COMICS DRIVE FOR MARINE CORPS EXTENDED

In support of San Diego Comic Con International, the Hard Rock Café — located at 801 Fourth Ave. in the Gaslamp Quarter — started a comic book drive for servicemembers of the United States Marine Corps stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar who are currently serving overseas. The first 1,000 people who came by to donate a comic book got a limited edition “True Hero U.S.M.C.” lanyard, good for 20 percent off all food, non-alcoholic drink and retail purchases at Hard Rock Café through July 27. Due to overwhelming response, this drive — and the lanyard offer — has now been extended through August 10. Those dropping off a comic book at Hard Rock San Diego by that date will help our local Marines who are deployed, get the commemorative lanyard and qualify for the discounts. For more information call 619-615-7643 or visit HardRock.com/SanDiego.

CLEAN & SAFE TEAM TACKLES ANOTHER COMIC CON

This year’s Comic Con brought more than 130,000 local and international visitors and pop-culture enthusiasts to the streets of Downtown San Diego July 24 through July 27. All the additional visitors brought additional work to the Clean & Safe team of San Diego Downtown Partnership, offering them six times their normal workload. That additional workload included removing 23.05 tons of trash, removing 4,949 stickers, cleaned up 18,622 flyers and posters, and emptied 3,368 trash cans. In a standard seven-day week around Downtown San Diego, the Clean & Safe crew typically removes seven tons of trash and empties 2,000 trashcans. “Once again, our Clean & Safe team went above and beyond to ensure that Downtown looked its very best,” said Clean & Safe’s Executive Director Bahija Hamraz, in a release. “The Clean & Safe employees maneuvered through hundreds of thousands of Comic-Con attendees and spectators to pick up trash, stickers, and other debris left behind, ensuring that the annual event did not negatively impact the community and Downtown property owners.” The Clean & Safe program operates as a property and business improvement district under the Downtown San Diego Partnership, providing maintenance, landscaping and security patrol services 24-hours per day for the neighborhoods of Core/Columbia, Cortez, East Village, the Gaslamp Quarter and the Marina District. “Comic Con has come and gone once again, and thanks to the Clean & Safe program the Gaslamp looks even better for the experience,” said Jimmy Parker, executive director of the Gaslamp Quarter Association, in the release. To learn more about Clean & Safe, visit downtownsandiego.org/clean-safe.

SAN DIEGO PRESS CLUB MOVES DOWNTOWN

After 15 years of moving around to various locations, the San Diego Press Club has finally found a permanent home in the Spreckels Building, located at 121 Broadway, Downtown. The club, which is currently celebrating it’s 40th anniversary, has taken over 800 square feet in the historic building, and will use the spacious “Suite 640” for board and committee meetings, professional development workshops, social events and overall management of the club. “As one of the largest press clubs in America, we are the conduit for keeping over 400 members connected to current media trends,” said Club President Maggie Espinosa in a release. “The new office will allow us to offer additional stellar programs and social gatherings. We invite our colleagues to stop by and check out our new headquarters.” Operational hours of the club are still to be determined. “We are delighted that the Press Club is here,” said John Shales, general manager of the Spreckels Building in the release. “The Club is an integral part of the community, and its work is important to maintain the profession and to monitor the ever-changing face of the media world.” The Press Club’s website, sdpressclub.org, its phone number, 619-231-4340, and email [email protected], remains the same.

NEW LEADER FOR CIVIC SAN DIEGO 

Mayor Kevin Faulconer recently appointed Reese Jarrett to lead Civic San Diego, the City’s nonprofit for public-private redevelopment projects. Jarrett is a former KPBS Local Hero, selected because of his accomplishments as a businessman and his dedication to transforming urban neighborhoods. With a career that spans over 30 years in real estate development, community engagement and financing, Jarrett, a San Diego native, will now run a nonprofit that’s focus is to revitalize urban neighborhoods, nurture small businesses and offer affordable housing options.  “Civic San Diego is an important partner to our City and crucial cog in helping our City come together to build One San Diego,” said Faulconer said at the appointment ceremony. “Civic is also catalyst in developing our economy and helping our communities to grow and flourish. With that said, Civic San Diego must have someone at the helm who has the vision, expertise and cooperative spirit to lead and that person is Reese Jarrett.” Councilmember Myrtle Cole was also at the ceremony, and said she is “proud” to stand with the mayor announcing such a “key appointment” in her district, where she said has a “dire need for economic development and revitalization.” Jarrett said he was “looking forward” to the job and that it was going to be his goal to carry out the objectives of Faulconer’s “One San Diego.”

