California Gov. Gavin Newsom today endorsed three of the measures on the fall ballot but skipped over Proposition 14, the $5.5 billion stem cell bond measure. The move does not necessarily mean he will not take a position, however.
Newsom was a big supporter of the stem cell agency in 2004 and 2005. When he was mayor of San Francisco, he helped to put together a $17 million package that lured the agency, formally known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), to San Francisco.
When the free rent deal expired, CIRM switched its headquarters to Oakland because of the costs of renting office space in San Francisco.
It is a good political move to delay an endorsement until next month when the news is less likely to be filled with stories about fire, presidential conventions and Covid 19. But the endorsement -- if there is one -- should come at least a couple of weeks before voting begins in early October.
Of course, if Newsom is seriously out of public favor by that time, an endorsement may not help Proposition 14.
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