School Chief Promises Investigation Into Board Member’s Apparent Conflict – She Voted Yes On Contracts That Benefitted Spouse – Boys Soccer Undefeated at AYSO Tourney

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PHOTO: Tierney-Gearon

Here’s the latest news from 99 point 1 … KBU

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The superintendent promises an internal investigation …

as a school board member voted yes on contracts that benefitted her family.

Malibu parents gear up for tomorrow’s divorce talks in Santa Monica.

The U-16 boys soccer team is undefeated … at the AYSO regionals.

And the Malibu High girls volleyball team starts CIF tournament play tonight … a first for malibu High.

This is Malibu’s only local daily news.

It’s the   ((((  final  ))) edition of the (((  Wednesday ))) news … from Radio Malibu  …. 99 point 1 K- B-U.

Good morning PeeCeeAich.

District Probes LA Times Report: Board Member Violated Financial Laws

The superintendent of the Santa Monica Malibu school district has begun an internal probe into apparent conflict of interest charges …

This … after an L A Times investigation found a school board member has voted yes on matters that financially benefitted her family.

Maria Leon-Vazquez is a four-term school board incumbent from Santa Monica.

Her husband is Santa Monica City Council Member Tony Vazquez.

He works for two companies that do business with the school district.

Malibu attorney Kevin Shenkman has sued the city of Santa Monica … on a voting rights issue.

Shenkman deposed Tony Vasquez … and the Santa Monica councilman admitted he earns money from the two firms.

Enter the L-A Times ….

They report that school board member Leon-Vazquez voted multiple times for contracts … worth hundreds of thousands of dollars … to the two businesses which had employed her husband as a consultant.

At the school board … superintendent Ben Drati says he has opened an investigation.

He notes that the board has adopted a bylaw stressing the importance of making decisions free from conflicts.

Drati says he has not seen any conflicts of interest during the 10 months he has been with the District

Quoting now .. “However, I take this situation seriously. 

“My next steps will be guided by facts and the law.”

The L A Times rpeorted that Maria Leon-Vazquez voted on contratcs worth more than 400 thosuand dollars with the two firms … which were paying her husband up to 8 thousand dollars a month.

Further … The Times reviewed a decade of disclosure forms filed by Leon-Vazquez, and she has not included income from either company.

Leon-Vazquez did not comment to the L-A Times or a Santa Monica newspaper.

Shenkman … it should be noted … is a Malibu parent who originally was on the city’s negotiating team with the Santa Monica city officials …. over the school district divorce.

He resigned when Santa Monica people got all up on arms that he had sued their fair city on the voting rights issue.

School activists in Malibu are pointing to this as a smoking gun … of abuse of power by board members in Santa Monica.

Leon Vazquez is one of several Santa Monica school board members who keep getting elected  …. over and over … in a school district dominated by Santa Monica’s 6 to 1 population edge over Malibu.

District Divorce Talks resume 7:30 Thursday

Malibu parents are making plans for another big turnout at tomorrow’s school board meeting.

The board is holding a meeting in the large Saint Monica School Auditorium … to handle a large crowd expected on an academic issue.

The board will then adjourn …  move back to the small board room …  and then hold its regular meeting to discuss the Malibu issue.

Last month’s meeting jammed the small board room … the overflow room was also filled to capacity.

No comment from the school district on why the meeting cannot be held in a bigger location … or maybe even in Malibu.

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You are listening to the latest news from Radio Malibu … now at 99 point one K B U.  ((( time  ))))

Remember 97-5 KBU? Great Station. 99.1 Even Better

Radio station KB UU has been given permission by the Federal Communications Commission to increase its power … and improve its antenna.

But this means the radio station will have to move from its familiar home for the past years … 97-5 … up the dial to 99-1.

It’s a complicated technical procedure …. the station may have it finished this week.

Engineering studies show much better signal coverage to the east …. along P C H on 99.1.

