Congressmember John Conyers, the Democrat from Michigan, will be the keynote speaker at a town-hall meeting on healthcare reform from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 11, at the Joe and Vi Jacobs Center Celebration Hall, 404 Euclid Ave. in San Diego.

The information we have says to contact Elizabeth Bustos at 619-231-9300 x3104 or ebustos@syhc.org to get details or “confirm your attendance.”

Conyers is the single-payer healthcare-reform movement’s champion in Congress. You can read the text of his single-payer bill here.

CityBeat published an editorial on healthcare reform last week. It pushes President Obama to push hard for a government-run alternative plan to to compete with private insurance, but we’d absolutely prefer a national healthcare system that abolishes private insurance altogether.

We’ve also heard that there will be a right-wing rally by people opposed to a public insurance plan at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 11, in front of the Star of India down on the embarcadero, and the left-wingers are organizing a counter-rally, same place, same time. Awesomeness.

Could the great La Jolla Seals debate finally be drawing to a grand finale? Is such a thing even possible?

A bill sponsored by State Sen. Christine Kehoe passed the Assembly this morning that would make it possible to convert the Children’s Pool in La Jolla to a marine preserve. If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs the bill into law, the final say on whether the seals can stay or must go will be in the hands of the San Diego City Council.

I keep hearing this rumor that Lorena Gonzalez, Secretary-Treasurer and CEO of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, will be running for City Council District 2 against incumbent Kevin Faulconer. Well, she says she’s not. After seeing the rumor published on yet another blog, I decided to call Gonzalez to put the question to her. I got a call back from Evan McLaughlin, the Labor Council’s political director, who told me she’s not running.

“She plans to complete her term as Secretary-Treasurer,” McLaughlin said.

Now you know. And knowing is half the battle.

The rock ‘n’ roll supergroup is always an iffy thing. Have you listened to Blind Faith or Mad Season lately? How about The Transplants or The Dudes of Wrath (if you remember the latter, then you’re officially an ultra music geek)?

But man, I can’t wait until Rats Eyes gets some music on their MySpace page. Compromised of Gabe Serbian (The Locust) on vocals, Jason “Blackie” Blackmore (Sirhan Sirhan) on guitar, Jimmy Armbrust (The Bloodflowers, Louis XIV) on bass, and John Cota (Hostile Comb-Over, City of Whores) on drums, the band is already billing themselves as “the best hardcore band ever.” According to Blackie, the band will be recording some material in the next week and are already looking into booking some shows at Radio Room and The Casbah.

And speaking of Louis XIV, I’m sure you’ve heard that drummer Mark Maigaard is now a member of theCollapse! (yes, that’s how you spell their name). The band also includes Charlie Ware and Mike Santos (both of Lucy’s Fur Coat), Pete Reichert (Rocket from the Crypt) and Morgan Smith (The Front). The band will make it’s live debut at the kickoff show for the North Park Music Thing at The Casbah on Friday, August 7.

ONLY PLAN: Princeton, WestFire, Jamuel Saxon @ The Casbah–Princeton may be arriving a little late to the white boy preppy party started by Vampire Weekend, but that doesn’t mean their music should be ignored. Yeah, they grew up on the rough streets of Santa Monica and mommy probably paid for all their equiptment, but their cool brand of sunshine-pop just got them signed to Kanine Records (the little DIY Brooklyn label that broke Grizzly Bear, Chairlift and Oxford Collapse) who will release the band’s debut, Cocoon of Love (tied with Crocodiles’ Summer of Hate for best album title of the year) in September. I’ve heard some advance material and it’s essentially Belle and Sebastian meets 69 Love Songs at the beach. But atleast they’re not blatantly ripping off the black man to sing songs about commas and how cool fuckin Cape Cod is (and I’ve been to Cape Cod. Trust me, it sucks). And where the hell did WestFire come from? Do me a favor, click on their name above and as the MySpace page loads up and you catch a glimpse of the band before the songs start to play, try and instinctively guess what kind of music they play. I thought I was instore for some crappy, goth melodrama, but actually it’s some fairly decent music that I think they like to call “adult-contemporary” around the Goldenvoice offices. Not my thing, but not bad for what it is.

