RUNNIN' AND JUMPIN'

ON THE BACK STRETCH
Here we are, half-way through the Costa Mesa City Council filing period, and so far only four candidates have pulled papers at City Hall. Four others have been issued an information packet - without the essential petition - but we don't know if those folks are serious or are just pedestrians passing through.

COZY FIELD SO FAR
To date we have four former or current council members theoretically planning to run, including three former or current mayors. As of this afternoon Linda Dixon, Katrina Foley, Eric Bever and Gary Monahan have all pulled the necessary paperwork, but none had yet returned them.

FILING DEADLINE IN TWO WEEKS
Unless one of the incumbents - Dixon, Foley or Bever - drops out, the filing deadline is August 8th, two weeks from today. The mind reels as I contemplate a campaign with only four candidates for the three seats available. Perhaps some of the names I mentioned earlier view this particular race too tough to tackle, but I hope we do see some new names on the ballot this year.

FIRST CANDIDATE FORUM SCHEDULED
I've been advised that the first candidate forum, hosted by Mesa Verde, Inc., will probably be held on August 20, 2008 at the Downtown Neighborhood Community Center, near the library. Festivities will commence at 6:30 with refreshments being served in a "meet and greet" atmosphere, with the formal program beginning at 7. As I've said before, this forum is usually the best organized and best attended. Candidates are fresh and most of the questions are new.

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SHARON DAY - OLYMPIAN!
As some may know, Costa Mesan Sharon Day - a student/athlete at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo - has made the United States Olympic Team in the high jump and will compete in Beijing when the Olympics begin on August 8, 2008. There is an effort in Costa Mesa to raise funds to help send her family - her parents, Eugene and Yolanda and sister, Jasmin - to China to watch Sharon compete. This is being facilitated by the Palm Harvest Church and the pertinent information may be found at it's website, www.palmharvest.org. As you will see when you visit the site, they are still well short of their goal, so I encourage any of you interested in participating to visit the website and click on Sharon's image in the upper right corner for details.

MORE LOCAL LINKS
Sharon was recruited to Cal Poly by my friend, Costa Mesan Sheldon Blockburger, a former standout at Newport Harbor and a world-class decathlete while at Louisiana State University and subsequently. As an Assistant Track Coach at Cal Poly, Sheldon saw Sharon's potential. In fact, when he left for a similar job at the University of Arizona in Tucson he recruited Sharon's sister, Jasmine, because she showed similar potential.

DIG DEEP - SEND THE DAY FAMILY TO CHINA
Please look deep into your hearts and support the Day family as they attempt to make it to China to cheer Costa Mesa's Sharon Day on to victory.