This Friday is “Mama’s Day” at the Hyatt Regency for Mama’s Kitchen… the coolest event of the year. The event may be in trouble this year and needs the community to come out and show support more than ever! Call 619-233-6262

The entire community and friends are invited to the 28th annual Nicky Awards this coming Sunday, May 9, at the beautiful Wyndham Emerald Plaza Hotel in downtown San Diego (7:00 p.m. sharp!). This year’s “gay academy awards” are looking like an outstanding, fun and prideful meeting with fabulous entertainment, including the winner of the hit TV show “Star Search”… Special emcees will be local San Diego news reporters, the beautiful Maria Arcega Dunn and handsome Ruben Galvan. The evening will be fast paced and this year’s Nicky Awards have been chaired by Jess San Roque who has done an outstanding job…. All the proceeds from the event benefit local GLBT organizations. The top Nicky Awards, the Board of Governors’ Awards, will be going to the San Diego Fire Department (to be presented by Deputy Mayor Toni Atkins), Joyce Marieb of the GSDBA (to be presented by District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis) and Congressmember Bob Filner, who will be presented with a distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award. A very special honoree will be Mayor Jason West from New York who made national headlines when he refused to stop marrying GLBT couples and now is facing a court trail.

The general Nicky Awards categories will be given out, like “Outstanding” business, bar, restaurant, organizations, DJs, bartenders, entertainment, etc. Trust me – get your tickets today… for further information, phone (619) 229-2822 or (619) 692-1967.

Make your plans today for one of the best Pride events on the West coast, yes, Long Beach Pride which will include such entertainers as the one and only super diva Patti Labelle! Also Sheena Easton, Cecilia Noel, Tiffany and Eddie Money… Patti Labelle! You know I’m going, for further information, phone (562) 987-9191.

Coming up May 15 at the Natural History Museum will be “Springtime in the Park”. Voted last year as the “Event of the Year”, it most certainly is — with great food, unbelievable auction items and great entertainment all to benefit the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation… Phone (619) 236-1257.

Recently, I have been bombarded by Democratic officials and activists over the upcoming 76th Assembly race… Contrary to rumor I have not as yet made an official endorsement. I have met with both the Democratic and Republican nominees. I have been a registered Democrat since Jesse Jackson ran for office and AIDS first broke out… Before that I was a lifelong Republican (yes a Nixon and Goldwater supporter). When I was a registered Republican, I sometimes voted Democrat and now that I am a registered Democrat I sometimes vote for a Republican. I believe in the individual… the person, not the party label. For your information, it was a Republican who first opened City Hall to our GLBT community and made the first gay appointments. It was Senator Barry Goldwater (not Kennedy) who first stood up on the Senate floor and attacked Jerry Falwell and the radical religious right. Yes, now the Republican Party is in the hands of the “right wing” but for the party of Lincoln to change there must be support for moderate and progressive Republicans… We cannot as a GLBT community ignore and not get involved in our nation’s two-party system.

Yes, I have been appointed to the State Central Committee of the California Democratic Party (in the past by State Assemblymember Pete Chacon) and currently I am an appointee of Assemblymember Kehoe… When I endorsed the re-election of then State Assemblymember Jeff Marston, a Republican, I did resign my position, and if I do endorse a Republican in the upcoming 76th Assembly race I will give Assemblymember Kehoe my resignation… but I will do what I feel is right. Last week, I wrote about District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis endorsing Tricia Hunter for State Assembly… I did not make an endorsement, but since then the Democratic nominee called me and stated that since I wrote that column, while she was planning to ask me to serve on one of her “committees” now she wasn’t. Funny thing is I never asked to serve on any of her “committees” nor would I because I am far too busy… In fact, when we met we never discussed my serving on any “committees”… I found her message (which I kept) very petty. Once again, I have not at this time made any endorsement in the 76th Assembly race… I would have if Vince Hall had won.