On Tuesday, April 15, District 3 City Councilmember Toni Atkins and the San Diego City Council honored the Gay & Lesbian Times with a city proclamation declaring March 13 Gay & Lesbian Times Day in San Diego, commemorating the publication’s 20 years of service in San Diego.

Prior to the presentation District 3 City Council candidate James Hartline led a crowd of approximately 15 opponents speaking out against the proclamation. He urged City Councilmembers to oppose the proclamation.

Ron deHarte from San Diego Pride and Brian Lacklen from the Human Rights Campaign, spoke in support of the City Council honoring the publication.

The council, however, voted unanimously to present the proclamation to Publisher Michael Portantino and the GLT staff. Portantino thanked the councilmembers for their recognition.

The deadline has been extended for people living with HIV/AIDS to fill out the 2008 HIV/AIDS Needs Assessment Survey, which is used to determine the need for services in San Diego County. The information also helps the San Diego HIV Health Services Planning Council allocate funds. The new deadline to turn in the Needs Assessment Survey is Wednesday, April, 30. Surveys can be obtained by contacting the planning council’s support staff. To complete the survey online visit www.sdplanning.org.

According to the council, it is important for people living with HIV/AIDS to share their voices, particularly in the annual priority setting and budget allocations process.

The planning council meets the fourth Wednesday of each month in the Coronado Room at the County Health Services Complex, located at 3851 Rosecrans St. All meetings are open to the general public. Spanish interpretation is also available upon request. To request translation services, contact Yvette Ogletree at least 72 hours in advance at 619-293-4713.

For more information about the San Diego HIV Health Services Planning Council or the Needs Assessment Survey, visit www.sdplanning.org.

For information on becoming a member of the San Diego HIV Health Services Planning Council, contact Ken Riley, lead health planner for the council, at 619-293-4711, or kennethriley@sdcounty.ca.gov, or Yvette Ogletree, community liaison for the council, at 619-293-4713 or yvetteogletree@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Mayor Jerry Sanders will hold a series of town hall meetings to share important elements of the Fiscal Year 2009 Budget with citizens.

A town hall meeting will be held in District 3 at the City Heights/Weingart Branch Library & Performance Annex on Tuesday, April 29, from 6-7 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.

The City Heights/Weingart Branch Library & Performance Annex is located at 3795 Fairmount Ave. For more information, visit www.sandiego.gov/mayor/index.shtml.

The San Diego Human Dignity Foundation’s (SDHDF) annual gala, The Art of Generosity, will be held at the Westin Horton Plaza on Saturday, May 17, at 6 p.m.

San Diego Fire Chief Tracy Jarman will serve as the honorary chair of the event.

The San Diego Human Dignity Foundation was established in 1996 with a mission to improve the quality of life within San Diego’s GLBT community by promoting responsible philanthropy to enact positive social change.

Gala participants will travel from studio to gallery to museum, and have the opportunity to enjoy cocktails, a full dinner and live entertainment, as well as a photo exhibit of grantees. They will also have the chance to learn more about the SDHDF and the nonprofit organizations it supports.

Tickets and table reservations are available now. Prices range from $150 for “Generous Art Lover” tickets, and “Very Generous Art Lover Tickets,” which include additional VIP benefits, are $300.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more information or to purchase tickets and sponsorship opportunities, contact the SDHDF office at 619-291-3383, or visit www.sdhdf.org.

A fund-raising event for Wigs for Kids will be held at Lips Restaurant on Sunday, April 27. Several local entertainers have joined together to put on this special show to raise funds for the charity. The evening will include performances by The Lips Girls (Kiki, Gina, Malva, Tootie, Gigi, and Cristina Monet), Babette Schwartz, Fifi, and Morgan. There will also be a silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, drinks and surprises.

Wigs for Kids is a nonprofit organization that provides custom-made hairpieces for children who have had hair loss as a result of chemotherapy treatment and health-related reasons.

The Wigs for Kids event will also have a silent auction that starts at 6 p.m. and the show will begin at 7:30 p.m.

There will be a silent auction that starts at 6 p.m. and the show will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets for the Wigs for Kids event are $50 and can be purchased at Lips.

Lips is located at 3036 El Cajon Blvd. in North Park.

For more information about Wigs for Kids, visit www.wigsforkids.org.

The April LGBT Community Coalition Breakfast will be a moderated debate, in question and answer format, featuring District 3 City Council candidates Stephen Whitburn, Todd Gloria and John Hartley. The debate will be moderated by Michael Portantino, publisher of the Gay & Lesbian Times, which recently celebrated 20 years as the San Diego GLBT community’s paper of record. The breakfast will take place on Friday, April 18, from 7:30-9 a.m. at The Center.

The Community Coalition Breakfast takes place the third Friday of each month and is sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Times, Wells Fargo, San Diego LGBT Pride and Peet’s Coffee. The mission of the monthly breakfasts is to bring together fair-minded individuals to network, educate and discuss the diverse issues of concern to LGBT and allied neighbors and citizens of San Diego.

A full breakfast is available for a $10 donation; coffee and tea are complimentary. RSVPs are not required. ASL interpretation is available and requests for interpretation services must be sent at least seven working days before the event.to Caroline Dessert at cdessert@thecentersd.org.

The Center is located at 3909 Centre St. in Hillcrest.

The Taste of Uptown, an annual event that celebrates the restaurants and retailers in Uptown, will be held on Saturday, April 19.

More than 40 restaurants have agreed to participate this year and will be offering samplings of an array of dishes to participants. This year’s event will also include a sidewalk sale, where merchants will have items for sale.

Tickets for the event, which is organized by the Hillcrest Business Improvement Association, are $30.

A list of participating restaurants and merchants, tickets, and more information are available online at www.hillcrestbusinessassociation.com.

San Diego District Three Councilmember Toni Atkins will present the annual State of the Third Council District event Thursday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the War Memorial Building at Balboa Park, located at 3325 Zoo Drive.

For more information, contact Atkins’ office at 619-236-6633.