CIRM Moving to Fund Clinical Trials

Directors of the California stem cell agency meet in San Francisco Feb. 3-4 to take up a proposal to begin funding enormously expensive clinical trials in some form or another.

No details are available yet on just what is being proposed, but clinical trials can run into hundreds of millions of dollars. And there is no assurance that a viable product will result. Only one out of five drugs that enter human testing make it to market, according to one estimate.

CIRM has already approved $1 billion in grants and loans, leaving $2 billion until its funding capacity runs out.

The agenda item for the clinical trials is terse and says only,

“Consideration of concept proposal for clinical trial funding and/or concept proposal for program funding to facilitate reaching clinical trial approvals within 12 months.”

CIRM's strategic plan, approved last fall, says that the agency will develop proposals

“...to support clinical trials that would be expected to include partnerships with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, private investment, and other sources of financial support that are appropriate. This is an area of developmental responsibility for the vice president of R&D(yet to be hired). CIRM expects that its contributions would be proportionally smaller than other contributions from companies and other financial institutions but would remain meaningful and would ensure reasonable patient access to the new therapeutics that are developed."

The plan continues,

“The program of clinical trials will be developed in partnership with other funding sources as a special interest of the VP R&D. The program will be focused on the delivery of research arising from the work in California on stem cells and related technologies and ensures the continuation and delivery of discoveries in basic stem cell biology into the clinic.”

Also on tap are unspecified, proposed changes in CIRM's $500 million biotech loan program, which anticipates default rates as high as 50 percent.

Normally biotech firms, with a handful of exceptions, are notable for their absence at CIRM board meetings. However, it would behoove any firms interested in either clinical trials or loans to be in attendance. They can comment on the proposals and learn more about the cash that is likely to be available.

CIRM Finances On Table Next Tuesday

The financial affairs of the $3 billion California stem cell agency will come under scrutiny next Tuesday at a meeting in Los Angeles headed by California's chief fiscal officer.

The occasion is a session of the Citizens Financial Accountability Oversight Committee, which was created by Prop. 71. By law, the six-member board is chaired by the state controller, John Chiang.

On the agenda next week are the recommendations of the Little Hoover Commission for a restructuring of the CIRM board and other actions to improve the agency's performance. Also up for discussion is CIRM's financial performance, an update on grant awards and the grant process along with discussion of “risk analysis” involving CIRM, which has embarked on an unprecedented $500 million loan program for biotech businesses. The agency projects a $100 million “profit” on the loans despite projected default rates as high as 50 percent.

Changes Looming in California's Biotech Loan Program

Proposed changes in the $500 million biotech loan program offered by California's stem cell research agency will come before its directors at a meeting early tomorrow morning.

Interested parties can listen in and comment at a variety of locations in California and one at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Mass., a state that has a robust biotech community.

CIRM has posted the proposed changes on its website, but the material does not offer an explanation or justification for the revisions. They seem to have grown out of meeting in December of the Loan Task Force and are coming before the directors' Finance Subcommittee at 7:30 a.m.(10:30 a.m. in Massachusetts). The 102-page transcript of the task force meeting can be found here.

In addition to the Charles Hotel, the public can take part in the teleconference session at locations in Palo Alto, Irvine, Menlo Park, San Diego, Pleasanton, Hillsborough, Berkeley and San Francisco. Specific addresses can be found on the agenda.

As for the location within the Charles Hotel, interested parties should call CIRM at 415 396-9117. Presumably one of the directors is staying at the hotel.

California Stem Cell Lab Construction Not Entirely Up to Snuff

The California stem cell agency is reporting that one out of three grants is behind schedule in its $1 billion-plus stem cell lab construction program.

Nonetheless, CIRM produced an upbeat press release, declaring that “all were moving forward.” CIRM Chairman Robert Klein was quoted as saying the effort provided “extremely valuable contributions to the California economy.”

