Man who led police on chase gets 1 year David Ochoa, 20, of Spring Valley, has been sentenced to one year in jail for evading police with reckless driving when he drove a van through Pacific Beach that was full of suspects who allegedly tried to start fights on Garnet Avenue on Feb. 21, 2009.  Ochoa pleaded guilty to evading police, and a felony assault charge was dismissed. San Diego Superior Court Judge Michael Smyth placed Ochoa on three years probation and fined him $1,204. Smyth ordered Ochoa to abstain from alcohol for three years, and also ordered him to pay $1,127 in probation costs, according to court records. Ochoa was accused of assaulting a 23-year-old man who was hospitalized, but the charge was dismissed when Ochoa plead guilty to evading police with reckless driving. Police responded to a call that a group of men were trying to start fights along the 700 block of Garnet Avenue. An officer stopped the van near the Grand Avenue exit, but Ochoa took off and led police along Sea World Drive before driving into Ocean Beach.  The van swerved onto Long Branch Avenue, and some of the men jumped or fell from the van onto Bacon Street. Police arrested the other occupants, but Ochoa was the only suspect prosecuted. Students making grades with tight budgets Tough economic times are not bothering students at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) because they are using smart moves to save money. “If students live off campus, they can use mass transit to save money because it is free and saves the cost of a parking permit,” said Gary Ratcliff, assistant vice chancellor of student life. “The university operates a shuttle service and has a contract with MTS that enables students, faculty and staff to ride the bus at no cost.” Other ways students can save money include food bargains that exist all over campus, housing both on and off campus, textbooks, campus employment, staying in shape and many others. “Many students receive financial support from their families, and some families have been impacted by the downturn in the economy,” Ratcliff said. “A reduction in family income, however, may increase the odds of students securing grants and other forms of financial aid.” For information see www.ucsd.edu. Pilot flies friendly skies, loses license The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has ruled that a helicopter pilot who was videotaped receiving oral sex from a woman as he flew her around San Diego acted so recklessly that his license must be revoked. The actions of David Martz were so dangerous, the NTSB concluded in a written ruling, that they put everyone on his craft and on the ground below him in danger. The incident occurred in 2005, but action wasn’t taken until after the video surfaced on the Internet.