• Michelle Ciccarelli Lerach, owner of Cups, located at 7857 Girard Ave., was named in San Diego Magazine’s “50 People to Watch in 2011” list. Lerach, who has owned and operated Cups since 2009, left her job as an attorney to open the bakery, where she creates unique cupcakes out of organic, local and sustainable products and teaches cooking classes to children and adults. • San Diego Superior Court Judge Robert C. Coates retired Jan. 2, after serving more than 28 years on the bench. In retirement, Coates plans to return to the practice of law and to devote himself more fully to a Rotary project which he founded 27 years ago: partnering with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to educate about the science surrounding climate change. He also plans to continue organizing Boy Scout units in Southeast San Diego. Judge Coates began his judicial career in 1982 when then-Governor Jerry Brown, Jr. appointed him to the municipal court. He was elevated to superior court in 1998 when the municipal court consolidated with the superior court. During his judicial career, Coates has served in every court division except probate. He presided for four years over the municipal court’s Civil Division and spent several years handling civil jury trials, juvenile court and family law. For many recent years, he has served as a criminal trial judge with ample experience in cases involving mental difficulties. • La Jolla High School alumnus John Malashock, artistic director at Malashock Dance, was honored recently by the Los Angeles Times as a “2011 Face to Watch.” “San Diego may not be known as a hotbed of modern dance choreography, but John Malashock has built a solid fan base since founding his own company there more than 20 years ago,” wrote L.A. Times writer David Ng. “The former Tywla Tharp dancer brings an emotional and sexual frankness to contemporary choreography, a genre often marked by cerebral detachment.” This month, Malashock is presenting a second run of “Malashock/ Raw: Stripped,” after the first run sold out. The company’s website describes the performance as a “gritty, provocative, cutting-edge evening of dance that will shock, astonish and amaze.”