Assemblymember Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego) and Assemblymember Jim Beall, Jr. (D-Santa Clara) will host an informational hearing of the Assembly’s Select Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse to examine the emerging issues of substance abuse in the senior community and to discuss possible remedies.

The hearing will be held on Friday, Sept. 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the San Diego County Administration Center, 3rd floor, South Board Chambers, room 358. The public is encouraged to attend.

To RSVP or for more information, contact Assembly Member Saldaña’s District Office at 619-645-3090 or visit www.asm.ca.gov/saldana.

Urban Mo’s and Baja Betty’s recently announced the creation of Battle Of The Bar Queens: Tantrums & Tiaras. The premise of the “fun-raiser” is simple: hold a camp drag pageant executed in such a way that it’s a spoof of Miss America. Battle of the Bar Queens will take place at the Birch North Park Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. All of the proceeds from the event will benefit Mama’s Kitchen.

Since 1990, Mama’s Kitchen has been delivering three nutritional meals a day seven days a week at no charge to men, women and children living with AIDS or other critical illnesses throughout San Diego County. They provide food, compassion and hope to over 1,500 people annually.

“We feel that supporting an organization that does so much to support our community is critical, especially in times like these,” said Urban Mo’s and Baja Betty’s owner Chris Shaw.

“Our goal for Battle of the Bar Queens is to create an annual community event that is everything but what you’d see at a traditional drag show,” adds Urban Mo’s Manager Matt Ramon. “We want to raise upwards of $50,000 for Mama’s Kitchen and at the same time, watch a bunch of non-performing ‘queens’ with little to no experience in drag try to strut around the stage in stilettos and not fall over. It’s going to be a blast.”

Also working to help ensure the success of Battle of the Bar Queens is highly accredited celebrity make-up artist Brian Bond of Foxxy Roxxy Make-Up. Bond has worked in all mediums of make up, creating a name and style of his own. With a portfolio ranging from print to celebrity red carpet, he’s also credited with doing the make up for the July 2009 wedding of Girls Next Door star Kendra Wilkinson. Bond and his team are committed to ensuring every contestant looks their best.

“The next big event Foxxy Roxxy Make-Up Artistry will be doing in San Diego is Battle of the Bar Queens. We just shot the Battle of the Bar Queens poster and are very excited to be a part of this event,” Bond said.

Ticket prices will be announced in the upcoming weeks. For more information, call 619-491-0400 or visit www.urbanmos.com.

Family Matters is hosting Big Family BBQ at Trolley Barn Park on Sunday, Sept. 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All families, kids, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, grandkids, friends and neighbors are invited for music, karaoke, face painting, balloon art, jumps and slides, games, prizes and lots of social time. Admission is $10 for lunch and beverages. Children under five get in for free. You can also sponsor a family. A $30 gift will sponsor a family of three, while $50 will sponsor a family of five. Tickets can be purchased online. The Trolley Barn Park is on Adams Ave. between Park Blvd. and Texas St. For more information, call 619-692-2077, ext. 121 or e-mail families@thecentersd.org.

Center for Community Solutions, a non-profit agency that offers a complete range of sexual assault and domestic violence prevention and intervention services, is hosting its fifth annual Chef Showdown 2009: Taking a Stand against Domestic Violence at the NTC Promenade on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 6 to 9 p.m.

The fundraiser, which honors Domestic Violence Awareness Month, will feature a lively culinary competition involving chefs from San Diego’s top restaurants, including Avenue 5, Café Japengo, Cucina Urbana, El Vitral Restaurant, Harry’s Bar and American Grill, Kitchen 1540, Quarter Kitchen, Roseville, Truluck’s and Urban Solace.

Guests will sample food items from the county’s most popular restaurants and enjoy beverages, cocktails, live entertainment and a live and silent auction.

The event will feature celebrity judges, including Brian Malarkey, season three finalist of Bravo’s Top Chef. Lively commentary will be provided by co-hosts Bernard Guillas, executive chef of the Marine Room; Emmy award winner, Sam Zien, a.k.a “Sam the Cooking Guy” and Isabel Cruz, executive chef of Isabel’s Cantina.

Funds raised through Chef Showdown will go to support sexual assault and domestic violence prevention and intervention programs and services. Tickets are $125. The NTC Promenade is located at 2801 Rosecrans St. in Point Loma. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 858-272-5777 or visit www.ccssd.org.

The San Diego Woman’s Club will recognize the efforts of local women by hosting a dinner benefiting the Toussaint Academy and Kids on the Block. The honorees for the evening will include Jo Dee Jacob, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts, and Joan McCollom, retired special ed. teacher from Lindbergh Schweitzer and Co-Founder and Board of Director Member of KOBSD.

The San Diego Woman’s Club is a non-profit organization that is an active member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs International. The organization has many events scheduled throughout the year designed to improve the San Diego community. To reserve seating or a table for this event you can contact Marian McLachlan at 619-265-8125.

The event will be held Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 2557 3rd Ave. in Park West. For more information on how you can become a member, make a donation, or rent hall space, contact Bobbie Brown at 619-436-6777 or visit www.sandiegowomansclub.org.

California Coalition for Marriage Equality (CCME) is hosting a signature gathering meeting to repeal Proposition 8 in 2010 at the Tubman-Chavez Multicultural Center on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 5 p.m. The meeting will focus on introducing the newly adopted structure for the signature gathering effort and will host an election for representatives to the statewide structure.

CCME is an ad-hoc coalition comprised of more than 75 organizations across California that are dedicated to restoring marriage equality in California. San Diego GLBT equality organizations including San Diego Equality Campaign, Mama Bear Alliance, Courage Campaign Equality Teams and the International Socialist Organization are apart of the CCME.

Tubman-Chavez Multicultural Center is located at 415 N. Euclid Ave. in Valencia Park. For more information, visit repealprop8.org or e-mail sarabrooks@gmail.com.