Also … much less static and interference from other stations,

The move to 99 point 1 is coming this week …

None of this affects the internet stream … which will continue at KBU dot FM and Radio Malibu dot net.

You, Too, Can Sit in A Movie Star’s Jail Cell

The L-A County sheriff’;s department has its annual open house … this Saturday .. at the Malibu Lost Hills sheriff’s station … over the hill.

Deputies really look forward to this … they are proud of their community policing efforts.

Kid friendly with a capital K. Kids can climb in patrol cars, sit on a police motorcycle and hop on a fire truck from the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The SWAT team … canine unit … a Sheriff’s helicopter … the Bomb Squad … the equestrian Mounted Enforcement Detail and Sheriff’s Posse with their horses .. and other specialized units will be on display.

Last year’s food trucks were great … everything was free and this year will be the same.

This Saturday … the open house at Malibu Lost Hills.

Off the 101 Freeway at Liberty Canyon Road … go towards L-A on the frontage road.

Soccer Team Wins AYSO Title

From the K B U U sportswire …

The Malibu Boys U-16 soccer team took first place in the A Y S O Section 10 Finals

in Bakersfield this past weekend.

They beat Fillmore … 3 to 1 … and were undefeated in both the area championships and section championships.

Fillmore scored a quick goal at the beginning.

But Malibu rebounded by adapting and responding to Fillmore’s strategy and dominated play

for the rest of the game.

Malibu had beat Bakersfield 4-0 in the semi-final round … then beat Palmdale 2-0 … Canyon Country … 3-0 … and tied Balboa null null.

Most of these boys will be playing on the Malibu High School soccer team this winter.

This report was from reporter Dorothy Reinhold.

Girls At CIF Tourney Tonight in Ventura

And the Malibu girls volleyball team enters the C I F tournament tonight.

That’s a firest .. we think … for any team from Malibu High.

The girls take on Foothill Tech of Ventura … tonight in Ventura.

The game is at 7:30  …. at Cabrillo Middle School … on Santa Clara Street in Ventura.

The girls are 23 and 2 on the year… Foothill Tech is 22 and 12.

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Traffic … in 70 seconds … first …

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Weather for the Malibu ….

The National Weather Service is calling for a mild rainstorm Thursday night … followed Friday night by Santa Ana winds.

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It will be ((((  sunny   )))) today … highs around  ((((   72  )))) degrees today on the beach … ((((      81   )))) in the mountains above Malibu.

Winds will be gentle.

Downcoast breezes will be   (((  15  )))) miles per hour this afternoon.

Sunset tonight is at   ((((    4:48   )))).

After that … partly cloudy …  low of  ((((   60 )))) on the beach … down to  ((((  55   )))) in the mountains.

Tomorrow should be   ((((  clouding up … with a 10 percent chance of rain after 4 p-m   )))).

At 9 o’clock … at Trancas it’s ((((    61    )))) degrees.

In upper Malibu Canyon … ((((    67    )))) .

And at Civic Center Los Angeles … ((((    51    )))).

In the ocean … it’s ((((    61   )))) degrees in the water at Zuma Beach.

The lifeguards say the waves today are   ((((   2 to 3   )))) feet high ….

((((    Small mix of wind swell from the west … and a small south swelll mix.))))

Those are ((((  fair )))) surfing conditions …. according to the lifeguards.

(((((   High tide was at 7:03 … at 5.9 feet.

Low tide is at 1:37.

Another high tide comes tonight … at 7:38 … 4 point 9 feet    ))))

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The KBU Newswire is posted midmornings … at RadioMalibu.net and at the MalibuTimes.com .

Remember…  breaking news  goes first to the radio …  now at 99 point one in western Malibu….

Breaking news is on Twitter … follow us at 975KBU.

And on Facebook … search for Radio Malibu..

Our web player is simple …. you can hear Radio Malibu in your phone or stream it to your car.

Navigate to k-b-u dot f-m. … and we’re streaming in your ear anywhere in the world.

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