Warm and Sunny, Lakers Tonight and Candidates Debate

Today is May 4. It is the 124th day of the year. In some nerdy circles, today is also known as Star Wars Day, as in "May the fourth, be with you," a pun on "May the Force be with you." We are under a waxing crescent moon. Sunset will occur about 7:41 p.m. Here are five things to know:

1. The National Weather Service forecast for today calls for sunny skies with a high near 84 degrees with clear skies tonight and an overnight low around 61 degrees. It should be sunny Thursday, too, with a high near 75 degrees.

2. Playa del Rey resident Phil Jackson and the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2 of their best-of-seven series. Dallas won the opening game in the Western Conference semifinals. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Staples Center.

3. The LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerice is holding a debate/forum tonight featuring three of the 16 candidates running for the vacant seat in the 36th Congressional District, which includes Marina del Rey, Playa del Rey and Del Rey. The event will feature two Democrats, Secretary of State Debra Bowen and Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, and one Republican, Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin. The forum runs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and is free. LMU Ahmanson Auditorium, University Hall, 1 LMU Dr.

Thirteen of the 16 candidates running for the vacant Congressional seat participated in a debate Monday night hosted by the League of Women Voters. You can read about that .

4. Patch is rolling out its new blogging platform today. If you'd like to blog for Patch, please send me an email: Paul.Chavez@patch.com. To better understand our blogging initiative, check out , president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, on the Fridley, Minn., Patch site.

5. Did you know that you can follow Marina del Rey Patch, which also covers Del Rey and Playa del Rey, on Facebook and Twitter?