Dear Center Community,
 
It’s that time of year again when we celebrate Harvey Milk, a civil and human rights leader, a coalition builder, activist, LGBTQ rights pioneer, and one of the early openly gay elected officials in the United States. His remarkable career was tragically cut short when he was assassinated nearly a year after taking office.” Harvey Milk is remembered as a hero and an icon, honored posthumously with statues, a street in San Diego, a terminal in the San Francisco airport, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a United States postage stamp, and last year, a Navy ship was named and christened in his honor, the USNS Harvey Milk.  
 
In honor of Harvey Milk's legacy, The Center annually hosts the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast and we all join together in community to celebrate. The Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast began as a vision of City Commissioner Nicole Murray-Ramirez, who founded the Breakfast with inaugural co-chairs Dr. Delores A. Jacobs and Commissioner Robert Gleason in 2008. Over the years, this event has served to honor the memory of Harvey Milk, celebrate our San Diego LGBTQ community, and provide an opportunity to recognize the amazing contributions of our LGBTQ elected and appointed officials, leaders, and allies and to celebrate those who are serving the community.

As this event takes tremendous planning and with the uncertainty of the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic, months ago, we made the difficult decision not to host an in-person event this year. And even though we are not all together in person, we are proud to present something new – our Harvey Milk Tribute Video. This video will be presented on The Center’s website on Friday, May 20, at 11 am, and we invite you to join us and learn more about our call to action to ensure our voice continues to be heard.
 
We know that our vote is our voice and now, more than ever, since the leak of the U.S. Supreme Court’s draft opinion signaling the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we must stand up against this outrageous attack on reproductive freedom and the right to privacy. LGBTQ rights, including marriage equality, are based on the right to privacy and Roe’s overturn will have enormous consequences for both reproductive and LGBTQ rights. Locally, we continue to advocate for equity and equality in our community, including our latest effort to remove Commissioner Hodges from the San Diego Human Relations Commission for his transphobic and homophobic public remarks. We must brace ourselves for the fights ahead to defend our rights, our freedom, and our families and it starts with turning out to vote this June and November. Please join us for the Harvey Milk Tribute video to honor Harvey, and then be sure to vote by the voting deadline of June 7th and November 8th - the stakes have never been higher.
 
Thank you for your support of The Center and we look forward to celebrating in community next year!

In solidarity,

Don't miss The Center's Open House event this Saturday, May 14th to celebrate the re-opening of our Main Center facility! 
 
Our Open House is an opportunity to celebrate together, discover what’s new at The Center, learn about programs and services at our Resource Fair, connect with old friends, and meet new people – including many new Center staff. It is also an opportunity for you to be among the first to see and experience the newly renovated common areas and community spaces in our iconic building in Hillcrest. RSVP to attend and take a tour of your Center!

Where

• The San Diego LGBT Community Center, 3909 Centre Street, San Diego, CA 92103

• The Center's parking lot is not available for this event. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) lot at 3960 Normal Street is close and has free parking on the weekend, or please use available street parking. We also encourage ride sharing and public transit. 

• Saturday, May 14, 2022 from 11am - 2pm
• Opening Ceremony will be from 11-11:45am
• Resource Fair where all can learn about the programs and services of The Center 11am - 2pm
• Center-team led tours of the new renovations will occur following the program until 2pm - Reserve your spot now!  

• For outdoors, all are invited; masks are strongly advised.
• For indoors, vaccination, booster and masks will be required.

If you need any of The Center’s services, please come to our Open House to learn about the resources we provide, and know you are not alone.

Our San Diego LGBTQ community has a rich history of voter participation- and with the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ legislation throughout the nation and the pending overturning of Roe v. Wade– the stakes have never been higher to ensure we vote in the upcoming election. Ballots for the June Primary start going out TODAY so make sure to check your mailboxes and make your plan vote!
 
Things you can do before you receive your ballot:

• If you have moved since the last time you registered to vote, you can update your voter registration here.
• If you’re unsure of when you last registered to vote, you can check your voter status here.
• Additionally, if you’d like to get a preview of what’s on your ballot, you can review your sample ballot here.

• Vote early and in-person voting at the Registrar’s Office at 5600 Overland Avenue, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm beginning today, May 9th.
• Vote by mail. Simply place your ballot in the provided envelope. Date and sign the outside and drop it into the mail. No postage needed!
• Drop off your ballot at any official Ballot Drop Box location
• Vote in person at any Vote Center throughout the County- including at The San Diego LGBT Community Center during the following dates/times!
  • Saturday June 4th, 8am – 5pm
  • Sunday June 5th, 8am – 5pm
  • Monday June 6th, 8am – 5pm
  • Tuesday June 7th, 7am – 8pm

• Some Vote Centers will be open 11 days prior to the election, May 28^th
• All Vote Centers will be open 4 days prior to the election, June 4^th
• You’ll also receive in-person voting assistance from Registrar of Voters staff, including assistance in multiple languages

Fired up and want to get involved in our voter engagement campaign to ensure our LGBTQ community votes the election? Reach out to our team at civicengagement@thecentersd.org to sign up to volunteer!

- Rebekah J. Hook-Held, M.A. (Pronouns: She, Her, Hers)
Chief Public Affairs & Civic Engagement Officer

When you use energy matters, especially if you are on an SDG&E pricing plan that has a Reduce Your Use event day component. This is when customers may be asked to reduce their energy use between certain hours to help ease the strain on the power grid.

Effective June 1, 2022, Reduce Your Use hours are changing from the previous hours of 2pm – 6pm to the new hours of 4pm – 9pm. When a Reduce Your Use event is called, the price of electricity from 4pm – 9pm. will significantly increase. If you’re  not able to reduce your energy use during these hours, it may impact your monthly bill.

If you are on an SDG&E Reduce Your Use pricing plan, it is important that your communication preferences are up to date. You will receive notifications when a Reduce Your Use event day is called and it is time to conserve. Up to 18 events can be called per year. 

Not sure if you are on a pricing plan with a Reduce Your Use component? Sign into My Account on myaccount.sdge.com to review your pricing plan and find ways to save. You can also sign up for energy use alerts and notifications.

• Visit CoveredCA.com to find out if you qualify for financial help and see the health coverage options in your area - just enter your household income, ZIP code, household size and the number of people who need coverage and their ages into the calculator on Covered California’s homepage.
• Use the online Shop and Compare Tool. 
• Call Covered California at 1.800.300.1506 for free assistance over the phone in a variety of languages, or request a certified enroller call you and receive help for free.