Don’t forget that this coming Tuesday, Nov. 8, is Election Day. I recommend you vote for the following candidates: Jerry Sanders for mayor, Lorena Gonzalez for City Council District 2 and Remy Bermùdez for City Council District 8.

Rosa Parks was indeed the mother of the civil rights movement in America… a black civil rights movement that inspired and motivated other “minorities” to fight for equality. As a Latino gay man, I know that both of my communities’ struggles for equality have benefited greatly from the black civil rights movement. When Rosa Parks sat down on that bus, the world turned around… and it would never be the same again.

The recent front-cover story of Update (issue 1244) was all wrong in stating that leading mayoral candidate Jerry Sanders would not continue Mayors O’Connor, Golding and Murphy’s GLBT advisory boards. Update reported that Sanders stated at The Center’s mayoral debate that “rather than an advisory board” he would do something else. The truth is Sanders never said he would not have a GLBT advisory board, but in fact will continue to appoint one, along with other Latino, veterans, Asian, etc. community boards. Sanders, in fact, personally confirmed this to me this past weekend.

Jerry Sanders already appointed highly respected community leader Ben Dillingham to his financial committee months ago. Sanders’ administration will truly reflect the great diversity of our city. One of Jerry Sanders’ greatest strengths is his outstanding consensus-building ability. He was known for that as chief of police, when he was one of the first police chiefs in San Diego to push for more diversity and community outreach, which always included the GLBT community. Jerry Sanders will be a mayor for all of San Diego’s citizens, period.

The story on the front page of Update with the inaccurate information on Sanders did not have a byline.

Last week I had lunch (at Ortega’s Mexican Bistro) with the new co-chair of San Diego LGBT Pride, Dr. Philip Princetta. He and his co-chair, Anne Hewett, are now meeting with community leaders and activists, and will continue to do so.

I believe that both Philip and Anne are down-to-earth, honest and well-meaning individuals who want to do what is best for our community and for Pride. I believe that they want to work with the entire GLBT community, and understand its diversity. Dr. Princetta and Ms. Hewett want to make San Diego Pride reach out more to the entire community, be more open and take it in a new, more positive direction.

Though we may not agree on all points, I believe that our community should give these two Pride co-chairs a chance, and trust that their leadership will be fair and honest. Both Philip and Anne are parents, and both are spending a lot of time in their unpaid positions, working hard to bring our community together when it comes to Pride 2006. I wish them the very best, and hope our community will give these two co-chairs a chance.

One of the Metropolitan Community Church of San Diego’s most popular and gifted pastors, yes, the Rev. Tony Freeman, has announced that this will be his last year as senior pastor of MCC. For nine years, the Rev. Tony has been a hard-working and inspirational leader, not only at MCC but in our community as well. The news that this will be his last year has saddened many of us, but the good news is he and his family (his partner, Stephen, and their son) will probably remain in San Diego.

Three huge panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt are now on exhibit at the beautiful Trinity Episcopal Church (845 Chestnut St.) every Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and Sundays from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. until Dec. 1.

The AIDS Quilt was founded in 1987 by my good friend Cleve Jones in San Francisco. I was honored to be the chair of the community committee that brought the AIDS Quilt to San Diego for the first time in the late 1980s. We raised over $10,000, thanks to the many GLBT businesses and bars, and the late Mr. Greg Vasic of F St. Corp., as well as the efforts of then-County Supervisor Susan Golding.

We all knew that openly gay District 2 City Council candidate Ian Trowbridge didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting elected to this, or any, office, but to have only raised $4,790 in his entire primary campaign is embarrassing and hopefully he has gotten the message. Trowbridge was stupid enough to lend his own campaign $10,000! Ian, do the right thing: Drop out and endorse Lorena Gonzalez, and save yourself from any more embarrassment.

One of San Diego’s biggest Halloween celebrations, yes, Nightmare on Normal Street, will go through some major changes next year. This annual event draws thousands of people for a huge, fun street party.

The Center realizes that there needs to be a separation between an adult event and a children’s celebration. So next year there will be a separate event – more children and family-oriented – and Nightmare on Normal will become more of a grown-ups’ party, recommended for those 18 and over.

While I sincerely thank the many of you who complimented me on my emceeing, at times I felt like a cross between Art Linkletter talking to children and the hostess of a hustlers/hookers ball!