San Diego, Oct. 23, 1998 (JSC) -- Two members of the Jewish community who are top public officials definitely were  seized by  World Series fever as the National League Champion San Diego Padres prepared to play the American Leage Champion New York Yankees.

Mayor Susan Golding made arrangements last weekend for nearly everyone to see a World Series game at Qualcomm Stadium. She arranged for the Saturday, Oct. 17, opening game to be shown on the stadium's big screen while the San Diego Padres played the New York Yankees in New York.

 "Dress in Padres colors and bring your team spirit," Golding advised San Diegans. "It will be the best place to watch the game in San Diego."

Continuing her record of betting the mayors of opposing baseball cities (she already has collected from National League playoff series bets with the mayors of Houston and Atlanta), Golding offered a wager on the outcome of the series to New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani.

She offered to put up a selection of San Diego-manufactured software and a surfboard "so Mayor Guiliani can surf both the Atlantic and the Net" in the event the Yankees were to win the series.

Software items would include Qualcomm's Eudora; Intuit's Turbo Tax; Presto Studio's Journeyman Project 3 Game; Adept Computer Solution's Street Wizard mapping software and Softengine's Smart Draw Professional Drawing program.

She also offered to bet a pair of Hang Ten surf shorts; a golf shirt with a logo saying "San Diego-Technology's Perfect Climate'; a thermometer from Alaris Medical Systems; enough Rubio's fish tacos to feed the New York mayor's office staff, and a copy of Tony Gwinn's book The Art of Hitting.

The mayor was waiting to see what Guliani might put up from the Big Apple in return.

Meanwhile, the other Jewish public official -- Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego), a transplanted New Yorker --  joined with other San Diego-area congressmen (Republicans Ron Packard, Brian Bilbray, Randy "Duke" Cunningham, and Duncan Hunter) to bet New York City's congressional delegation a meal of Rubios Fish Tacos against some New York cheesecake.

 "I am getting ready for some good New York cheesecake," Filner said. "Much as I want to spur the San Diego economy, Rubio's ain't getting any business off this bet." 

Throughout the city, scheduled events were canceled in recognition of the fact that San Diegans wanted to watch the World Series games. The America Israel Public Affairs Committee canceled a planned Oct. 20 panel discussion by former Rep. Mel Levine (D-Los Angeles) and Arianna Huffington that was to have been moderated by Bill Rosendahl. And, the United Jewish Federation cancelled an Oct. 18 briefing for San Diegans participating in next month's Shalom '98 Mission to Israel.