PLUGGED IN: Without even kicking the tires,...

PLUGGED IN: Without even kicking the tires, Los Angeles City Councilman Marvin Braude has selected his next set of wheels: the EV1, General Motors’ first electric passenger car (B5). Braude will plunk down a $1,000 deposit today in a City Hall ceremony featuring a prototype of the two-seat coupe. . . . The EV1 goes on sale this fall in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Tucson. Price? About $35,000.

THE WRITE STUFF: What happens when writers marry? They write books together, of course. Jerry Biederman and Lorin Michelle of Woodland Hills recently published their first as husband and wife: “101 Ways to See the Light,” a gentle poke at “near-death” experiences. . . . The couple dedicated it to 100-year-old entertainer George Burns. “I think he’ll appreciate our optimism,” Biederman says.

NEW COACH: Mike Batesole may not have the experience of other college baseball coaches, but he’s got plenty of work to do. Cal State Northridge’s new head coach is hoping to turn the team around after a dismal 28-29 season last year (C8). . . . “Instead of just trying to survive on defense and knock in runs, we will win games on defense,” he says.

CYBER GOSSIP: With rumors flying that Apple Computer is ripe for sale, one Tarzana retailer says a merger might be good for the troubled company. “The products will get better, not worse,” says Mac Universe’s Mike Descher, responding to reports that Sun Microsystems might buy Apple. “They’ll bring newer styles of management to the company.” . . . Apple’s stock fell and Sun’s rose Thursday.