For the first time in its 93-year history, students at Point Loma High School will be able to attend a true “Friday Night Lights” football game in their home stadium.
And that first night will come in just six weeks when the Fighting Pointer football team welcomes North County rival El Camino for their Aug. 25 season opener, set for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff under the bright new Pete Ross Stadium lights.
It will be a day many have waited years for and a day some had hoped would never happen. 
“I was happy to hear the court hearing went our way, and that we are over one of the final hurdles to finally have “Friday Night Lights!” said Pointer head football coach Mike Hastings. “This will be an exciting season for not just our football program, but for all of PLHS.”
And lighting is not the only planned improvement at the stadium. Also slated in coming years are bleachers to accommodate 500 people in a new visitors’ area on the north side of the field along with a restroom/concessions building to serve them. A press box will be built atop the existing concrete bleachers along with a new scoreboard. A new sound system has already been installed and was in operation at the recent commencement program.
But in the end, it was a decision handed down in a San Diego Superior Court lawsuit late last month that signals what is likely the end of a bitter and long-drawn-out battle of about five years that erupted as soon as word spread of the school district’s plan to install lights.
Attorney Bob Ottilie, representing nearby neighbors, alleged the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) violated the California Environmental Quality Act, California Government Code, local zoning and land-use ordinances as well as related traffic and quality of life standards before beginning the stadium’s modernization.
However, Superior Court Judge Gregory Pollack wrote in a June 26 ruling that the district had, in fact, followed proper procedures and that the parking concerns would not negatively affect the neighborhood.
Pollack also referred to the stadium’s “Field Use Policy” (below), written specifically for PLHS and adopted by the SDUSD Board of Education in 2014, that limits the usage of stadium lighting and its sound system to 18 night events per year. This policy means a maximum of nine boys events and nine girls events may be allowed, with six football home games and two potential CIF playoff games taking up virtually all of the boys events and the ones most likely to draw large crowds.
On school days, the lights may be used to extend practice times for all outdoor teams beyond sunset, but the policy also covers this, with a guarantee that lights will be turned off by 7:30 p.m. Noisemaking devices and use by commercial groups is specifically forbidden. Also mandated are semi-annual meetings for the public to discuss field use issues with PLHS officials.
“Change and progress takes time and it is hard for many to accept,” said Hastings, “But we will be very respectful of our community in terms of following the rules set forth for the use of the lights. My hope is that we can have the same type of support, energy, school and community spirit that we have had at our annual Homecoming night games, now for all our home night games.”
Neighbors have maintained PLHS will rent the field out for night events virtually every night of the year, something principal Hans Becker reassures them will not happen.
“While we understand how exciting this is for our students and their families, we recognize the high school’s impact in the community,” said Becker. “We will not be renting out the athletic field to outside groups for ‘lighted events.’ We will be honoring the PLHS Field Use Policy.” 
Most nearby neighbors of the Chatsworth Blvd. campus maintained the lighting of the stadium, as well as other improvements planned by SDUSD would adversely affect their quality of life. They maintained that after homecoming football games, staged the last decade with rented generators for lighting, they found trash left behind and experienced loss of parking as well as light and sound invasion from the game and fans.
For those homecoming games, PLHS administrators hired numerous security guards to patrol the area around the school as well as personally cruising a several-block perimeter in golf carts after the game to pick up anything left behind.
Ottilie and his clients have two months to file an appeal of the decision. Neighborhood spokesperson David Dick told reporters they felt they had a good case and plan to do so. Point Loma High School Field Use Policy
San Diego Unified School District Adopted by the Board on July 29, 2014
This Field Use Policy is intended to address the specific needs of Point Loma High School (PLHS), recognizing the proximity of the school to residences, the limited availability of on-site parking and the impact of school activities upon the surrounding community. The policies stated herein operate under the umbrella of Administrative Procedure 9229, pertaining to the use of District athletic fields and lighted stadiums; which establishes District-wide procedures applicable to all District sites. Use of Point Loma High School Facilities by non-district groups is also subject to District Administrative Procedure 9205, pertaining to use of District facilities under the Civic Center Act.
Field Use General Rules:
1. Point Loma High School facilities shall be used primarily for the benefit of students attending schools in the Point Loma Cluster.
2. PLHS facilities may be made available to outside persons or community groups only when and to the extent that it will not interfere with school programs or the orderly operation of the campus.
