Two more media outlets this week took positions on Proposition 14, the $5.5 billion ballot initiative that would save the California stem cell agency from financial extinction.
One outlet recommended approval. The other did not.
The Orange County Register came down on the negative side. It declared,
"For one thing, times have changed and the original rationale — California doing what the feds wouldn’t — is no longer applicable. For another, private enterprise has taken a bigger interest and stepped up research in this field.
For another, Prop. 14 doesn’t resolve a longstanding lack of oversight and accountability. And finally, imposing new costs on residents is hardly merited when most are struggling....Stem cell research will go on, CIRM or no CIRM. No on Prop. 14."
The editorial did not mention that UC Irvine, which is in its circulation area, has received $125 million from the agency.
The Bay Area Reporter, which serves the San Francisco area LBGTQ community, said,
"Continuing medical research is vital. While CIRM board member Jeff Sheehy, a gay man who's a former San Francisco supervisor, has been quoted as saying he is 'troubled' by the proposal because he thinks it might oversell potential benefits of stem cell research, Robert Klein, the real estate investment banker who spearheaded the 2004 initiative, has created an accessibility and affordability working group. The state needs to continue this research."
News media positions on the measure now total three. The Bakersfield Californian is the third. It is recommending a no vote.
(CIRM, of course, is the anacronym for the official name of the stem cell agency.)
No comments:
Post a Comment