San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne and Fire Chief Tracy Jarman will discuss public safety at the January Community Coalition Breakfast, set to take place Friday, Jan. 19, from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. at The Center, located at 3909 Centre St.

Lansdowne and Jarman will also discuss their respective department’s relationship with San Diego’s GLBT community.

“We are honored to have Chief Jarman and Chief Lansdowne join us for our first Community Coalition Breakfast of the new year,” said Sean Wherley, director of public policy for The Center. “Our community is deeply invested in public safety issues and will look forward to hearing from these distinguished and accomplished public servants.”

Lansdowne became chief in August 2003. Prior to that, he led police departments in San Jose and Richmond.

Lansdowne began his law enforcement career in 1966 and spent time serving in the California National Guard. As San Diego’s police chief, Lansdowne oversees a department of 1,900 people and a budget of $360 million.

Jarman, appointed fire chief last June, is one of just a dozen female fire chiefs in the United States and the first in San Diego. She is a 22-year veteran of the force, having held every position within the department. As San Diego fire chief, Jarman administers a staff of 928 firefighters, 124 lifeguards, 85 uniformed positions in Emergency Medical Services, 121 civilian personnel and oversees a budget of $160 million.

The Community Coalition Breakfast takes place the third Friday of each month. Its mission is to bring together fair-minded individuals to network, educate and discuss the diverse issues of concern to GLBT 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 will be provided upon request and must be sent to Wherley at swherley@thecentersd.org at least seven working days before the event.

The Community Coalition Breakfast is sponsored by Wells Fargo, San Diego Pride and the Gay & Lesbian Times.

The Greater San Diego Business Association will hold its annual “Joyous New Year Mixer” on Thursday, Jan. 18, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Top of the Park, located at 525 Spruce St.

The event is sponsored by Ed Delehanty of Park Manor Suites. Last year’s January mixer attracted about 220 guests when the venue was still under construction.

“The remodel is complete,” Delehanty said. “We now have two elevators that service the top floor. And there’ll be no hardhats needed.”

Complimentary hot and cold hors d’oeuvres will be provided by the Park Manor’s new 2007 catering menu, in addition to door prizes.

Tickets for the mixer are $10 for members and $15 for guests. The admission price includes food and the first drink free.

For more information, call the GSDBA office at (619) 296-4543.

First Unitarian Universalist Church, located 4190 Front St., will host a presentation by Don McEvoy, a personal friend of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 7:30 p.m.

As program chair for the National Conference of Christians and Jews, McEvoy collaborated with King on integration projects during the early 1960s in Atlanta. Hear McEvoy describe how the children of both his and King’s families were the first to integrate the public swimming pool in Atlanta and other memorable incidents.

This free presentation is promised to be informative and heartwarming, and is guaranteed to hold your attention. Contact George Kauffman (619) 296-6326 for more information.

The Center and Ebony Pride San Diego will host a community celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life on Monday, Jan. 15, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at The Center.

The theme of this year’s celebration is “Remember! Celebrate! Act! A Day On, Not a Day Off.” It will feature live entertainment, a silent auction, an awards presentation and keynote addresses by Dr. Wilma Wooten and Phyllis Jackson.

The event is free and open to the public. The Center is located at 3909 Centre St.

For more information, contact (619) 299-0536 or board@ebonypride.org.

Being Alive’s annual signature event, SoulPlates, will take place this year on Saturday, Jan. 13, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Balboa Park Club, located in Balboa Park.

SoulPlates has raised more than $45,000 since its inception for services provided by Being Alive to assist San Diegans living with HIV and AIDS.

The evening will include a live silent auction, heavy hors d’oeuvres, drinks, music and dancing.

SoulPlates, the event’s namesake, are the whimsical, dinner-sized plates adorned by friends of Being Alive. Each year, celebrity artists create these one-of-a-kind plates, which are then auctioned at the event, typically attended by 200 guests.

This year, plates by Elizabeth Taylor, Pat Benatar, Donna Summer and Jerry Seinfeld will be featured.

Join Being Alive for this evening of fun and frivolity that helps to ensure the nonprofit organization’s vital services continue to be available to all that are in need and living with HIV/AIDS. Tickets are $50 per person.

For reservations and information, call (619) 291-1400 and ask for Shannon Wagner.

Join Big Mike and friends as he celebrates his 50th birthday at a bash set to take place on Saturday, Jan. 20, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the US Grant hotel, located in downtown San Diego.

Tickets are $50 and proceeds from the party will benefit the Ben Dillingham Community Fund. Those who are unable to attend but still wish to make a donation on Big Mike’s behalf should make checks payable to the Ben Dillingham Community Grant. Checks can be mailed to 3841 Fourth Ave. #172, San Diego, CA 92103.

Contact Nicole Murray-Ramirez at (619) 692-1967 for more information.