QUICK PICKS:

Freak Tent, Killer Dreamer, Pigs @ Soda Bar

Incomplete Neighbor, Brown Show, The Predicates, DJ Gonzobilly @ Beauty Bar

“Too Cool For Karaoke: America Fuck Yeah” @ Ruby Room

“Tiki Tuesday” Feat. Adrian Demain’s Exoticatronica@ Bar Pink

“Rub a Dub Reggae Tuesdays” with The Devastators and Dub Traffik Control DJs @ Belly Up

Distruct of Evolution, Tigon, Mozaik @ Radio Room

Duane Peters, Cobra Skulls, Ashers, Jakked Rabbits @ Brick By Brick

Greg Gibson, David Fletcher, Justin John Rodriguez @ Tin Can Ale House

“Jazz Jam” with Gilbert Castellanos

There are signs on the seventh floor of City Hall that say “authorized employees only” that weren’t there two weeks ago. And, for the last week, city staff have been looking into gates to keep uninvited members of the public out of parts of City Hall where no public services are rendered. The staff on the seventh floor, mostly bookkeepers, accountants and members of the comptroller’s staff, are jumpy—nervous, it seems, at the sight of strangers. All in all, it’s become an odd place for public employees.

What has them all on edge?

It was a request for public documents gone wrong, a confrontation between city staff and Union-Tribune reporters Brooke Williams and Danielle Cervantes on a fateful day in June. The reporters wanted to review public records, as they had in the past. City staff wanted to know why a couple of strangers were wandering around their offices. Arguing ensued, and the reporters were asked to leave the building empty handed.

Read the rest on the website.

PLAN A: Strange Boys, The Coathangers, Heavy Hawaii, The Anasazis, DJ Mario Orduno @ The Casbah–Sorry, but that supposed “garage-rock” shit that was popular in 2002 (The Hives, The Vines, Division of Laura Lee) has nothing on the stuff that’s coming out these days. However, it doesn’t begin and end with those coked-out dickheads in the Black Lips. Just ask The Coathangers, fellow ATLiens who play a bratty blend of garage and punk that sounds like someone shit in Bikini Kill’s cereal (see Carissa Casares’ great piece on the band from this week’s issue). I saw them open up for The Sess years ago at The Tower Bar and even though they were total bitches to me, I still enjoyed their show thoroughly. Also, check out Todd Kroviak’s blurb on The Strange Boys and The Anasazis from this week’s If I Were U section. I agree with Todd’s take that The Anasazis are gaining momentum in the scene and that their debut EP (out this month) will certainly be good enough that their name will soon be uttered in the same sentences as all those other “hot” garage-rock bands.  PLAN B: Modern Rifles, The Tall Ships, Robbers @ Radio Room–Modern Rifles released a hell of a debut earlier this year and shame on you for not picking it up. Less political than Against Me! and more a agressive than Jimmy Eat World, the band somehow balances the line between pop and punk without falling into that dreaded blink-182 subgenre (see my review here).   BACKUP PLAN: The Bugs, The Secretions @ Bar Pink–There are about half a dozen bands out there with the name The Bugs, but there’s no doubt that San Diego’s Bugs are the funnest. Old-school, Ramones-esque punk that’s fucked up (”Dopefiend”), funny (Dave Navarro’s Goatee Sucks”) and decidedly not politically incorrect (”Lesbo, Lesbo,” “I Wish I Was a Mexican”). Check out there videos on MySpace and pass around the office.

