Mayor’s days: No to Spongebob! Yes to Dora the Explorer!
Aug. 14, 2010, is “Dora the Explorer Day” in San Diego, a day to recognize the young, Latina Nickelodeon cartoon character who teaches children about geography. Mayor Jerry Sanders proclaimed it so.
Hold on a second. Didn’t he also declare Aug. 14, 2010, “ Spirit of ’45 Remembrance Day,” a day of celebration of the Greatest Generation? Yes, he did. He also declared it “Ferragosto,” an Italian holiday (“A Night When Everyone is Italian”) that is traditionally on Aug. 15, but will be celebrated the night before in Little Italy.
Click to enlarge (Can you spot the error in the text?)
OK, those second two make sense—civic pride. But Dora the Explorer? Although educational, this is just part of giant promotional effort from Nickelodeon that has so far convinced 30 cities and states to get on board. The big event is a one-hour special, “Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure,” featuring the voices of Rosie Perez and John Leguizamo.
So, from a personal taxpayer’s point of view, I don’t really agree with giving TV shows free advertising via these official proclamations. In fact, with the budget deficit as it is, I question whether any resources at all should be devoted to these proclamations, which usually memorialize local historical events, honor local philanthropists, signify civic celebrations or highlight health and social issues.
In fact, I was going to e-mail this to Councilmembers Carl DeMaio and Kevin Faulconer under the subject line: “Start slashing here.”
Mayoral spokesperson Rachel Laing says that these proclamations take minimal resources. Literally pennies. An unpaid intern handles the proclamation requests and the only other costs are the paper and mail.
“Proclamations are part of the ceremonial function of a big city mayor’s protocol office, and we get numerous requests for these types of national promotions,” she writes via e-mail. “We turn down most of them.”
Like what?
“Just last year, we turned down a similar request for Sponge Bob Squarepants. (Poor little sponge can’t catch a break.) The protocol director agreed to send this one because Dora is educational and teaches kids Spanish,” Laing writes. “Nick[olodeon] also was very persistent on this one, which indicated they really wanted San Diego on their list of cities honoring the show.”
Damn, Spongebob, you just got dissed.
You, too, can apply for a “YOUR NAME HERE DAY” by following this link. Here’s the full list of proclamations issued by the mayor this year:
01-9-10 -Linares Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution Day
01-10 – Train Your Dog Month
01-14-10 – Christopher Miller Day
01-16-10 -Erik A. Weichelt Day
01-18-10 -Spirit of 45 Day
01-19-10 10News Leadership Day
01-21-10 -Americas Finest Mentor Day
01-24-10 -VFW South-East Post 5179 Day
01-30-10 – Chinese New year Day
1-30-10 – Mormon Battalion Day
01-30-10 – San Diego Public Library 44th Annual Authors Exhibit Day
2-1-10 – Black History Month
02-01-10 – Go Direct Direct Express month
02-05-10 – George L. Stevens Senior Center Day
02-06-10 – Peggy Cooper Day
2-10-10 – Prostate Cancer Awareness Day
02-10-10 – San Diego Jewish Film Festival Day
02-14-10 – National Engineers Week
2-17-10- John David Butler Memorial
02-18-10 – Healthy Meals Healthy Kids Day
02-21-10 – Larry Ellison Day
2-21-10 – Military Saves Week
02-23-10 – 16th Annual SPAY DAY USA
2-26-10 – Joan Embery Day
2-28-10 – 9-1-1 Heroes For Kids Education Week
03-01-10 Dysphagia Week
03-04-10 – Inspire San Diego Day
03-06-10 – Marching for Kiki’s Red Ribbon Day
03-06-10 -Steve Pisanos Day
03-07-10 – San Diego Medical Services Day
03-07-10 – Women in Construction Week
03-08-10 Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week
03-13-10 – Japanese Friendship Cherry Blossom Day
03-13-10 – Rocco Landesman Day
3-13-10 – St. Patrick’s Parade and Festival Day
3-20-10 – The Jewel of San Diego Day
03-20-10 -Annie Hightower Day
03-25-10 – Greek Independence Day
04-01-10 – Parliamentary Law Month
04-04-10 -Gary McDonald Day
04-06-10 – Tartan Day
4-07-10 – National Start! Walking Day
04-10 – Child Abuse Prevention Month
