77 certified LD 30 Republican precinct committeemen and women selected 3 names to send to the Pima County Board of Supervisors, to fill the vacant LD 30 State Senate seat (created by the resignation of Jonathan Paton on Feb. 22).

Four men were nominated from the floor: former LD 9 State House Rep. Bill McGibbon (1992-2000), current LD 30 state House Rep. Frank Antenori, LD 30 Precinct Chairman Ted Vogt, and former LD 30 State House Rep. Randy Graf (2000-2004). Each man gave a 5 minute speech about why they wanted to be one of the 3 names to be submitted for consideration.

There were 3 separate written elections to select 3 names, as each name required 39 (more than half) of the 77 votes to qualify. Antenori received 71 votes on the first election, followed by Vogt who got 50 votes on the 2nd election, and then Graf got 56 on the 3rd election. Bill McGibbon was the name circulated by the media prior to today as one of the likely nominees, but Vogt was a new nominee. He served as Captain in the U.S. Air Force and is now a third year law student at the U of A. Vogt also mentioned in his introductory speech that he had clerked for U.S. Senator Jon Kyl and for VP Dick Cheney, but has never served in his own elected capacity.

Now it will be up to the Pima County Board of Supervisors to select Paton’s replacement. Supervisor Ray Carroll invited everyone to attend the board meeting on Tuesday, March 2, at 9 a.m. at 130 W. Congress (first floor),to find out whom the board will select. Usually the Supervisors select the top vote getter, but not necessarily– as the top precinct vote getter in State House LD 26 did not get the appointment, after Rep. Lena Seradnik resigned in 2008.

This LD 30 meeting was held this afternoon at Desert Christian High School, 7575 E. Speedway.

Also in attendance today:CD8 U.S. House candidate Jonathan Paton, LD 30 State House Rep. David Gowan, former LD 30 State House Rep. Marian McClure, National committeeman Bruce Ash, LD 30 State House candidate Doug Sposito.

Update: click here for 3/2/10 meeting results of Pima County Board of Supervisors.

“White Light Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” documentary

Hiroshima after the A-bomb

Monday, March 1, at 7 pm

Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (AME) Auditorium on UA campus, 1130 N. Mountain,
Northeast corner of E. Speedway Blvd. and N. Mountain Ave.

Free, and open to the public
Free, easy parking east of building
sponsored by Voices of Opposition, http://www.voicesofopposition.com/, call 520-622-6419

“With shocking archival footage, stunning photography, and heartrending interviews, this extraordinary documentary gives a deeply moving look at the painful legacy of the first use of nuclear weapons in war. Featuring interviews with fourteen atomic bomb survivors – many who have never spoken publicly before – and four Americans intimately involved in the bombings, this film provides a detailed exploration of the bombings. It is an important documentary for all to see in this nuclear age.” (from email sent from the Tucson branch of WILPF the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom)

Released on August 6, 2007 (on the 62nd anniversary of the bombing on Hiroshima), this HBO documentary is by Japanese American Sansei (3rd generation) filmmaker Steven Okazaki who met with 500 survivors. Read more here.

I wrote about a Hiroshima/Nagasaki Never Again event back in August, 2009 (click here), since my paternal grandfathers left Hiroshima in 1892 for the Kingdom of Hawaii, but we must have had relatives still living there in 1945.

If you love sushi and Japanese food, please continue reading. If you don’t, or haven’t tried it yet but have an aversion to raw seafood and seaweed on cooked rice, stop now and read another blog about other food more to your tastes.

sushi sample

Back in July, 2009 I blogged about my favorite sushi restaurants in Tucson (click here). When we first got to the Old Pueblo in 1987, there were only a handful of Japanese restaurants, but later they started sprouting up all over town and sushi became very popular.

Here’s a comprehensive (more or less) list of the thirty and more Japanese restaurants in town, some with or without sushi bars. I once had the lofty (and expensive) goal of eating at every one, but I’m so far behind now as I haven’t been to about 1/3 of these new ones listed below:

Benihana, 6091 N. Oracle Rd., 297-5555 (update: closed March, 2010)

Fuku Sushi, 940 E. University Blvd, 798-3848

Fusion Wasabi, 250 S. Craycroft, #100, 747-0228

Ginza Sushi & Izakaya, 5425 N. Kolb Rd. #115, 529-8877

Hibachi-san, 4500 N. Oracle, 407-8296 (Tucson Mall)

Ichiban, 64 N. Harrison Rd., 393-7777

Ikkyu, 2040 W. Orange Grove, 297-9011

Kampai, 4689 E. Speedway Blvd, 325-6552 (now called Bushi as of March, 2011)

Kampai North, 6486 N. Oracle, 219-6550

Kazoku, 4210 E. Speedway, 777-6249

Kyo, 9040 E. Valencia Rd., 663 – 3717

Oishi Sushi, 7002 E. Golf Links Rd., 790-9439

On a Roll, 63 E. Congress St., 622-7655

RA Sushi , 2905 E. Skyline Dr, 615-3970

Sachiko, 1101 N. Wilmot Rd. #109, 886-7000

Sachiko Sushi, 3210 E. Valencia, 741-1000

Saga, 2955 E. Speedway Blvd, 320 – 0535

Sakura, 6534 E. Tanque Verde Rd., 298 – 7777

Samurai, 3912 N. Oracle Rd., 293-1963

Sarku Japan, 5870 E. Broadway, #556, 790-0818 (Park Place)

Shogun, 5036 N. Oracle, 888-6646

Sushi Cho, 1830 E. Broadway, 628-8800

Sushi Garden, 15 North Alvernon Way, 326-4700 (moving to Broadway/Country Club)

Sushi Garden North, 7401 N. La Cholla, 877-8744 (Foothills Mall)

Sushi Hama, 3971 N. Oracle Rd. 888-6763

Sushi King, 1800 E. Ft. Lowell, 321-4000

Sushi on Oracle, 6449 N. Oracle Rd., 297-3615

Sushi Ten, 4500 E. Speedway, 324-0010

Sushi Tran, 9725 N. Thornydale, 579-6604

Sushi Yukari, 5655 E. River Rd. #151, 232-1393

Takamatsu, 5525 E. Speedway, 512-0800 – closed August 2010, renovating

Tatsu Sushi, 7332 N. Oracle, 219-6989

Yamato, 857 E. Grant Rd., 624-3377

Yoshimatsu/Sushimatsu, 2660 N. Campbell, 320-1574

Yuki’s, 2962 N. Campbell, 326-7727

Blogger “Tucson Metromix” ran an online poll in January, and Sushimatsu won as best sushi restaurant in town. Its companion restaurant Yoshimatsu also won the 9/24/09 Tucson Weekly’s Best of Tucson category for Japanese restaurant. So eating there you can get two great deals.

I know this list probably isn’t complete, so readers, please let me know of other restaurants I may have missed or if you agree with the polls above. I also didn’t list the fast food places like Yokohama’s many Asian Express rice bowl outlets, and Tokyo Rice Bowl on Campbell and Glenn (because they’re more Chinese than Japanese).

And also keep in mind that some of these restaurants combine other Asian food with Japanese food on the menu, such as Korean bbq at Takamatsu, which isn’t quite authentic.

But I bet you can find a tasty Japanese restaurant somewhere near you from this long selection. And if you like the upscale look, check out Fusion Wasabi and/or RA.

Itadakimasu.