By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com
lkalb@sacbee.com
A witness in the lawsuit seeking to block Sacramento City Unified from closing seven elementary schools testified today that the district overstated capacity of some campuses when it decided which ones to close.
The testimony came during a hearing in which affected families asked U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to block the closures until their case is resolved or they reach agreement with the district.
Much of the morning session was devoted to how much plaintiffs' witness Jesus Hernandez would be allowed to say about his written analysis that district closures in poor and minority neighborhoods constituted a case of intentional discrimination.
The suit, brought by plaintiffs' attorney Mark Merin, complains that the district chose schools in minority neighborhoods in lieu of a committee's recommendations to close some campuses in predominantly white neighborhoods.
Mueller said Hernandez could answer questions about enrollment at the affected school sites but not