Whispers of nervous anticipation and dread are filtering through San Diego this month as the community steels itself for the May 13 release of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission’s list of military bases and installations recommended for closure. MCAS Miramar is the big chip in this game. If it appears on the list, reaction will break both ways while efforts ranging from politically correct to passionate are made to reverse the decision. Look for zealous unity to save any other base or installation that might appear, especially Spawar.

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Would the city use Qualcomm Stadium as security to back a city bond to finance San Diego pensions? “City property could be used but probably not,” says Deputy City Manager Lisa Irvine. The City Council authorized the city manager’s office to analyze and make a recommendation on issuing around $200 million in pension obligation bonds. Two backing options are being discussed: getting insurance or offering security. Irvine says city revenue streams rather than city property more likely would be tapped for a security package.

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With Mayor Murphy throwing in the towel and resigning effective July 15, the list of replacement candidates is long and varied. Most of these people will have the good sense to avoid this City Hall gig. But others sense opportunity. In no particular order — handicapping starts when folks officially file and our apologies to those we miss — here, in alphabetical order, are some possibilities:

City Attorney Mike Aguirre, who says he doesn’t want it now but is riding a huge populist wave; Dede Alpert, the former state legislator of sterling reputation; Jim Bell, environmentalist and serial candidate; Steve Cushman, a wealthy Port Commissioner and civic activist who long has pondered a run; Pete Davis, the former banker and redevelopment mastermind who has the financial chops and bank account, but failed to make it to the finalists’ altar the last two elections; Rep. Bob Filner, the county’s toughest Democratic campaigner and a former councilman; Councilwoman Donna Frye, the barely tainted savior with a strong constituency and legitimate claim she won the last mayoral election; state Sen. Christine Kehoe, strong Democrat credentials but on the council when those questionable 1996 pension votes were taken; Sheriff Bill Kolender, a popular and proven winner who knows better to stay put; Councilman Jim Madaffer, conservative Republican who hails from Murphy territory; Brian Maienschein, the moderate Republican who was aces after the wildfires but is little known outside his district; former state Sen. Steve Peace, a government budgeting genius still tainted by his role in power deregulation; Richard Rider, the county’s leading Libertarian with ideas that are the antithesis of what got the city into this financial mess; Supervisor Ron Roberts, whose tough-love message for City Hall’s finances hasn’t soared with voters in the last two elections; Jerry Sanders, former police chief and Red Cross savior; Diann Shippione, the pension whistle blower who took one for the citizens of San Diego; and Assemblyman Juan Vargas, who could get a free ride while testing his campaign skills for a congressional primary battle against Filner.

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Burt Rutan (right) was guest of honor at the annual Scientist of the Year dinner of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation at the Sheraton Harbor Island. Joining the designer of the first successful private spacecraft were (from left) ARCS Scholar Chris Paulini from SDSU and ARCS benefactors Kathy Hattox and Jeanette Foushee. The San Diego chapter of the ARCS will provide $360,000 in financial assistance to 47 students at local institutions this year. For more, visit arcsfoundation.org/sandiego.

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CityMark Development is seeking permits for a 244-condominium project with 11,000 square feet of retail at the west side of Kettner Boulevard between Fir and Grape streets. The buildings would be five to 14 stories tall.

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Among the lifestyle adjustments that come with moving from suburbia to a Downtown condo is making do with less space. No wonder Caster Properties is seeking permits to build A-1 Self Storage, a 187,000-square-foot self-storage operation with 18,000 square feet of retail in a five-story building on the east side of Pacific Highway between Ivy and Juniper streets. Further along in the permit process is Resco Little Italy which is proposing 91,838 square feet of storage in a six-story building on the south side of Juniper Street between Kettner Boulevard and India Street.

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To meet demand from wireless phone users, T-Mobile is looking to expand an existing telecommunications operation on the east side of 14th Street between J and K streets in the East Village while Nextel Communications is requesting permission for a project at 660 G St. for 16 panel antennas and rooftop equipment. Nextel recently got approval for 12 architecturally integrated panel antennas and an equipment shelter within the building at 1620 Fifth Ave.

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Barry O’Beirne is seeking CCDC permits for Grand Pacific Tower, 86 condos and some retail at the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and Ash Street.

