During Coretta Scott King’s memorial service, the great poet Maya Angelou said: “She [King] cherished her race. She cherished women. She cared for gay and straight people. She prayed nightly for Palestine and equally for Israel.”

At last week’s Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund luncheon, Councilmember Toni Atkins talked about the growing political power and influence our GLBT community has in San Diego. Atkins also said that soon we will find gay candidates running against each other, and gay candidates running against longtime friends of the community that are already in office. While I feel it is too early for us to pit gay candidates against each other for the same office, it looks like it may happen in City Council District 3, as businessman, parent, charity and political fund-raiser Michael Portantino, publisher of the Gay & Lesbian Times, will be a candidate for City Council – and he is dead serious, as he has already interviewed consultants, is looking at conducting a polling of District 3, and has gotten solid commitments of endorsement and financial support from key supporters of both state Senator Chris Kehoe’s and Atkins’ first City Council races.

The fact is that District 3 has not been represented by a parent in two decades. This alone makes Portantino a very attractive candidate to District 3 families and households. Michael Portantino also has a solid record of community charity and political activism and fund-raising that reaches throughout the city.

Michael’s brother is on his way to being elected to the California Assembly this year, and this will be a major benefit to Portantino’s campaign. Also, as a successful businessman, he can, if need be, put his own money into this campaign and thus not be beholden to special-interest groups.

Portantino is out to win, and because of his long history in San Diego, he – according to elected officials I’ve talked to – becomes the candidate that is now the front-runner to replace the termed-out Atkins.

Michael Portantino and the other leading candidate, Todd Gloria, met this past Monday, and Gloria said he will definitely remain in the race. As for the other possible candidates, Robert Gleason tells me he is still deciding if he will run and Stephen Whitburn is still interested. I hope that, in time, the dust will settle and one candidate will emerge as the clear choice with the most support, and thus the other candidates will rally around him.

At this point, Portantino is the one to beat, and it will not be an easy task – trust me.

Despite great polling, strong support and a great job as acting mayor, Toni Atkins has decided not to run for county supervisor at this time. We all know and love Toni. She is one of the most admired and hardworking public servants with the highest integrity. The sky is the limit, Toni.

Last week, Alano Club officials, businesswoman Carla Coshow (an Alano Club board member), Alano Club president Kevin McQuillen and I met with County Supervisor Ron Roberts and his hard-working chief of staff, Darren Pudgil, to discuss the Alano Club’s programs and the recovery community as a whole, as well as serious concerns about the growing drug problem in San Diego County and the big increase of drug use in the GLBT community.

Supervisor Roberts is working on a campaign targeting our GLBT community to stop the increase of drug abuse. He is getting input from experts in this field and from GLBT activists. We look forward to and welcome Supervisor Roberts’ leadership on this important issue.

More than 120 people have been released from death row nationwide because new evidence found them to be innocent.

How many innocent people have we killed over these last decades? Six death row inmates have been released in California, who were on their way to being killed when they were discovered to be innocent.

I most strongly support state legislation that would put a three-year moratorium on California’s death penalty. This would allow time for our state to study whether the death penalty is being implemented fairly, and whether additional safeguards are needed.

The fact is that most of those released from death row have been people of color who were too poor to get powerful attorneys.

I urge the support of Assemblymembers Paul Koretz and Sally Lieber. Call for a moratorium. Just one innocent person killed is one too many.

Get your tickets today, as this year’s annual Hillcrest Mardi Gras will be bigger, better and more fun than ever, with another big crowd expected on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 28. And this time, there will be rides and more wild entertainment. All this to benefit local causes, including the GSDBA Foundation’s student scholarship.

Tickets are now on sale at Hamburger Mary’s and Obelisk Bookstore, as well as online at www.gsdbafoundation.com/events.htm. It’s looking like the block party of the year!

Well, Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and if you’re one of the many who spent it alone, you don’t have to anymore. Many of my friends have told me about their success with dating/matchmaking services, especially zamormatch.com which uses a one-of-a-kind compatibility profile engine designed specifically for gay men. You can complete a free Partner Perfect profile any time! Yes, zamormatch.com is one of the best dating/matchmaking services on the West Coast! Visit www.zamormatch.com.