PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
VOL. 27, NO. 16
.com
MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
MAY 24, 2013
Yoga trial stretches on By Jared Whitlock
ENCINITAS — The first three days of trial for a lawsuit seeking to end a school yoga program saw plenty of twists and turns. At one point, a witness even left the stand, took off her shoes and demonstrated the lotus pose for the entire courtroom. “Just for the record, what I’d like you to do is the last four poses on exhibit nine…and tell us the Sanskrit name and English name as you do them,” said attorney Dean Broyles, who filed the lawsuit three months ago. The lawsuit aims to immediately terminate the Encinitas Union School District (EUSD) yoga program on the grounds that it promotes Hinduism and other religions. On Monday, the case kicked off in a downtown San Diego courtroom. Originally, the case was expected to last two days. But witness testimony stretched on longer than anticipated. Consequently, the case is scheduled to resume in three weeks, though a concrete date wasn’t set. Judge John Meyer set the tone Monday morning by stating the case will hinge on whether yoga taught in EUSD Jennifer Brown, a yoga instructor at Capri Elementary, performs a lotus yoga pose for the courtroom. The TURN TO YOGA ON A18
SENTENCED The Oceanside couple that enslaved their 12year-old niece received their sentences Monday after taking a plea agreement. B4
National Center for Law and Policy sued the Encinitas Union School District over its yoga program, and the trial started May 20. Photo by Jared Whitlock
Two Sections, 48 pages Arts & Entertainment . A17 Food & Wine . . . . . . . . A12 Legals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A19 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A16
HOW TO REACH US (760) 436-9737 Calendar: calendar@coastnewsgroup.com Community News: community@coastnewsgroup.com Letters to the Editor: letters@coastnewsgroup.com
OF HISTORICAL INTEREST A ceremony last week saw the installation of a plaque marking Cottonwood Creek Park a point of historical interest in Encinitas. Pictured, Brad Roth and Mary Renaker also received proclamations for the work they did to help establish the designation. At the center is a plaque written by Ida Lou Coley, who was instrumental in the site receiving the designation. See full story on page A9. Photo by Tony Cagala
Council strikes down four-fifths exception By Jared Whitlock
ENCINITAS — Prop A is headed for a special election June 18. Yet councilmembers passed what they believe is the heart of the initiative at Wednesday night’s City Council meeting. Proponents of the land-use initiative say council’s action is only symbolic at this point, and maintain that it’s still critical to vote “yes.” Prop A was created to remove the council’s ability to “up-zone” beyond height or density limits with a fourout-of-five councilmember vote. Backers say that power was ripe for abuse and could have led to development that didn’t sit well with the community. Council unanimously agreed to strike the fourfifths exception by passing a resolution at the meeting. While in support of the resolution, councilmembers have come out against Prop A. “Although I have expressed opposition to Prop A for other reasons, I have not wavered in my support for eliminating this provision,” said Deputy Mayor Lisa Shaffer, referring to the four-fifths power. Councilman Tony Kranz said the resolution approved by council fulfills “the spirit of Prop A.” But as the resolution currently stands, a future TURN TO EXCEPTION ON A18
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