San Diego Community Newspaper Group
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2009
www.SDNEWS.com ! Volume 14, Number 17
Court orders EIR for Hillel BY ALYSSA RAMOS | VILLAGE NEWS
The latest legal round regarding the Jewish student center proposed for 8976 Cliffridge Ave. calls for the city of San Diego and the nonprofit Hillel to prepare an environmental impact report (EIR) for the group’s proposed project. A California appellate court threejudge panel filed its decision Feb. 18, reversing part of Superior Court Judge Linda B. Quinn’s previous ruling. “It was clear the city of San Diego wanted to give Hillel
everything they wanted. And the community fought back and won,” said Todd T. Cardiff, attorney for the Taxpayers for Responsible Land Use group. The appellate court partially reversed the trial court’s judgment, ordering the city to prepare an EIR to address issues such as parking, traffic, biological resources, aesthetics and community character but upholding the remainder of Quinn’s October 2007 judgment, court documents state. The court awarded the Taxpayers’ appeals costs, documents state.
“Hillel is very disappointed with the court’s decision and we’re studying our options,” Hillel spokesman Michael Breslauer said. “Our facilities committee is meeting next week and we are studying our options.” Breslauer said Hillel is looking into other alternatives, including options regarding the environmental report, further appeals or building the student center on a different site. Court battles began when Hillel proposed to build a 12,100SEE HILLEL, Page 6
CIF honors LJCD’s Hutzler as Model Coach BY DAVE THOMAS | VILLAGE NEWS
The California Interscholastic Federation has named La Jolla Country Day athletic director and head coach John Hutzler a Model Coach.
What a coach does on the field is important as far as wins and losses. But oftentimes, it is what that coach does off the field that carries even more weight. Thirteen (eight men, five women) coaches statewide have been selected as 2008-09 CIF Model Coach Award winners. The CIF Model Coach Award program, now in its eighth year, is designed to recognize coaches who have served as positive role models in their schools and communities and who have exhibited the traits apparent in the 16 principles of Pursuing
Victory with Honor. Among those honored is La Jolla Country Day School athletic director and head football coach Jeff Hutzler. According to the CIF, a model coach demonstrates and teaches the six core ethical values: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and good citizenship (the “Six Pillars of Character”). The CIF believes that the highest potential of sports is achieved when teachers/coaches consciously Teach, Enforce, Advocate and Model (TEAM) these values and are SEE HUTZLER, Page 4
SHORES PATROL
Tricia Estrada and son Ethan, 6, admire a display built by two kindergarten classes representing commercial businesses located in the La Jolla Shores area. The Feb. 13 Children's School display was part of their student project of VILLAGE NEWS | DON BALCH learning how a community works.
Bishop’s makes a good showing at Mock Trial BY DAVE THOMAS | VILLAGE NEWS
A number of students at The Bishop’s School recently got a taste of the judicial system as they participated in a mock trial competition. Mock Trial is a county competition sponsored by the San Diego County Bar Association and The Constitutional Rights Foundation. Nine schools participated in the 2009 competition at the San Diego Superior Court earlier this month. The Bishop’s School finished in Bishop’s School senior Caroline Markham (left) portrays the defendant, Leslie second place, losing in the championship round to Otay Ranch High Lane, at the recent Mock Trial competition.
School by just two points, 261-259. The 18 Bishop’s students that participated are enrolled in the inaugural AP Government/Mock Trial class, with Rich del Rio serving as the faculty advisor. Del Rio is also the chair of the School’s History and Social Sciences Department. The AP Government/Mock Trial class combines the traditional curriculum of American government and politics but takes on the mock trial as a class project. The case booklet Bishop’s participants studied was from a fictional case, The People v. Lane, in which the defendant was accused of incitement to
riot and arson. It included a series of fact statements, witness testimony, constitutional issues and legal procedures. Students learn to be trial lawyers, witnesses and various court personnel. The Bishop’s School prosecution team, for example, competed against defense teams from other schools. The participants are scored by practicing attorneys on their presentation skills, knowledge of the specific case and legal procedures. The Bishop’s team was coached by attorney coaches Lisa Missett SEE MOCK TRIAL, Page 4