Events

Surf's up at one of Southern California's most famous beach towns. The 2010 U.S. Open of Surfing rides a wave into Huntington Beach this weekend as more than 300 competitors vie for more than $300,000 in prize money. Skateboarding and BMX competitions will also be staged, and a free live concert gets rocking when the action is over each day. Huntington Beach, Sat. through Aug 8. Check website for event schedule and times. (424) 653-1900; http://www.usopenofsurfing.com.

Calendar has a bit of chutzpah publishing Chris Pasles' article about concert venues in Southern California ["Stages of Discovery," April 20]. Many events that take place at these venues are refused publicity by The Times in the name of saving money on newsprint. Pasles would have done the public a greater service by calling readers' attention to the Clickable Chamber Music Newsletter at www.sundayslive.org/ newsletter.cfm, which offers a comprehensive listing of music events at those and other venues, the sort of listing that used to be available in The Times.

At the heart of the current controversy involving free tickets at Los Angeles City Hall, one question stands out: If Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa attended big-time entertainment events because he was conducting city business, why did he not keep better records of those public duties? For weeks, Villaraigosa has argued that he appeared in an official capacity at dozens of concerts, sporting events and awards shows since 2005, from sitting in box seats at Dodger Stadium to attending a 2007 performance by R&B singer Mary J. Blige at L.A. Live.

Re: "Lockyer Sues Hollywood Charity Event Producer, Alleging Fraud" (March 14): Our donors in the Greater Los Angeles area ought to know that the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research has never been associated with Aaron Tonken or Aaron Tonken & Associates. The only charity fund-raising events that the Michael J. Fox Foundation sponsors are those we produce ourselves. Joyce Oberdorf Director of Communications Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research New York

The president of the French rugby federation today announced that French players will be allowed to participate in the 100th anniversary of the South African Rugby Federation and said a boycott of South African sports events "would not do much good and would hurt blacks more than whites." Federation President Albert Ferrasse said the federation would not take any action to stop French players after noting that players from Wales, Scotland and England also will take part. "It's clear.

More than 90 athletes from Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa and Lanterman Developmental Center in Pomona will take part in the Fairview Invitational Track Meet at Orange Coast College on Wednesday. The event is part of Fairview's Special Olympics program.

Navin Megji calls it "the thoroughfare" -- a stretch of San Vicente Boulevard that isn't a shopping district so much as a racetrack for commuters. Yet it's this strip of posh Brentwood where the 25-year-old boutique owner set up Feature -- a chic, fashion-forward enclave selling splatter-paint mini dresses and fitted boyfriend jackets from designers such as Alexander Wang, Vena Cava and Wayne. "There's not a lot of walking traffic," said Megji, who, on a recent Monday in her 1,000-square-foot shop, was spending most of her time refolding lingerie and doing paperwork.

The Los Angeles City Council voted to cut by half the amount the city is spending to provide city services for many special events presented by nonprofit organizations, such as arts and community festivals. In recent years, the city has made a practice of providing numerous groups with a fee waiver to cover 100% of the cost of police, traffic cops, firefighters, street custodians and street inspectors required for their events. But Lynne Ozawa, assistant chief legislative analyst for Los Angeles, says those annual costs were getting out of control.

Dutch Queen Beatrix will attend World War II Remembrance Day events Monday, but security is expected to be tightened after a man killed himself and six others in an attempted attack on the royals. Extra snipers will be deployed for an event at the national war memorial in Amsterdam, the AD newspaper said, quoting sources at the security service DKDB, and more plainclothes officers will be posted.

Bending his back as far as it would go, 13-year-old Hector Garcia on Wednesday managed to slip his body under a bar held nearly three feet from the ground. When it was over, he became the proud recipient of a gold medal for the limbo, one of several events planned during the Ninth Grade Olympics at Maclay Middle School in Pacoima. "It's kind of hard when you stick your back out all the way down," said Garcia, who noted that it was the first time that he had ever tried it.