TONY GWYNN MURAL COMES TO DOWNTOWN

Und1sputed Gym, located at 320 16th St., in East Village, commissioned Wild Style Technicians (WST) to paint a mural on an outside wall of the building in memory of the late baseball star and San Diego legend. The mural was completed July 19, the anniversary of the first day Gwynn joined the Padres 32 years before. Three local artists with WST — Sake, Zone and Izze — used spray cans to construct the 12 x 61 foot mural, which includes typical Padres colors during the majority of Gwynn’s tenure (brown, orange and yellow), an image of Gwynn holding a bat, his #19 jersey, and the words “Mr. Padre” in readable graffiti art, reminiscent of New York City subway trains in the 1970s and ‘80s, which all three artists are students of. Zone and Izze grew up in nearby Spring Valley. For more information about the mural, call Und1sputed at 619-450-6999.

CITY LAUNCHES ‘FIRST-EVER’ BICYCLE ADVISORY BOARD

In March, the San Diego City Council unanimously approved a Bicycle Advisory Committee to oversee and provide guidance on all the burgeoning bicycle projects popping up all over the county. The committee will assist in making bicycling in San Diego safer, more accessible, implementing the new Bicycle Master Plan Update, and making San Diego a more bike-able city overall. Andy Hanshaw, currently executive director of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition (SDBC), was appointed to the board, along with a total of seven other advising members from neighborhoods around the county, including Kyle Heiskala of Hillcrest; Kathleen Keehan of Rancho Bernardo; Michael Brennan of Hillcrest; Nicole Burgess of Point Loma; Petr Krysl of University City; Randy Van Vleck of Golden Hill; and Samantha Ollinger of City Heights. The board’s term will be two years, ending July 1, 2016. “The City has a lot of great bicycling initiatives coming to fruition and copious opportunities to become one of the most bike-friendly cities in the nation,” said Hanshaw in a press release. “I look forward to working with the committee members and elevating San Diego to be a premiere city for bicycling.” The SDBC protects and advocates for the rights of all people who ride bicycles. San Diego becomes one of numerous cities around the country with formally appointed bicycle advisory committees. For more information on SDBC visit sdbc.org.

SDMT ANNOUNCES NEW SEASON IN NEW HOME

The San Diego Musical Theatre (SDMT) will be moving to the historic, 1463-seat Spreckels Theatre, located at 121 Broadway in Downtown, for its 2015 season. The historic theater, which opened its doors in 1912, has 1463 seats and has long been a San Diego attraction. SDMT’s 2015 season, which includes four Broadway musical productions is as follows:  West Side Story, directed by James Vasquez, Feb. 13 – March 1; Singin’ in the Rain, directed by Todd Nielsen, May 22 – June 7; La Cage Aux Folles, directed by Larry Raben, Sept. 25 – Oct 11; and White Christmas, directed by Todd Nielsen, Nov. 27 – Dec. 6. The next show of SDMT’s 2014 lineup is “Next to Normal.” Opening night for “Next to Normal” at the North Park Theatre, located at 2891 University Ave., is Sept. 27 and it runs through Oct. 12. For more info on both seasons, visit sdmt.org.

SIGN UP FOR SDCC CLASSES

Those interested in taking classes during the fall semester at San Diego City, Mesa or Miramar colleges are encouraged to apply now in order to begin registering for classes beginning Aug. 4. The 16-week semester starts Aug. 18, and administration staff said students should begin planning now because the district expects to see an increased demand for classes during the upcoming school year. High school students enrolling for the first time must register in person between Aug. 11 – 15 at the college admissions office at the campus in which they wish to enroll. Others can register by visiting sdccd.edu.

DINE OUT FOR THE CURE

Almost everyone has heard of Race for the Cure, the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s annual charity marathon, but you don’t have to break a sweat if you want to help fight breast cancer — you just have to go out to eat. As part of Komen San Diego’s second annual Dine Out for the Cure on Aug. 14, certain restaurants will donate 25 to 50 percent of that day’s profit to the charity. Participating restaurants nearby include Croce’s Park West at 2760 Fifth Ave. in Bankers Hill; Broken Yolk Café at 1760 Camino del Rio North in Mission Valley; Redfield’s Sports Bar at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, Downtown; and Nothing Bundt Cake at 5624 Mission Center Rd. in Mission Valley. After deducting overhead of 13 percent, Komen San Diego dedicates 75 percent of its revenue to local education, screening and treatment programs and 25 percent to international medical research. For details on other participating restaurants, visit komensandiego.org/DineOut.

