The fourth annual Wall of Honor Induction Ceremony will take place on Friday, Aug. 10 from 6-8 p.m. at The Center. Created in 2004, the Wall of Honor recognizes pioneers and leaders of San Diego’s GLBT community. The wall is housed in the auditorium of the San Diego LGBT Community Center.

“The San Diego LGBT Community Wall of Honor allows us to truly acknowledge some of the pioneers and leaders within our community. It is amazing what these inductees have accomplished,” said Delores A. Jacobs, chief executive officer of The Center. “This permanent exhibit gives us the opportunity not only to honor their contributions, but also to provide a sense of history and pride for all those who follow them.”

The 2007 Wall of Honor inductees include Lou and Carol Arko, Dr. Al Best, Gloria Johnson, Drs. David McWhirter and Drew Mattison (deceased), Bernard Michels, Frederick Scholl and Jim Woodward. Admission to the event is free, however an RSVP is requested. For more information, contact Terry Bishop at 619-692-2077, ext. 209 or e-mail tbishop@thecentersd.org.

The second annual “Life is a Banquet” senior resource fair will be held at the San Diego LGBT Community Center on Saturday, Aug. 25 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The free event will provide men and women ages 50 and older with access to educational workshops and a diverse array of community resources. All participants will be provided with a continental breakfast and light lunch. Contact David VanGilder at 619-692-2077, ext. 205 or by e-mail at dvangilder@thecentersd.org for more information.

On Saturday, Aug. 4, with an assembly of present and past Monarchs representing 30 Courts from Canada, Mexico and the United States, Don Cherkis, known as “Daddy Don,” and Chantal del Fuego Huntley were named Emperor and Empress of the 36th Reign of the Imperial Court de San Diego.

The crowning of the new monarchs was the climax San Diego Court’s 35th anniversary and the investiture of the heirs to the Queen Mother of the Americas, Empress Nicole the Great. Founder of the International Court System, Empress Jose I was also present for the event, where Cherkis was crowned The Silver Phoenix Leather Emperor XXXVI by Emperor I of San Diego, Omar. Chantal del Fuego Huntley was crowned The Black Diamond Jaguar Empress XXXVI by The Gardenia Empress XXXV Norma.

The South Bay’s fourth annual “mini Pride event,” Gay Day in South Bay, is returning to Chula Vista on Sunday, Aug. 19, from noon to 3 p.m. Organizers of the event estimate that South Bay has at least 17,000 GLBT residents. The event is to give GLBT and GLBT-friendly residents of the South Bay a day to come together and get to know each other in a friendly, safe environment.

The free event will include information, business and food vendors, face painting, entertainment by Justa Clown, dancing by Allondras and other attractions. Vendor booths are still available for businesses. Contact Marci Bair at marci@Bairfinancial.com for more information.

This year’s event will take place in the new Heritage Park in the Otay Ranch area of Chula Vista, located at 1380 East Palomar St. More information about the event is available online at www.southbayalliance.net.

Todd Gloria, candidate for the San Diego City Council District 3 seat, announced this week that his campaign raised more than $48,000 during the first period of the campaign. Fundraising officially began on June 3, with the first reporting deadline June 30.

Gloria more than doubled the total for all other candidates combined. The nearest competitor raised $17,331.

“In only 28 days we were able to raise close to $50,000,” Gloria said. “I’m honored by the incredible amount of support I’ve received so early in the campaign. Our donors range from those who gave the maximum contribution, to those who could only give a few dollars.”

More than one-third of the first month’s contributions were less than $100.

“My campaign is about the quality of life of everybody in this district, and my contributor base reflects that,” Gloria said.

Gloria is a native San Diegan who lives in the Cherokee Point neighborhood of City Heights with his partner, Jason. Gloria serves as a member of the San Diego Housing Commission, where he helps oversee a budget of $224 million, and is the immediate past Chair of the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center, where he continues to serve on the Board of Directors. Gloria is District Director for Congresswoman Susan Davis and is responsible for defense, veterans, housing, and budget issues. Gloria is also an active member of the Hillcrest Clean Team and serves on the Mid City Prostitution Impact Panel.

Media Arts Center San Diego’s Latino Film Festival presents its “Countdown to 15.” The series is a showcase of new Latin American, Mexican and Spanish Cinema beginning in August and running through November at UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas Hazard Center.

The San Diego Latino Film Festival will celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2008 by showcasing such films as El Metodo (Argentina/Spain), El Aura (Argentina), Family Law (Argentina), American Visa (Bolivia/Mexico), Asi del Precipicio (Mexico), Drama/Mex (Mexico), DarkBlueAlmostBlack (Spain), and Love For Sale (Brazil).