3. In considering whether to allow other schools, outside persons or community groups to use PLHS facilities, consideration shall be given to the likely number of attendees, whether there is adequate parking to support the proposed use and whether sufficient measures can be employed to minimize adverse impact to the campus and the surrounding community; including, but not limited to, custodial services, traffic control and security. Consideration shall also be given to the cumulative impact of successive events on the community.
4. Outside groups, including community groups, who are authorized to use PLHS facilities, shall be required to do so in a manner which is respectful to the campus and the surrounding community and shall be required to provide security, custodial and traffic control as needed to ensure orderly and respectful operation of the Event or use. The site administrator and/or his or her designee, and/or the Rentals Office may impose specific requirements for security, custodial services, traffic control and/or other services or conditions deemed necessary in the District’s sole discretion for proper management of the event.
5. Unless specifically authorized by the Principal as an exception to this general rule, outside groups shall not be authorized to enter the campus prior to 8 a.m. Individuals seeking to use the track or fields prior to school hours shall be permitted to do so provided they do not interfere with school activities or the orderly operation of the campus.
6. Restrictions on noisemakers shall be consistent with CIF rules, which provide as follows: No noisemakers (horns, bells, victory bells, sirens, chimes, musical instruments other than those in the band, etc.) will be permitted inside the gymnasium, stadium or playing fields at any CIF Southern Section contest (non-league, league, tournament or playoff). Cheering devices such as wooden blocks, or other similar objects, are prohibited. Megaphones shall be used only by uniformed cheerleaders for the purpose of directing and controlling rooting sections. The improper use of any of the above listed devices by supporters of a team would subject that team to possible forfeiture of the contest.
7. Outside persons or groups shall not be permitted to utilize the public address (PA) system except when specifically authorized by the school and subject to time and manner restrictions deemed necessary to limit adverse impact on the residents of the surrounding community.
8. The gate at the Voltaire St. entrance to the campus shall be locked during non-school events whenever it appears to the site administrator or his/her designee that there is insufficient on- site parking to accommodate the anticipated attendees at a non-school event. This shall not apply to events or activities conducted by Point Loma High School.
Rules Specific to Use of the Lighted Stadium
1. Stadium lights shall be reserved for use by Point Loma High School and other public schools serving Point Loma Cluster students.
2. Other private schools or community groups who wish to use the lighted stadium may appeal to the Superintendent (or his/her designee) for approval of the use of the lighted stadium for a limited purpose. In considering whether to grant such an appeal, the Superintendent or his/her designee shall first determine whether there is another District site which can accommodate the proposed use without negative impact to the surrounding community. In the event there is not such an alternative which can be offered, in considering whether to grant the appeal, the Superintendent or his/her designee shall determine whether the proposed use will interfere with the use of the field by Point Loma High School, or other public schools serving Point Loma Cluster students, or the operation of the campus; the likely number of attendees; whether there is adequate parking to support the proposed use; and whether sufficient measures can be employed to minimize adverse impact to the campus and the surrounding community; including, but not limited to, custodial services, traffic control and security. No appeal may be granted which will cause the total number of events held at the lighted stadium to exceed the cap specified below. Priority shall be given first to other District schools, then to other schools, and then to community groups. Commercial uses shall not be permitted.
3. In the event the lighted stadium is made available to a non-district school or community group, the using entity shall be required to reimburse the District for the full cost of the use of the stadium; including, but not limited to, utility costs, maintenance/repair costs, and reduction in useful life of the turf field.
4. The stadium lights shall be turned off as soon as possible following an event, and no later than 10:00 p.m. (except where extenuating circumstances, such as an injury or rain delay of a football game, unforeseeably delay the completion of the event).
5. When turned on to allow for completion of a game or practice during Pacific Standard Time, the lights shall be turned off as soon as possible following completion of the game or practice and no later than 7:30 p.m.6. Use of the stadium lighting shall be limited to eighteen (18) nighttime events, not including playoff games or the use of the lights to allow completion of games and practices which begin during daylight hours but carry over into darkness due to Pacific Standard Time.
Community Review Process
In order to obtain ongoing feedback from the community regarding implementation of this Field Use Policy and the impact on the community of events held at Point Loma High School, the Point Loma High School Cluster shall be charged to host semi-annual meetings for purposes of discussing field use issues at Point Loma High School, to which members of the greater Point Loma community shall be invited. These meetings shall be scheduled to occur at or about the time the school year begins, and following the conclusion of the winter sports season, so that the attendees can discuss future planned events as well as past implementation. Community members or organizations, such as the Point Loma Planning Board, who submit a request to be provided notice of these meeting shall be provided such notice and shall be permitted to participate.