Sheehy Steps Back from Stem Cell Agency Positions; Cites His Opposition to Prop. 14

A longtime member of the governing board of the $3 billion California stem cell agency has stepped away from two leadership roles in the wake of his vote against the ballot measure that would refinance the research enterprise, which is running out of money. 

Jeff Sheehy, an HIV/AIDs patient advocate on the board since 2004, made the moves after becoming the only member of the 29-member board to vote against endorsing Proposition 14, which would provide $5.5 billion for the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), as the agency is formally known. 

The proposal would also make significant changes in the operations of the agency, enlarge its scope, lock up money for certain purposes and expand the size of its board from 29 to 35.

Sheehy voted against the endorsement on June 26 and released a statement to the California Stem Cell Report which cited a wide range of reasons for his negative vote. 

The actual vote on Proposition 14 was 21-1. Some members of the board were not present. Two vacancies also exist on the board. 

Sheehy was chairman of the board's science subcommittee. He was also a member of CIRM's grant working group and for years directed the evaluation by the full board of the billions of dollars in grant applications. 

Responding to a question last week, Sheehy said,

 "I instigated the change. I believe that it doesn't make sense for me to have any leadership roles given that I do not support Proposition 14.  I can imagine a scenario where the reality of my opposition becomes stark, and I don't want to drag the functionality of the board or the agency into any potential, campaign back-and-forth."

The changes in Sheehy's role became apparent last Friday when another board member led the evaluation of the Covid-19 applications. It came as a surprise to at least one board member, Vice Chairman Art Torres, who inquired at the beginning of the Friday meeting about the change. 

"What happened to Mr. Sheehy? He's not running these things anymore?" Torres asked.

Chairman Jonathan Thomas replied briefly, "Mr. Sheehy is is not going to be running the application review."

Torres replied, "Sorry to hear that."

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​Read all about California's stem cell agency, including Proposition 14,  in David Jensen's new book. Buy it on Amazon:  California's Great Stem Cell Experiment: Inside a $3 Billion Search for Stem Cell Cures. Click here for more information on the author.