Momentum San Diego and The Center invite opponents of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy to mobilize and work for its repeal at a meeting and training on Saturday, Feb. 3.

Three congressmembers from North County support the ban on gays, lesbians and bisexuals serving openly in the military, and the session will take place in North County at 10:30 a.m.

To RSVP for the meeting, contact Sean Wherley, The Center’s public policy director, at (619) 692-2077 ext. 212 or swherley@thecentersd.org.

HIV-positive individuals are invited to attend a half-day workshop on becoming a peer advocate for clients of Being Alive, a local HIV/AIDS service organization, which will take place on Friday, Jan. 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Volunteering as a peer advocate requires a four-hour commitment each week. Peer advocates must be HIV-positive for a minimum of three years.

There will be a light lunch served during the information session.

Contact John Keasler at Being Alive at (619) 291-1400 or jkeasler@beingalive.org to RSVP. Being Alive is located at 4070 Centre St. in Hillcrest.

The San Diego LGBT Community Leadership Council will sponsor its second annual community volunteer fair on Wednesday, Jan. 24, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at The Center, located 3909 Centre St.

The fair is designed to highlight volunteer opportunities within San Diego’s GLBT community.

“The San Diego LGBT Community Leadership Council’s Community Volunteer Fair is a wonderful way for local organizations to showcase their work and recruit volunteers for the coming year,” said Lea Burgess-Carland, volunteer coordinator for The Center. “It is an easy way for those considering volunteering to gather information about a diverse range of organizations all at one event.”

For more information, contact Lea Burgess-Carland at (619) 692-2077 ext. 111 or lburgess-carland@thecentersd.org.

Support The Center by purchasing tickets to the Friday, Jan. 19, performance of Happy Endings Are Extra at the Diversionary Theater.

Tickets are $20 and include a wine and cheese reception at 7:00 p.m. prior to the 8:00 p.m. show. Half of the proceeds from all tickets purchased through The Center for this preview performance will be donated to the organization.

Ashraf Johaardien’s Happy Endings Are Extra is a lyrical and sensual exploration of sexual identity, which is set in Cape Town, South Africa. The play explores the relationship between Gabriel, a bisexual man, and Chantelle, his fiancée.

For tickets, contact Donnie Luehring at (619) 692-2077 ext. 246 or dluehring@thecentersd.org.

Are you a geeky girl? Do you daydream about X-Men comic book character Storm, use all your vacation time going to Comic-Con or just enjoy reading fantasy or watching sci-fi?

If so, then join like-minded company at the newest Women’s Resource Center group, Geeky Grrrlz. This fun group is open to all “geeky girls” and allies.

Join the Women’s Resource Center to watch movies, play games and deconstruct women’s roles in sci-fi and fantasy. The meetings take place on the fourth Wednesday of the month from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Women’s Resource Center, located at The Center in Hillcrest.

On Wednesday, Jan. 24, Geeky Grrrlz will meet for a rousing “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” board game from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

The Center is located at 3909 Centre St.

For more information, contact Lea Burgess-Carland at (619) 692-2077 ext. 111 or lburgess-carland@thecentersd.org.

The next San Diego PFLAG meeting will take place Monday, Jan. 22, at 7:00 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Hillcrest.

The San Diego meeting will consist of support groups, a cookie social and a presentation by Norma Posy, a transgender woman who has written a memoir about her life that “covers both the profound agony and the wild comedy of living in a perpetual state of gender fluidity.” Norma’s Voice addresses her early childhood, 24-year marriage to a woman and Posy’s coming-out process that followed.

The First Unitarian Universalist Church is located at 4190 Front St.

The Carlsbad PFLAG meeting will take place Sunday, Jan. 28, at 2:00 p.m. at the Pilgrim United Church of Christ’s Pilgrim Hall, located at 2020 Chestnut St. in Carlsbad.

The East County PFLAG meeting takes place on the second Monday of every month at the Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 8778 Cottonwood Ave. in Lakeside. Call (619) 588-2342 to RSVP.

The Center’s Health Services, in partnership with Family Health Centers of San Diego’s Project STAR, will offer a specialized training for mental health providers addressing issues facing the transgender community on Wednesday, Jan. 17, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at The Center in Hillcrest.

All mental health providers in San Diego County are encouraged to attend.

The recent San Diego County Transgender Needs Assessment, conducted by Family Health Centers last year, identified numerous barriers to health care and support services for transgender individuals, including mental health and counseling services. The goal of this training is to increase the awareness levels of service providers to the issues facing their transgender clients, or potential clients, and to increase their comfort level and ability to effectively address these challenges.

The Center is located at 3909 Centre St.

For additional information, or to RSVP for the training, contact Michelle Morrison at The Center’s Health Services at (619) 260-6380 ext. 105 or mmorrison@thecentersd.org.