Building on the San Diego Latino Film Festival’s successful monthly “Cinema en tu Idioma” series, which has ran for more seven years, this year’s series will celebrate past and future stars of the annual festival including Ricardo Darin, Eduardo Noriega, Kate del Castillo, Demian Bichir, Ana de la Reguera, and many more.

More films than ever before will be presented at this year’s series. At least two films will be shown each month. From Aug. 17-23, El Metodo and Family Law will be shown, followed by American Visa and Asi del Precipicio from Sept. 21-27. Also shown will be Drama/Mex and El Aura from Oct. 19-25, and Love for Sale and DarkBlueAlmostBlack from Nov. 9-15. A discussion and question and answer session will follow the 8 p.m. Saturday screenings.

Founder and Executive Director of Media Arts Center San Diego and San Diego Latino Film Festival Ethan van Thillo said, “It’s an honor to have been given the opportunity to present Latino films for the past 15 years here in the San Diego / Baja California Border Region. This upcoming series is the start of our big countdown to number 15 and just the beginning of what is assured to be a huge celebration of Latino Cinema, as well as a big thank you to local audiences for their support for so many years.”

Tickets are $9.50 for general audiences and $7.50 for students, seniors, and Media Arts Center San Diego members. A series pass is also available for $65. Individual tickets can be purchased prior to each screening at the UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas Hazard Center box office located at 7510 Hazard Center Dr., in San Diego.

The 15th Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival will run March 6-16, 2008.

For more information call 619-230-1938, ext. 101 or visit the SDLFF’s website to view trailers, purchase series passes, and read more about the films at www.sdlatinofilm.com.

The San Diego City Navigaytor, San Diego’s official gay and lesbian travel guide, is now available at locations throughout the region. Produced by the Altus Group in partnership with The Greater San Diego Business Association (GSDBA), the City Navigaytor can be found at the San Diego LGBT Community Center, the San Diego International Airport, Balboa Park Visitors Center, The Traveler’s Aid Society and Urban Mo’s, as well as convention and visitors bureaus and chambers of commerce throughout the area.

Now in its third year, the San Diego City Navigaytor is written specifically for gay and lesbian travelers. It identifies sites of interest including gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses, clubs and bars, festivals and places of historical or cultural significance to the community.

“The San Diego City Navigaytor is a wonderful tool for encouraging gay and lesbian travelers to come and experience all that our city has to offer,” said Joyce Marieb, executive director of the GSDBA.

GSDBA is San Diego’s gay, lesbian and community supportive chamber of commerce serving small businesses in San Diego County since 1979. The 800-member strong GSDBA contributes to the growth and prosperity of the region while offering members powerful networking and business enhancement opportunities.

Altus Group is a marketing communications agency located in Philadelphia that specializes in gay and lesbian consumers. In addition to San Diego, Altus Group produces City Navigaytors for Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago and New Orleans. Altus Group also developed the award-winning “Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay” advertising campaign for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation.

The San Diego Chorus is currently seeking new singers to join the chorus. The women’s choral group continues to prepare for the upcoming Sweet Adelines International competition in Hawaii in 2008. With a highly trained and talented membership of 100 women, the chorus has a 53-year history in San Diego and has been marked by more awards, medals and prizes than any local sports team. San Diego Chorus rehearses on Wednesday from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Rehearsals are held at the Casa Del Prado, Room 207, in Balboa Park located in downtown San Diego. For more information, call 619-685-3385 or visit www.sdchorus.org.

More than 150,000 children in San Diego currently live without health insurance. Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD) is currently working to complete the expansion of its Logan Heights Family Health Center, which provides health care services to thousands of local uninsured children. Funding is needed to help complete this expansion, and the San Diego Padres and the Moores family have issued a community challenge. Through the 2007 Padres’ Challenge, the San Diego Padres will match individual contributions dollar-for-dollar.

Family Health Centers of San Diego Day at the Padres has been set for Aug. 19. Supporters are able to contribute in a variety of ways, through cash donations, purchasing a scoreboard message or buying tickets to the Aug. 19 game. Cash donations are tax deductible and can be made on FHCSD’s Web site. Scoreboard messages will be posted on the Petco Park Out-of-Town scoreboard and may be up to 10 words. Personal messages, business advertisements or a statement of support for FHCSD may be posted. Game-day tickets are also available, and the Padres will donate $2.50 to FHSCD for each ticket sold. The 1:05 p.m. game will be against the Houston Astros, and free Padres baseball cap-shaped backpacks will be handed out to children 14 and younger. To purchase tickets or make a donation, visit FHCSD’s Web site at www.fhcsd.org/donations.html.