We’ll know who’s in and who’s out in our upcoming campaign season—barring some sort of legal action—by the end of the day tomorrow.

Candidates have until 5 p.m. to file their nominating petitions with the Arizona Secretary of State.

You can check out the list of who’s filed here.

So far, there's no sign of John Kromko, who has been threatening to run a campaign against Phil Lopes and Olivia Cajero-Bedford in Legislative District 27.

Among the most interesting legislative races in Southern Arizona:

Legislative District 26, which includes Saddlebrooke, Oro Valley and the Catalina Foothills. Although Republicans have a registration advantage, Democrats hold the Senate seat and one of the two House seats after winning upset victories in 2006. Democrat Charlene Pesquiera scored an upset victory of Republican Al Melvin, who had knocked out incumbent Republican Toni Hellon in the GOP primary. A strong Democratic effort in the district also carried Lena Saradnik into one of the House seats. Health difficulties forced Saradnik to step down earlier this year; she was replaced by Nancy Young Wright, a former member of the Amphi School Board.

Melvin is back for a rematch for that Senate seat. He’s already qualified for Clean Elections and received a check for $12,921.

He’ll go up against Rep. Peter Hershberger, who has termed out of the House of Representatives after eight years representing District 26. Hershberger is already getting pounded by Melvin on gun control, abortion, illegal immigration, gay marriage and whether or not he is a “loyal, mainstream Republican.”

Democrats–who are hoping that Melvin wins the primary, because they see him as the weaker candidate in the general election–have found Cheryl Cage to replace Pesquiera, who announced earlier this year that she would not seek re-election. Cage is familiar with LD 26 after running Democrat Lena Saradnik’s successful House campaign in the district in 2006.

In the House, Democratic incumbent Nancy Young Wright is running for the House alongside Democrat Don Jorgenson against Republicans Marilyn Zerull and Trent Humphries. Vic Williams has until tomorrow to file his petition signatures.

Legislative District 29, where Rep. Linda Lopez has her eye on the Senate office being vacated by retiring Sen. Vic Soltero. With an open House seat, five Democrats have already filed their paperwork and more may be on the way:

• Rep. Tom Prezelski, who now holds one of the House seats, was appointed to the seat in 2003, faced no opposition in his first campaign one year later and survived a four-way primary in 2006.

• Physician Matt Heinz, who works at Tucson Medical Center, came in third in a four-way race for a House seat in 2006 in District 28. Heinz has already qualified for $12,921 in Clean Elections funding.

• Environmentalist Daniel Patterson is a former staffer with the Center for Biological Diversity who now works for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Patterson has served a president of the Santa Rita Park Neighborhood Association and has been on the city of Tucson’s Planning Commission. He also pens a local blog.

• Ephraim Cruz is a former U.S. Border Patrol agent whose court battles with the agency have been covered in the Tucson Weekly by Tim Vanderpool.

• Patricia Puig came in fourth in a four-way primary for the LD29 seat two years ago.

The GOP primary in Legislative District 30 will be interesting; more on the races soon.

Last Saturday, I was driving south on Wilmot Road when I saw another piece of my childhood come tumbling down.

The Buena Vista had been closed for ages and had not been a theater for years, so I knew its fate was either a major remodel or death by excavator. And there is was, an excavator parked in the back, and most of the back wall going down in a heap of bricks. Along with those bricks are these wonderful memories going to the movies with my cousins--Star Wars, Saturday Night Fever (and its terrible sequel), Grease, and a few others from my coming-of-age decade.

I'm not in denial. I knew something would happen with that empty building, but I think I'm just a little sensitive since the fate of the De Anza Drive-In was recently discussed in the local dailies. When the drive-in's possible closure was first announced last month, I instantly went back to the days when my cousins would sneak me in via the trunk of one of their cars (I am the youngest and shortest). I also got to see movies my mother would never have allowed. The two that came to mind was a 1978 double feature of Midnight Express and Cheech and Chong's Up In Smoke--both viewed with my cousins at the De Anza. I was in 6^th or 7^th grade.

