SPEAK YOUR MIND: You have strong feelings...

SPEAK YOUR MIND: You have strong feelings about the hot illegal immigration issue--Proposition 187? If you want someone to shout at, the county’s Human Relations Commission members say come lay it on them. But be aware that you have three minutes maximum to unload. . . . They’re having a public hearing tonight at 7 at their Santa Ana office, 1300 S. Grand Ave., Building B. Its purpose, says Chairman Kenneth Inouye: To determine “where do we go from here?”

VANCE ADVICE: Beware of your neighbor, says Smart Money magazine-- if your neighbor happens to be on the homeowners association board. This month’s issue discusses those who have taken on homeowners association decisions and paid dearly after losing. . . . It quotes Willowdean Vance of Lake Forest, whose group seeks legislation to control such boards. Board members, she told the magazine, “are just on a power trip.”

GAVEL TO GAVEL: At his swearing-in this week as Huntington Beach’s new mayor, Victor Leipzig announced he was doing away with the traditional mayor’s gavel, preferring “words and thoughts” for running City Council meetings. . . . And congratulatory presents he received? Outgoing Mayor Linda Moulton Patterson gave him a gavel, inscribed with his name. And his parents, George and Marguerite of Lake Wildwood, presented him with. . . a gavel. His mother, a former mayor of Redwood City, told him: “You’ve made a terrible mistake, Victor. You need to use the damn thing!”

COSMETIC CHRISTMAS: If you’ve got big bucks, what Christmas present do you buy a spouse who has everything? Local plastic surgeons report a December jump in business, especially breasts and noses. . . . Michael Niccole, director of CosmetiCare Plastic Surgery in Costa Mesa, explains it: “Most holiday gifts are short-lived; one’s boosted self-image lasts a lifetime.” . . . But he sternly warns: Be certain the surgeon is board-certified and the procedure is performed at an accredited facility.

TONIGHT: The Pacific Symphony at 8, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Costa Mesa.

WEATHER: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 60s, lows in the 40s. (B10)