QUICK PICKS:

Lady Dottie and the Diamonds, DJ Jason Weedon @ U-31

“Dub Dynamite” with DJs Rashi, Eddie Turbo @ The Office

The China Clippers, Sailor Jerry Tattoo Art Show @ Ruby Room

Industrie de Lundi @ Soda Bar

Pop Culture Trivia Challenge @ Whistle Stop

Astra Kelly, Nicole Torres @ Dublin Square

PLAN A: Pigeon Religion, High Castle, 60-Watt Kid @ Soda Bar–To assume that Pigeon Religion like The Jesus Lizard wouldn’t exactly be jumping to conclusions. But look a little deeper and you’ll find some serious musicianship under the Birthday Party-esque noise. And I’m loving High Castle’s new EP. A fantastic blast of punk noise (think Crass without the politics or Blood Brothers without the all the whining) with songs about small-town gay bars and the fixed-gear fucks that plague San Francisco. The last time they played here it was at a Music Trader near the Sports Arena, but I see bigger things happening for this band (a tour with The Locust, perhaps?). PLAN B: The Deere Johns, Old Man Markley, Bartender’s Bible, The Tightenups @ The Casbah–Aside from John Meeks, The Deere Johns and Bartender’s Bible are pretty much the only country bands in town that you really need to pay attention to (sorry River City fans, but I just don’t buy it). And if you dig The Avett Brothers or Old Crow Medicine Show, then definitely check out Old Man Markley. It might be from L.A., but it’s as podunk as it is poppy.  BACKUP PLAN: The Moondoggies @ Bar Pink–Sounding like a less country version of Creedence or a garage-rock version of The Band, this Seattle band released a gem of an album last year (Don’t Be a Stranger) that  no one really heard outside of the Pacific Northwest. Their white-boy gospel rave-ups (”Save My Soul,” “Jesus on the Mainine”) and CSN&Y-influenced ballads (”Make it Easy”) make this show well worth the price of admission (which is free, by the way).

QUICK PICKS:

Drew Andrews, Elisa Ferrari, Joanie Mendenhall @ Ruby Room

Listening To Rocks, The New Archaic, Joey Harris, Skelpin, the Shamey Jays, Blackwater Conspiracy, Marie Haddad @ House of Blues

Dave Booda, Sarah Donner @ Lestat’s

“Too Many Creeps” feat. Mario Orduno and friends @ Whistle Stop

Stereo House @ Beauty Bar

 PLAN A: Amenity @ Black Box Studios (2 p.m.)–Chula Vista’s greatest contribution to hardcore is back together after nearly two decades apart and judging by their warehouse performance at The Guild last December they haven’t lost a step. This is a free show that will be recorded and broadcast on FM94/9 tomorrow night and also includes a barbeque out in the parking lot. Which brings me too… PLAN B: Knock Em Stiff, Northern Towns @ Radio Room–Speaking of hardcore, Northern Towns aren’t exactly as, well, hardcore about it as Amenity even though Towns’ singer is straight edge. But their music is just as ferocious and aggressive as any band of the same ilk (check out Jim Ruland’s great piece on the band here). Not to mention they’ve recently worked in a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “The Partisan” that take’s the folk tune and injects it with a newfound spirit  of aggressiveness and immediacy.  PLAN C: Lady Dottie and the Diamonds, The Grass Heat, and guests @ The Casbah–Sometimes you gotta see them again to remind yourself just how entertaining and talented they are. Such was the case last Monday night where, after a rather disappointing Ida Maria show at The Casbah, I headed over to U-31 and danced despite the fact that the eternally sober Adam Gimbel made fun of me. What can I say, 98 percent of the time I ‘m like Crash Davis. I don’t dance. But the Lady brings it out in me.  BACKUP PLAN: “Ikah Love Presents” @ The Office–Love has way more records than you. Trust me. If you still don’t believe me, check out Carissa Casares’ profile on him in this week’s issue. 