There was some good news in Anne Denogean's column on May 30--it seems the developers can't find eager tenants to occupy a proposed retail development at the De Anza site. In this day of soaring gas prices and economic recession talk, it just makes more sense to keep a drive-in==a better entertainment bargain for most families, recession or no recession. A better bargain than another retail development. In Tucson we seem to have enough retail, but only one De Anza.

OK, so you like Michael Bryan's Blog For Arizona, or maybe you fancy yourself a Tedski and get on Rum, Romanism and Rebellion as much as possible.

Both are great, but I'm going to put in a blog plug for Tucson Bike Lawyer by Erik Ryberg, a local attorney that champions local bicyclists. I read it weekly, and I was recently blown away by a blog entry regarding Jose Rincon and what is called Ghost Bike --a method bicycling communities can use to commemorate bicyclists killed on the road at the location where the accident occurred. 

I liked this concept, because it is certainly very much in tune with our Southern Arizona way of commemorating those who've passed--with little roadside markers and shrines. This, however, is a fitting way for the bicycling community to commemorate its own and draw attention to places in our city where people have been hit. 

Besides Ghost Bike, look over Ryberg's blog. It's a good way to keep up on biking issues, and what is important to those driving two wheels, rather than four.

There it is, under executive session on an addendum to the agenda for tomorrow's Pima County Board of Supervisor's meeting, which starts at 9 a.m. (on Tuesday) June 3: Item D is listed as a legal advice discussion regarding what direction the county will take on Pima County Democratic Party v. Pima County Board of the Supervisors. 

While May welcomed the saguaro blossoms, it also brought good news for public records advocates in a historic case that oddly pits a Democratic-majority led county government against its own political party. On May 23, Judge Michael Miller ruled in favor of the Democrats, forcing the county to hand over the remaining requested electronic database files. On May 28, taxpayers saw an end to the contention between the county and the Democrats' attorney Bill Risner, but they also got a bill for his attorney’s fees. While Risner wasn't awarded the full $300,000-plus he requested, the amount awarded by Judge Miller isn't chump change--$228,000.

Now, in an executive session (meaning only the supes, county attorney, and certain staff are allowed; the public is not privy to the conversation that takes place.

The last time the Tucson Weekly discussed voter-integrity issues with Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, he said if Miller ruled in favor of the Democrats, the county would not pursue an appeal.

Perhaps the question everyone involved will ask during the executive session discussion on Tuesday is, "Was it worth it?" 

Election integrity activist John Brakey sent this over to us today. They want the supes to hear them out before heading into executive session: 

The court case (Pima County Democratic Party vs. Pima County Board of Supervisors) set the precedent that databases produced by electronic voting equipment, whether from individual machines or in the central tabulators, is public record and belongs to the people. Yes, voting is a secret process, but we have reestablished the fact that counting is a public process. That is a huge victory for "we the people" and better government.

The Election Integrity Movement in Pima County continues and Tuesday's board of supervisors (BOS) meeting could be a turning point that will bring all sides together if critical decisions are made. We hope the decisions made by the BOS will shift the overall efforts from Election Integrity to Election Transparency and that we can reestablish a relationship based on trust that is verifiable. From the process of discovery in the court trial many important ideas have been developed. These ideas have the potential to create a trustworthy election system for the 2008 primary and general elections in Pima County, and the potential to assist other counties, statewide as well as nationally. It is now time to use all the information that has been gleaned to date to work on solutions to put safeguards in place to assure transparent and auditable counting of the 2008 primary and the November Presidential Election.

We ask the BOS before they go into Executive session to allow us to present the following speakers. They will sum up where we've come from over the last few years, and where we hope to go. Further, they will explain what it will take to move us to the next level and assure the citizens of Pima County that we’re working together to make certain every vote cast is counted as intended and the will of people is carried out. Proposed Speakers in order to be called.

Donna Branch Gilby

Richard Harding

Brad Roach

Robert Robuck

Sandra Spangler

Mickey Duniho

Barney Brenner

To be submitted at 9 am at BOS

Three of the speakers Brakey mentions happen to be running against two incumbent supervisors in this next election: Donna Branch Gilby is running against Sharon Bronson, as is Barney Brenner, while Robert Robuck is going after Ramon Valadez.