The timetable on the 12 projects is important by CIRM's own measure. Two years ago, CIRM ballyhooed the lab construction program because of its requirement for expedited construction with completion of the labs by May of this year. Applications for funding were also scored highly for their “urgency,” with 20 out of 100 points being possibly awarded in that category.

That said, few foresaw the unusual economic events of the last 18 months. However, most of additional needed financing should have been secured by the time economy nosedived.

Programs not up to snuff are located at UC campuses at Santa Cruz and Merced. Also behind is the $163 million Sanford Consortium facility involving UC San Diego, Salk, Scripps and Burnham. The fourth troubled effort is at the Buck Institute in Novato in Northern California. One could argue that others are behind schedule as well since they will not be completed by May, but instead one or two months later.

CIRM's press release on subject was a bit unusual. Normally the agency does not beat the drum about meetings of its working groups, where the official status report was discussed. But in this case, the lab construction program is one of CIRM's signature efforts.

The press release drew little attention. We found only two stories in a Google search: one about Buck by Ron Leuty in the San Francisco Business Times and the other about Sanford by Heather Chambers in the San Diego Business Journal.

One old rule in business holds that if you succeed 80 percent of the time, that is as good as you can expect. By that measure, CIRM's facilities program holds up reasonably well. But one of CIRM's foibles involves excessive rhetoric, such as bald statements that the facilities would be finished in two years.

Observers of the California stem cell scene would be well-advised to watch what CIRM actually does – along with what it promises to do.

Stem Cell Blog Returning to Action

A couple of days ago, we stepped on land for the first time in a month. The occasion was our arrival aboard our sailboat (and only home) in Barra de Navidad after two long ocean passages and visit to two islands in the Revillagigedo Archipelago about 350 miles west of mainland Mexico.

We swam with giant manta rays, watched a humpback whale with a very young calf and snorkeled with a host of fishes. Landing ashore, however, is not permitted by the Mexican government, which has a 50-person outpost on Isla Socorro. No other persons live on the islands. They are a protected biosphere, according to Mexican law. (The photo at the left is of Isla Benedicto and our vessel, which was forced to leave a fair amount of anchor chain on the seabed when the chain snagged under a large rock.)

We are now catching up on email and news and information on California's stem cell agency. We expect to post some fresh items soon. If any readers would like to call special attention to particular developments or have questions they would like answered, please email your comments and queries to djensen@californiastemcellreport.com.

CSCR At Sea Until End of January

The California Stem Cell Report is taking a break for a few weeks. We have set sail for Isla Socorro, part of an island chain in the Pacific Ocean about 350 miles southwest of Mazatlan, Mexico, and will have no access to the Internet or phones. We expect to be back online at the very end of January.

CIRM Issues for 2010: From Klein to Cash Flow to Conflicts

Money, manpower and performance – all are some of the top issues facing the $3 billion California stem cell agency in 2010.

They are not the only major issues confronting the 29 men and women who – as its directors – are charged with giving away the cash and ensuring that the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine stays on course.

But all the challenges will surface more or less prominently during the coming year. Here is a quick overview of the situation.

Leadership

CIRM Chairman Robert Klein says he is leaving in 12 months. The Palo Alto real estate investment banker has been the guiding spirit behind the agency since it was a mere gleam in the eyes of the supporters of hESC research. Today he is the dominant force at the agency, almost completely setting its course on its financing with state bonds, the agency's only real source of income. His planned departure will leave a huge gap, for better or worse. It is one that CIRM directors need to address publicly and soon, perhaps by appointing a task force out of their governance and finance subcommittees. Obviously much of the replacement discussion is too sensitive for public airing. But steps should be taken by CIRM to assure the public, business, researchers and other interested parties that the agency will function smoothly -- financially and otherwise -- regardless of who is chairman. Klein once proposed hiring a high-level bond/finance person to help replace his expertise. That opening has not been posted, but a search should begin promptly because of its likely prolonged length. Plus the person should be on board by around next June.