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Diane Powers will open the first phase of her Bazaar del Mundo Shops in June at 4133 Taylor St. in Old Town, next to her Casa Guadalajara Restaurant. The Shops will feature fashion, folk arts and crafts, home furnishings and jewelry. It is separated from the restaurant by a large parking lot. The next phase will bridge the shops and restaurant. ’While this first phase of our new shops is smaller than our original Bazaar del Mundo, they will offer San Diegans and visitors the opportunity to find in Old Town the one-of-a-kind creative and carefully selected items they’ve proven to love at the Bazaar for over 30 years,’ says Powers.

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Verizon customers who have downloaded a new ring tone or game likely have done so using BREW technology developed by Qualcomm. The annual BREW conference is set this year for June 1-3 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt and expected to attract wireless developers, journalists and investors from around the world. Info on 3D games for the phone will be big this year. Attendees also will hear from Paul Jacobs, Qualcomm’s CEO-elect, and John Stratton, v.p. and chief marketing officer for Verizon.

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RSVPs for The Twilight Zone, the name the Taxpayers Association is giving this year to its 10th annual Golden Watchdog & Golden Fleece Awards dinner, are due May 11. The $100 per person event takes place May 18 in the Atlas Ballroom at the Town & Country Hotel. Calling (619) 234-6423 will get you details.

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Gafcon has jimmied some gnarly tenant improvements for skateboard dude Tony Hawk in Vista. Gafcon managed and constructed the modifications to the two-story, 13,300-square-foot office and warehouse plant, including a 75-foot interior skate ramp. Nadel Architects was project architect, space planner and landscape architect. Nutter Electric was electrical engineer. Harrington Mechanical Design and Superior Air were the mechanical engineers.

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American National Investment purchased the old Fireside Restaurant near downtown Escondido for $2 million and sold it to DR Horton for incorporation into a high-density residential project. The 1.18-acre property is at 439 W. Washington Ave. and is part of a plan to revitalize the downtown area.

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Two San Diego artists are among finalists in an international art competition to create a defining work for a planned new museum dedicated to America’s freedoms. Amy Larimer and Peter Bernheim were among 10 finalists selected from more than 750 artists from 43 states and 34 countries. They will create a quarter scale model of their work. The winning freestanding work of art will be displayed on the first floor of the museum in Chicago’s Tribune Tower. The museum will open in spring of 2006 as part of the McCormick Tribune Foundation’s 50th anniversary celebration. Winner of the final entry will be awarded a $100,000 commission when announced in June.

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Longtime San Diego transit executive turned consultant Bill Lieberman is strapping on the 9-to-5 shoes again. The former director of planning and operations at the Metropolitan Transit Development Board (now part of Sandag) went small-time in 2001, semi-retiring and taking the trolley to work in Downtown’s World Trade Center building where he ran a consultancy. Last month he closed shop to take a position with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, a relatively new organization that includes both the city’s transit system and the department of parking and traffic. As director of planning, he’s in charge of transit, traffic, bicycle and pedestrian planning. “It’s the kind of challenge that I just couldn’t pass up,” he says.

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Among the Peacemakers honored by the National Conflict Resolution Center was the Petco Park team that ensured the ballpark provided plenty of access to the disabled when it opened last year. Accepting the honor at the awards dinner were, from left, Louis Frick, Access Center; Erik Judson, San Diego Padres; and Linda Woodbury and Vern Westenberger from the city of San Diego.

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The chewed-up horror that is the F Street exit off Highway 94 into Downtown will be vanquished late at night on May 6 when all lanes of F to 14th Street will be ground and repaved.

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A 3,047-mile bike ride, the 24th annual Insight Race Across America, pedals off on June 19 from North Harbor Drive in Downtown San Diego. The end point for the race, which is 40 percent longer than the Tour de France, is Atlantic City, N.J. At press time 130 riders were registered. Time stations in San Diego and Imperial counties are located in Pine Valley, El Centro, Glamis and Blythe. The race has no predetermined stages and does not allow drafting. Solo competitors ride up to 22 hours and 350 miles per day, and team relays race nonstop, often covering more than 550 miles per day.

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Barratt American has begun construction on Aragon, a $24 million redevelopment project on 1.5 acres at El Cajon Boulevard and Maple Street in La Mesa. The commercial centerpiece is six live-work units with street-level retail above underground parking, while the bulk of the project encompasses 52 three-story condominium townhomes sized from 1,031 to 1,700 square feet and priced from the mid-$400,000s. The modern Mediterranean design is by Starck Architecture & Planning.

