Ralph Medina faces an uphill battle in his District 1 runoff contest with Diego Bernal, but the retired firefighter appears determined to go out swinging. Medina's campaign recently sent out a compare-and-contrast mailer that has ruffled feathers in the Bernal camp. The mailer is a fake scorecard with a photo of Medina in a suit, and a list of his accomplishments over the last three decades.

Sometime after 1958, for reasons unknown to PDA, the City erased an East Side attraction created in 1920 by legendary Parks Commissioner Ray Lambert and his son Richard. (Some scuttlebutt: the nuns at neighboring St. Gerard complained it was attracting miscreants. Express-News columnist Paula Allen answered a reader's question about its origins in 2008, but didn't come up with a definitive reason for its demise.) The sunken garden wasn't as large or extravagant as Brackenridge's famous site, but it also turned an old gravel pit into a spot for recreation and reflection, and it featured a large Dionicio Rodriguez faux-bois tree, fountains and that signature honeycomb rock. Judging by a handful of old photos from the Institute of Texan Cultures, it was by far the star of Pittman-Sullivan Park.

Congressional District 23 may be looking a tad bit too Republican for State Representative Joaquín Castro, at least as mapped in the latest stage of redistricting. Indeed, Congressman Francisco "Quico" Canseco might have a measure of protection if the map survives the inevitable court challenges. If CD 35, the new proposed San Antonio district, survives the legal imbroglio, too, well, we're hearing that's where Castro is likely to take aim in 2012.

Spotted lunching at the Palm earlier this week: County Judge Nelson Wolff, Commissioner Paul Elizondo, and Cris Medina, former aide to outgoing District 7 Councilman Justin Rodriguez and likely winner of the seat in the June 11 runoff against Elena Guajardo. (Possible topics: the Committee of Seven; the City jail ... )

There was more than a little history at the table.