04-11-10 – Holocaust Remembrance and Liberation Day
04-12-10 U.S.S. Carl Vinson Day
4-18-10 -Avena Earth Day Beach Clean Up
4-20-10 – Equal Pay Day
04-21-10 – Leonard Sylvester Chicoine Day
4-24-10 – Southeast SD Women Inc Day
04-24-10 -Sleepless San Diego Day
04-25-10 Parental Alienation Awareness Day
04-27-10 -Southern Cal 8a Association Day
04-29-10 -Executive Women International Day
04-30-10 – New Horizons Day.doc
5-01-10 – Carol LeBeau Day
05-01-10 – Dragon Boat Festival
05-01-10 – Walk n Roll Day SPCA proclamation
5-1-10- Suzy’s Zoo Day Proclamation
05-03-10 – Public Service Week
05-03-10 -Southwestern College Sun Day
05-06-10 – Provider Appreciation Day
05-08-10 – A Day of Education and Hope
5-08-10 – Mormon Helping Hands Day
05-09-10 National Women’s Health Week
05-10 – Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month
05-10 – National Exercise is Medicine Month
05-10 – Preeclampsia Awareness Month
05-11-10 – US Constabulary proclamation
05-13-10 – Oncology Nursing Day Proclamation
5-13-10 -RED Day (Renew, Energize, Donate)
05-14-10 -Darlene Shiley Day
05-16-10 – Public Works Week
05-17-10 – Norway Day
05-19-10 – BRAVO Day
05-20-10 – Mary Clark Day
5-20-10 Music Memory Day
05-21-10 Bike to Work Day
5-22-10 – Special Libraries Association 50th Anniversary Day
05-22-10 – USO San Diego Day
05-22-10 -Dr. Ida Greene Day
5-22-10 Southwestern Yacht Club Day
05-22-2010 National Maritime Day
5-25-10 – Mental Health Month
5-25-10 – Robert K. Goff Day
5-26-10 – Breast Cancer Awareness Day
05-26-10 – Young Womens Leadership Day
05-26-10 -Marty Levin Day
5-27-10 International Economic Summit Day
05-28-2010 Sergeant Major Jackson Day
05-31-10 – Financial Literacy Week
06-02-10- Kathryn Vaughn Day
06-04-10 -Robert J. Collins Day
06-04-10- Stepping Stone Day
06-08-2010 World Harmony Day
06-11-10 – ABC Apprenticeship Graduation
06-11-2010 National USA Bid and FIFA World Cup Day
6-12-10 -Girl Scouts Diamond Service Unit Day
06-19-10 – Honor Thy Father Appreciation Day
6-19-10 – Somali Family Service Health Fair Day
06-22-10- Natl YMCA Gynamastics Day Proclamation
6-23-10 Paralegal Day
06-23-10- San Diego-Japan U+I Alliance Days
6-26-10 – US Japanese Friendship Day
06-27-10- 16th annual national HIV testing day
06-27-10 -The Girl in Red Shoes Day
06-29-10- Debra Kilcline Day
07-01-10- LGBT Pride Month
07-01-10 Vice Admiral Kilcline proclamation
07-04-10 – Magic Week
07-09-2010- Scripps Mercy Hospital Day
07-10-10 Tom Hom proclamation
07-10-10 – Somali Independence Day
07-10-10 OMBAC Tournament
07-14-10 Willy C. Gaa Day proc
07-14-10 American Subcontractors Assiociation Day
07-17-10 National Stand Down Day
7-20-10 – Nellie M. Allen’s 90th Birthday Day
07-22-10 -Rev Willie James Smith Memorial
07-24-10 Judy Reeves Proclamation
07-25-10 – Patient Safety Day
07-25-10 -San Diego Yacht Club Day
07-26-10 Supplier Diversity Achievement Week
07-27-10- San Diego Housing Federation Day
07-28-10 – Ricardo Rabines Day
07-28-10 – Douglas G. Sharon Day
07-28-2010- National Association of Black Journalists Day
07-29-10 San Diego Community Housing Corporation Day
07-29-10 – CONNECT 25th Anniversary Day
07-30-10 – Urban Corps Day
07-31-10 San Diego Model Railroad Museum Day
07-31-10- San Ysidro Health Center Day
08-03-2010- National Black Nurses Associations Week
08-3-2010- National Night Out
08-06-10 Rear Admiral Michael C. Bachmann day
08-06-2010-Thanksgiving WISH Week (Worldwide Initiative to Save Humanity)
08-07-10 House of Ireland Day
8-07-10 -Mr. and Mrs. Angel S. Leano 50th Anniversary Day
08-10 -Purple Heart Recognition Month
8-11-10 San Diego HIV Community Day
08-14-10 -Dora the Explorer Day
08-14-10 -Ferragosto 2010 – A Night When Everyone is Italian
08-14-10 -Spirit of 45 Remembrance Day
08-17-10 Navy Gold Coast Small Business Day
08-25-10 Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability Days
8-28-10 St. Paul’s 50th Anniversary Day
09-04-10 – MDA Labor Day Telethon Weekend
09-12-10 Mama’s Kitchen Day
09-17-10 Constitution Week
09-25-10 Strut for Sobriety Day
10-19-10 San Diego Marine Corps Mustang Week
10-26-10 Access Inc. Summer Youth Day
11-06-10 Playwrights Project Day