CITY RESTRICTS E-CIGARETTES

The City of San Diego will soon begin treating electronic cigarettes like tobacco cigarettes under new ordinances approved by the City Council on July 28. The council voted unanimously to prohibit the use of e-cigarettes (also known as “vaping”) wherever cigarette smoking is currently prohibited, including public beaches, parks, sports facilities, sidewalk cafes and other enclosed public spaces, including restaurants. The council also unanimously agreed to regulate the retail sale of e-cigarettes the same way the City regulates the sale of tobacco products, by requiring retailers to obtain a police permit and banning e-cigarette vending machines. Much of the discussion from councilmembers focused on the perceived impacts of e-cigarettes on children. The ordinances were proposed and developed by Councilmember Mark Kersey, who represents the city’s northeastern neighborhoods in District 5.

TRANSITIONAL STORAGE CENTER GIVES THANKS

San Diego-based nonprofit Girls Think Tank hosted a “Welcome Home” event on Saturday, July 26. The organization dedicated to “advancing basic human dignity for displaced San Diegans” celebrated the new location of their Transitional Storage Center (TSC) and held the event to thank community members for support and donations. The invitation-only event featured live music with food provided by Carnitas’ Snack Shack. Local leaders in attendance who have lent their support were Rick Gentry, CEO of the San Diego Housing Commission; Bahija Hamraz, executive director of the Clean & Safe program of San Diego Downtown Partnership; Dan Bamberg and Molly Hoot of the City Attorney’s office; and David Ross. TSC, located at 252 16th St. in the East Village neighborhood of Downtown, is a collection of 353 bins in which displaced individuals can store belongings during their job search or while attending school as they work towards transitioning back into a housed life. The new location boasts the most bins TSC has ever offered, but with a waiting list of over 120 people there is still a need for more storage bins. For more information or to donate visit girlsthinktank.org.

SEXUAL ASSAULT BILL INTRODUCED TO CONGRESS

On July 30, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Rep. Susan Davis (D-San Diego) introduced the Survivor Outreach and Support Campus Act (S.O.S. Campus Act), which would require colleges throughout the nation to an establish independent, on-campus advocate supporting sexual assault victims.

These advocates would be responsible for ensuring a victim has access to medical care, law enforcement guidance, forensic exams, counseling and information on their legal rights, regardless of whether the victim chooses to report the crime. The bill follows widespread criticisms of universities for under-reporting and under-scrutinizing sexual assault cases. “Survivors of sexual assault deserve an advocate who will fight for them every step of the way,” Boxer stated in a press release. “Our bill, which has been endorsed by the University of California, will help encourage more victims to come forward and report these heinous crimes.” The bill was introduced in both the Senate and the House of Representatives as an amendment to the Higher Education Act.

PHIL’S ‘BIG BBQ AT THE BALLPARK’ RETURNS’

Phil’s BBQ will host its sixth annual Big BBQ at the Ballpark on Aug. 11 in Petco Tailgate Park (corner of 14th Street and Imperial Avenue). The event benefits the Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County’s military mentoring program, Operation Bigs. In honor of the program celebrating its 10th year, Phil’s is aiming to raise $100,000. BBQ admission includes ribs and chicken, two sides, a blended beverage from Dlush, and a ticket to the Padres vs. Rockies game at 7:10 p.m. There are also VIP ticketing options and meal-only options for those who already have game tickets. The event will feature children’s activities, a photo booth, live music and more. Ballast Point and Karl Strauss will sponsor a beer garden for guests 21+. 100 percent of ticket sales will go to Operation Bigs. The BBQ will take place from 4:30 to 7 p.m.  For tickets and more visit SDBigs.org/PhilsBigBBQ.

HILLCREST BUSINESSES CELEBRATE CITYFEST

Thirty years ago this summer, the iconic Hillcrest sign located on University Avenue between Fourth and Fifth streets was taken down for repairs. When it was replaced in August 1984, the party surrounding the relighting ceremony in under the sign became the first-ever Cityfest. Now a huge, day-long street fair, Cityfest returns to Hillcrest on Saturday, Aug. 10 from 12 noon to 11 p.m. This year’s event covers six blocks and features a waterslide, a play zone for kids, a foster animal petting zoo, a beer garden for the adults and more than 250 vendors. Live bands and DJs will play music on a stage located at the corner of Fifth and University avenues presented by The Merrow. The event attracts more than 150,000 people every year, according to the Hillcrest Business Improvement Association, which organizes the event. The association uses funds raised at the event to maintain the Hillcrest sign and pay for other beautification projects in the neighborhood. To learn more about Cityfest, visit hillcrestcityfest.com or call 619-299-3330