Contracting

Careful management of the outside contractors is already critical and will become increasingly so as the agency moves forward. The 50-person cap on staff has made the agency unable to operate without spending $3 million a year for outside help. In the next several years, CIRM may well bump up against the percentage budget cap in Prop. 71 as well, as the agency uses more contractors. CIRM is shy in dealing publicly with such issues. However, many businesses go through long-term staff planning to avoid being blindsided financially. It would behoove the agency to project publicly its needs for outside contractors for the next five years. Of course, such plans are subject to major modification but do help to provide a better picture of future needs. Related to the contracting is electronic security. This topic has rarely, if ever, come up publicly with directors. CIRM has approved grants for more than 300 researchers. It has large amounts of confidential information to protect, with more to come. The disease team round and additional ones with commercial potential are likely to generate information that has significant economic value. Hacking the data may well be financially profitable. But one way to gain access to confidential data is through an employee with an outside contractor, which is sometimes done with financial information on Wall Street. The financial interests of contractors, especially related to their other clients, and their employees should be carefully scrutinized, although this is only a partial answer. Someone at CIRM, but more likely a specialized security contractor, should scrutinize all software, especially the custom programs, for holes and backdoor access.

CIRM staff

President Alan Trounson last week announced that he needs to hire more persons than is permitted under the terms of Prop. 71. He warned that CIRM does not want to get in a position where it cannot fulfill its responsibilities. Ordinarily this would not be an issue. But the agency is hamstrung by the 50-person cap on its staff, which can only be changed by 70 percent vote of the legislature. Asking the legislature to modify Prop. 71 may well stimulate the desires of lawmakers for other changes at CIRM, including some recommended by the Little Hoover Commission, the state's government efficiency group. CIRM has adamantly opposed any changes in its operations. Negotiating any legislative changes successfully will require considerable skill and a public image for CIRM that makes it less vulnerable to criticism.

Cash flow

CIRM directors received a nasty surprise last January when they were suddenly confronted with a cash flow crisis. The problem is now alleviated through June 2011. It is fair to say that the cash flow report should have come earlier and been managed better. Anyone following the California bond situation (not us at the time) could have anticipated the problem in the fall of 2008, if not earlier. Klein did, but balked at being forthright with directors at a meeting at the time when some asked questions that would have led to a discussion of the issue. Authorization and timing of bond sales needs long-term planning as well, given the state's fiscal plight, particularly since Klein is leaving in a year.

Openness/conflicts

The conflicts of interest are not going to go away at CIRM. They are built into the organization by Prop. 71. As an important sign that CIRM is aware of the issue and not trying to sweep the conflicts under a rug, it should make its statements of economic interests and travel expenses available in a searchable form on the Internet. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger already does this for his top officials. If CIRM follows his example, it will go a long way in dealing with criticism that CIRM is an entity that only serves the interests of the employers of its directors. Internet access to the statements of economic interest is also important as CIRM becomes increasingly friendly to the biotech industry. Statements of economic and professional interests of scientific reviewers should be posted. They make the de facto decisions on the grants. Applicants can only appeal their decisions on the basis of a conflict, but applicants do not know which scientists examine their applications, much less their economic interests.

Performance

Sometime in 2010, probably in the summer, CIRM plans to bring in an outside panel of scientists to review its research portfolio. Presumably the group will generate recommendations to fill any voids in CIRM research and to make other improvements. The session could serve as a fine exercise in the directors' new effort to improve its communications with the public. Opening that session to the public would not only enhance CIRM's credibility but it would be useful to scientists and businesses in California interested in seeking CIRM funding. Selection of the panel is important as well and should include someone willing to serve as a scientific devil's advocate. Without that perspective, the review session could degenerate into back-slapping self-congratulation.

Sacramento Bee: CIRM is 'petri dish for patronage'

The leading newspaper in the California capital today deplored the $150,000 salary increase for Art Torres, co-vice chairman of the California stem cell agency.