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With its roots in San Diego, OliverMcMillan continues to develop urban projects here while also staying active in other markets. In Everett, Wash., the company won a competition to redevelop 96 acres for a former landfill and a paper mill on the Snohomish River in a mixed use project. Closer to home, the firm’s newest collection of condominiums, named Aloft, is located on Cortez Hill. Priced from the low $300,000s, the residences are architecturally configured in platform lofts, one-bedrooms, one-bedrooms plus a loft and two-bedrooms ranging in size from 575 square feet to 1,175 square feet. “Aloft is a unique opportunity to experience loft-style living within walking distance of the Gaslamp Quarter, yet it’s situated in the serene, hip neighborhood of Cortez Hill,” says CEO Dene Oliver. The Aloft condos will be arranged within a low-rise, five-story building. Visit aloftoncortezhill.com for more information.

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The Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies at UCSD celebrates its 25th anniversary May 25 at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine. Luis Carlos Ugalde, president of the Mexican Federal Electoral Institute and a graduate of the center’s Summer Seminar in U.S. Studies, class of 1989, will be guest of honor. Tribute also will be paid Wayne A. Cornelius, founding director of the center. Christopher Woodruff is current director. Tickets are $175 for the dinner and reception and $250 for dinner and a VIP reception. A table of 10 (silver sponsor) is $2,500 and includes the VIP reception, listing in the program and donor plaque. Reservation deadline is May 10. To register, call Carlet Altamirano at (858) 822-1696.

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A device developed and designed in San Diego to help diagnose and correct vision problems has won an eye-opening honor. Medical Design & Diagnostic Industry magazine picked the Z-View Aberrometer, developed by Ophthonix Inc. and designed by DD Studio, for a 2005 Medical Design Excellence Award. The tool allows for enhanced vision measurement and customized corrections.

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An Urban Food Safari themes the Taste of Gaslamp Weekend June 18 and 19 from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets for this event, the 12th annual, will go on sale May 16 at $25 for one day and $40 for both days. The 20-plus participating restaurants will provide food samples, and each person attending will receive a recipe book. For more information, call (619) 233-5227 or go to gaslamp.org.

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More than 3,000 animal lovers — and their pets — are expected to participate in the San Diego Humane Society’s 11th annual pledge Walk for the Animals May 7 at Petco Park. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. followed by the walk from 9 a.m. to noon. The event is expected to raise $150,000.

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Planning is intensifying for the Mexport Trade Show June 22 at the San Diego Business Park in Otay Mesa. This show features the work of maquiladoras as well as other companies in the Otay Mesa area and Tijuana that contribute to trade and commerce between the countries. More than 3,000 attendees are expected to view the 75,000 square feet of space devoted to exhibits. Sponsored by the Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce, this is the largest trade show along the U.S.-Mexico border.

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Laguna Point, a collection of 21 condominium townhomes by Buena Vista Lagoon off State Street and Laguna Drive in Carlsbad, opens for sale in June. The three-story project by WaveCrest Resorts II LLC, has parking and recreation areas on the first floor with two- to three-bath and bedroom homes, sized from 1,600 to 2,095 square feet, above. Prices start in the mid-$800,000s. For more, call (760) 720-7828.

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The next installation of inSite, the binational network of contemporary arts events in the San Diego/Tijuana region, is Aug. 27 through Nov. 13. Two years of preparation go into the art interventions, exhibitions, performances and lectures of inSite. Among the more daring art venues will be the space where the U.S.-Mexico border fence diminishes into the Pacific Ocean. Carmen Cuenca and Michael Krichman continue their 10-year involvement with inSite as co-executive directors. Complete information is at inSite05.org.

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A memorial to all Navy and Coast Guard personnel who died in the Vietnam War will be dedicated at 11 a.m. May 21, Armed Forces Day, at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado (bayside on the Silver Strand just south of Coronado). The memorial consists of three brown-water patrol boats (swift, river and command and control) in concrete pads pointing toward a 66-foot long wall with the names, rank/rate, home town and unit of the 2,564 deceased sailors etched in 26 stainless steel panels. Private donations of material, labor and cash entirely funded the $1 million monument. For more, including security clearance to attend, visit vummf.org.

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Melissa Schoeb is in and Michael Busselen is out as g.m. of the Fleishman-Hillard office in San Diego. Schoeb, who has 15 years of experience in high-tech and international marketing and public relations, takes over an office with a significant focus on high-tech, consumer packaged goods and biotech clients.

