Republican California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today nominated Robert Klein for a second term as chairman of the California stem cell agency after Klein's attempt to hand pick his successor collapsed amid questions about the integrity of the process.
Reporter Ron Leuty of the San Francisco Business Times was the first to report Klein's re-nomination.
Also nominating Klein for another term was Republican Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, who acted after his first nomination, Alan Bernstein, withdrew. Bernstein was Klein's choice as successor. However, Klein's campaign on behalf of Bernstein failed following disclosure in the media of closed-door meetings and allegations of conflicts of interest.
Also nominated for the chairmanship is Art Torres, currently co-vice chair of the board. State Controller John Chiang proposed the election of Torres.
State Treasure Bill Lockyer today announced he would not make any nomination for chair of the $3 billion agency. But he re-nominated Torres for vice chair. Jeff Sheehy, a member of the board, has been nominated also for vice chair by Chiang.
Klein has been steadfast when questioned about his desire to give up the job at the end of his term this month. One might also question whether, after the ruckus about the Bernstein candidacy, there are sufficient votes on the board to re-elect him. We have queried CIRM about whether Klein will accept the re-nomination.
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