QUICK PICKS: 

Cash’d Out @ 710 Beach Club

May*Star’s Fashion Whore @ Ruby Room

Transport (dance party) @ Whistle Stop

DJ Adam Salter @ El Dorado

Dead Man’s Party, Still Ill @ Belly Up

“Vanity” with Eclipse 79, Dead Feather Moon, The Beautiful View, Urban Renewal Projekt DJs@ Beauty Bar

Jesse Nova, Anna Troy, Holding Air Hostage @ Riley’s 

Stone Temple Pilots @ Harrah’s Rincon Open Sky Theatre

Jacqueline Grace, The Flowerthief @ Canes 

Goth/Industrial Night @ Kava Lounge

 DJ Beatnick @ Bar Dynamite

This is hilarious.

PLAN A: Ded Pigeons, The Dabbers, Eliza Rickman, The Kris Special @ Soda Bar–Psychedelic garage-rockers Ded Pigeons and poppy alt-country duo The Kris Special are all well and good, but it’s the other two acts that make Soda Bar the place to be tonight. The Dabbers have gone from merely a side project for Kill Me Tomorrow’s Zack Wentz and girlfriend Shelby Gubba (formerly of BRAAIINS), to one of the hardest-working, most enjoyable bands in town. And he L.A.-based Eliza Rickman is going places. The daughter of a Baptist preacher, she performs haunting, melancholy tunes on a toy piano and has a voice like PJ Harvey at her loveliest. Not sure how well you’ll be able to hear Rickman over the noise at Soda Bar, but get up close to hear the magic happen. PLAN B: “Jivewire/One Nation Under a Groove” with DJs Bart Blackstone, ATARI, T-Money and live set by Triple Cobra @ The Casbah–Sorry to steal your thunder Airport Lounge, but the fact that Jivewire only happens every month or so and that it remains one of the crunkest nights in San Diego, always makes it a must-go. No bottle service. No Downtown attitude. Just some of the best tunes by the biggest and best vets on the scene (Blackstone and ATARI). PLAN C: The Paddle Boat, Kitchen, Cool Boobs @ Tin Can Ale House–I have no idea who Kitchen and Cool Boobs are (I have a feeling that there might be some surprises in store) but if you haven’t been to this Bankers Hill bar yet, this is the night to break your cherry. The Paddle Boat’s harmonious blend of indie-folk and vintage jazz is perfect for the quaint, little spot and should make for an intimate alternative to the rest of the craziness this weekend.   BACKUP PLAN: Death Cab For Cutie, Matt Costa @ Belly Up–Didn’t get tickets in time? Stand outside and pray. 

Quick Picks:

“Feel The Noise” with DJs Gabe Vega & Saul Q, Adamanevil @ U-31

DJs Disc-O & Jorge Luna, The Tooth, Office Twins, Trolly Station, Urban Defalla @ Beauty Bar

DJ Ikah Love @ Bar Dynamite

Thin Man, The Pant Hoots, DJ Mario Orduno @ Bar Pink

The Supersuckers, Lee Rocker, Hard Fall Hearts @ Canes

The Stone Foxes, Anna Troy, Tenderbox, DJ David J @ Ruby Room

Italic Indian, Census @ Che Cafe

“Steady Crushin’” with DJs J. Blow, Unite @ El Dorado

“Overtime” with DJs Beatnick, Mr. Mention @ The Office

Anthony Ross, Deth Hertz @ Voyeur

Samiam, Tiltwheel, Nothington @ Ken Club

Ricksha, Sea Pansy @ Radio Room

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts @ San Diego County Fair

Reuters blogger Felix Salmon pieced together a terrific table on who will be getting IOUs from the state starting today, and who will be getting cash. The links at the top of the table point to supporting information from the state controller’s website.

Note that the legislature is still getting paid during all this, and so is the governor’s staff, which might seem odd since the budget impasses is their fault. However, they are state employees, and all state employees must get paid in cash, as mandated by the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act. In the 1992 budget crisis, the state tried to pay state workers in IOUs. The workers sued, and won two landmark cases, Parr v. State of California and Biggs v. Wilson (1991).