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Seacoast Commerce Bank has jumped into the SBA lending business. Bank President Larry Benthien has brought over Jocelyn Brown from San Diego Community Bank to serve as v.p. and SBA manager of the new department. Brown is an SBA lending veteran and Benthien says her portfolio ranked eighth out of 25 area lenders in a recent report. Seacoast is headquartered in Chula Vista where it serves small businesses throughout Southern California.

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Roel Construction has topped out a 12-story, 411,000-square-foot building for Qualcomm at 5751 Pacific Center Blvd. in Sorrento Mesa. The building includes office and lab space, cafeteria and fitness area. Completion is set for October 2006. Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker is the architect. Walsh Engineers and ILA + Zammit Engineering Group are design consultants.

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The San Diego Building Owners & Managers Association is accepting until May 10 nominations for The Office Building of the Year Awards. Only BOMA members can nominate and only buildings managed by a BOMA member are eligible. A building must be at least three years old and 50 percent leased. Buildings will be evaluated on tenant relations programs, community involvement, emergency evacuation procedures and continuing education for building personnel. San Diego winners advance to a regional competition and winners there will go to an international and final stage of competition. TOBY Award winners will be recognized at BOMA International’s annual convention June 24-27, 2006, in Dallas.

To obtain a nomination form, call (619) 243-1817 or visit bomasd.org.

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The San Diego Hospitality Resource Panel is conducting a business orientation program on May 12 and May 19 designed for those interested in starting a hospitality business or training personnel. Presented by the Food & Beverage Association of San Diego County, it is also billed as a helpful educational tool for owners who want to groom personnel for management. The cost is $449.99 and space is limited to 30 participants. For information call (619) 295-0043 or click on hospitalityweb.org/orientation.

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With prices starting in the high $500,000s, Pacific Scene Homes opens its Paradise Ridge community in National City late this month. The 37 single-family homes are Pacific Scene’s first project in the county’s second oldest city. Homes will range in size from 1,940 square feet to 2,257 square feet and sit on relatively large lots averaging 11,000 square feet. Call (800) 591-2096 for information.

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Purefitness Westside Athletic Club, located in the Koll Center at 501 W. Broadway, (619) 231-8991, was mistakenly left out of an article on Downtown gyms in the May issue. San Diego Metropolitan regrets the error.

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The 50th anniversary of the day Dr. Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine was declared safe and effective — the end of a dread crippling disease that afflicted everyone from children to presidents — was marked April 12 by scientists, graduate students and staff amid the reflecting courtyard of the Salk Institute in La Jolla.

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Cal State San Marcos Extended Studies is launching a certificate program aimed at helping business owners, CEOs and executives tap international markets. Participants in “Global Commerce: Developing and Managing International Business must complete a one-day class scheduled for May 12 and another in September. In addition, students will be asked to choose three 15-hour courses and one eight-hour class focused on doing business in China, India or Mexico. The courses are scheduled so the certificate can be completed in a single semester, and classes typically will meet on weekday evenings on campus. The fee for the full 61-hour certificate is $1,529. For more information, call (760) 750-4020 or visit csusm-es.org.

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Looking for for a relaxed opportunity to cozy up to leaders in San Diego’s tech industry? Try the sixth annual High-Tech Night @ The Opera set for May 18 and starting with a 5:15 p.m. pre-opera networking reception. It will be followed by the 7 p.m. opera performance of Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohème” in the Civic Theatre. During intermissions, guests will gather for networking and desserts in an event sponsored by Sycuan Casino & Resort.

Event chairman is Bill Stensrud, managing director of Enterprise Partners Venture Capital. Co-chairs are Hiep Pham of Bakcal Inc., Mats Granryd of Ericsson Wireless Communications, David Kleinfeld of Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe LLP, Terry Magee of Lockheed Martin Orincon Corp., Adam Gould of Nokia Inc., Jim and Karen Brailean of PacketVideo, Jeffrey Belk of Qualcomm Inc. and Martha Dennis of Windward Ventures. Distinguished guests are Stephen Baum of Sempra Energy and Andrew Viterbi of The Viterbi Group.

Tickets range from $115 to $134 per person and only can be purchased by contacting Lynsey Richardson at the San Diego Opera at (619) 232-7636 or by e-mail at lynsey.richardson@sdopera.com.