.

Iskander insisted that Grossman is responsible.

“I know what I saw. And I care about the lives of my kids, and I know who killed them,” Iskander said.

“You did not see the white car hit your children, isn’t that true?” Buzbee asked.

“I saw the white car crossing exactly where they were.”

This article is based on reporting by the Ventura County Star, the Aghoura Hills Acorn, the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers. 

CPUC Solar Power Decision Goes To State Supreme Court

A state commission’s decision to dramatically reduce the rates paid for solar power generated by rooftop units is now being appealed to the state Supreme Court. 

They call it Net Energy Metering …. NEM.

For systems set up before April 15th of last year … homeowners are still paid 30 cents per kilowatt hour of power that the sell to the power company.

That is the retail value of the electricity itself… but it does not reflect the cost of maintaining the distribution systems … the poles and conduits to connect everyone together. 

The California Public Utilities Commission cut the rate for rooftop solar from 30 cents to 8 cents for newly-installed solar systems … 

They say it’s not fair for ratepayers without solar to pay for the distribution system that even solar panel owners need.

The results are predictable.  

Practically no one is building new rooftop solar anymore. 

Environmentalists argue that the CPUC decision did not take into effect the environmental benefits of switching from coal and natural gas generated electricity … to solar. 

And there is also a possibility … if the power company would do it … to keep the power on in places like Malibu during windstorms … using solar power generated in Malibu.

The three groups took their case to the Court of Appeal but were turned back.

And legal observers say it is always a real long shot to ask the state Supreme Court to overrule a decision made by an administrative commission … and then upheld by the Court of Appeal. 

Bottom line … the CPUC has put the brakes on rooftop solar power … probably permanently.

But your neighbors with solar  … who pulled their permits before April 15th … are still getting paid the full retail price for their electricity … and they are not paying for the ugly and dangerous poles. 

Malibu City Council Set To Dole Out $200,000 To Charities

Malibu’s city government is accepting applications for 200 thousands dollars in city money … to be spread amongst local charities. 

The general grants are handed out by the Malibu city council … for the past decades … the same groups generally get part of their requests funded.

Last years,… the Boys and Girls Club of Malibu got nearly a quarter of the money … 45 thousand 5 hundred dollars. 

PTAs at the two elementary schools got 30 thousand dollars. 

The rest of the 200 thousand dollars was divvied up amongst several public and private charities in Malibu.

20 groups in all. 

Earlier this year … the city council granted 353 thousand dollars to start a professional fundraising effort for Malibu’s middle school and high school. 

That money was a one time only expenditure .. and does not count as part of the 200 thousand dollars budgeted for community general fund grants. 

Hearing On Possible School District Voting Areas Wed Night in Malibu

Tomorrow night … county officials will be in Malibu to hold a hearing on a proposal to force a major change in the way school board members are elected in the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District. 

The hearing is on a petition from Malibu activists to implement a new state law ,… that would see the seven school board members each elected from a voting area carved out of the existing district.

The initiative is clearly aimed at the santa monica school board majority that has run the school board for years.

It would carve up the north of Montana neighborhood in Santa Monica… Which has successfully one school board elections for at least 20 years in the SMMUSD.

Malibu active us not only want to split up the school district into seven voting areas… They have proposed maps that concentrate two of the seven districts with Malibu voters.

It’s basically a math problem translated into power politics.

Malibu’s population entitles it to more than one voting district.   Part of the city of Malibu would have to include a small part of Santa Monica.

The Malibu solution is to give Malibu two voting districts … each with a chunk of Santa Monica in them.

That has Santa Monica pooliticnas screaming … no fair … gerrymandering.

They point out that the state law does not allow districts that are not contiguous… Not complete geographic units.

And that’s the whole problem… The new state law also does not allow school districts that are not contiguous… And santa monica and Malibu are not contiguous.

The LA County commission on education will hold two meetings on the mess. The first one is tomorrow night at Santa Monica College Malibu Malibu at 6 p-m.

The second public hearing will be on February 10th .. a Saturday … at the SMMUSD headquarters building in Santa Monica. 

How Nice: Tire Company Selling Off-Road Tires To Benefit Malibu Lagoon

Isn’t this nice??

A Japanese tire company is marketing a line of what they call aggressive off-road tires … designed to convert cars from 4-wheel drive pickup trucks into off-road vehicles.

These new tires are called National Parks-inspired “Geolander” tires … marketed by Yokohama Tires Corporation.

And to show how inspired they are … Yokohama is donating 5 percent of its new tires sales to two state parks in Malibu … Point Dume and Malibu Lagoon.

Yokohama Tire Corp. put out a news release … that they are collaborating with the California State Parks Foundation through volunteer work and donation of 5 percent of its sales.

Sales of off-road tires to rip up the countryside elsewhere.

Thanks, Yokohama.

This report … based on reporting in Tire World.

Big Rainstorm Heading To Malibu: ETA 3am Thursday

All systems are a go for a 4 to 8 hour period of heavy weather starting Wednesday evening across the Central Coast and lasting through about noon Thursday over LA county. 

Heavy rain will hit LA county during the morning rush hour Thursday.

Peak rain rates between one third and two thirds of an inch of rain per hour  and 0.66 inches per hour will be common.

An extended period of high surf is expected to impact the coastal areas as two strong storm systems will impact the area. 

LA/Ventura county beaches could see high surf conditions from Wednesday night through Saturday …. possibly extending into Monday), peaking at 8 to 14 feet.

High tides are at 1 in the morning … and are about plus six feet.

A second storm is on track to impact the area sometime between Sunday and Tuesday. Computer models show a wide range of possibilities six days in advance. 

We might get light rain next week.

But other models show a stalled rain system off the Central Coast bringing 12 to 24 hours of steady moderate to heavy rain and strong winds Monday or Tuesday. 

This is a storm to keep an eye on … says the National Weather Service.