The Sacramento Bee said the pay is “the latest example of how people who owe their livelihood to California's taxpayers refuse to share their pain.”

The Bee's editorial was headlined, “Institute is a petri dish for patronage.”

The Bee said that Torres “has apparently improved CIRM's relations with both the Legislature and the state treasurer's office,” but that does not justify the increase.

The newspaper concluded,

"CIRM leaders continue to claim that it is vital for California to spend billions of dollars on this science, even though the new administration in Washington is funding forms of stem cell research that the previous one restricted.

“But when the institute spends money like this, taxpayers have to wonder: Does California still need a stem cell institute – one with this type of leadership?”

The Dark Side of Financing Stem Cell Research

Every day of the year, the California stem cell agency is racking up “hidden” costs of about $192,000. By the time CIRM gives away its allotted $3 billion, those “hidden” costs will soar to about $600,000 a day.

The expenses are the dark side of paying for scientific research with borrowed money – in this case California state bonds. That's what CIRM uses to pay the hundreds of researchers it is backing. The mechanism was set up five years ago, when voters approved Prop. 71, which created CIRM.

The cost of the bonds – interest on the borrowed money – is rarely, if ever, seen in CIRM's public documents. That's not much different, however, than other state agencies which use bond financing, such as the University of California. But the cost of state borrowing is attracting increased attention because of the state's $21 billion budget gap and draconian cuts in some areas of state services. Students at UC campuses are being forced to accept 32 percent tuition hikes at the same time CIRM is giving UC scientists $471 million.

Scores of stories have appeared in the last several weeks about the impact of borrowing on California's financial health. But a column by George Skelton of the Los Angeles Times caught our attention today. He focused on warnings by state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, the man who orchestrates the sale of state bonds. Skelton wrote,

“The state's credit card is about maxed out, the veteran Democratic office-holder warns. Payments on bond borrowing are becoming uncomfortably high, crowding out funds for universities, healthcare, parks -- and all the other government services being slashed these days.”

Skelton quoted Lockyer as saying the Golden State is “paying substantially more than Third World countries, er, emerging markets” for interest on its bonds.

That's because California has the lowest bond rating of any state in this country. Every $1 billion in bonds costs taxpayers $70 million a year, Skelton said. That translates to about $192,000 a day for the $1 billion in grants that CIRM has now approved.

Meanwhile the state has not kept up with its financial binging. Since 1999, the overall cost of interest on state bonds has skyrocketed 143 percent. General fund revenue, which pays those costs, has grown only 22 percent.

What does this sorry mess mean for CIRM? Probably the most serious impact is a less than warm environment in the Capitol should the stem cell agency ask lawmakers to remove the 50-person cap on the CIRM staff, which it seems likely to do. To win the required 70 percent approval from lawmakers, CIRM is likely to have to compromise on other proposals that it may not fancy.

The stem cell agency is only a flyspeck in the state's fiscal muddle. But it serves as an illustration of some of the state's more dubious political practices. One of which is ballot box budgeting – enactment of initiatives and approval of bonds with little attention to the long-term consequences.

However, unless something exceedingly unusual pops up, CIRM will continue with its programs, using borrowed money. CIRM's opponents may find fodder in all the concern about state borrowing. But even CIRM's most adamant supporters should understand the true cost of the effort to turn stem cells into cures.

Job Opening at CIRM for Administrative Assistant

Looking for a new job? The California stem cell agency is seeking an administrative assistant at pay level that tops out at $77,100 annually.

The successful job applicant would be working for the vice president of operations and also the general counsel.

A bachelor's degree and four years experience are necessary, but a science background is not required. The deadline for applications is Dec. 29.

CIRM is also expected to be looking for some help next year for its new vice president of research and development, but the VP post is not likely to be filled until sometime next year. CIRM is also seeking a science officer. Both positions have been posted for some time.

CalAware: CIRM Not Serious About Transparency

CalAware Today, a blog devoted to open government, has picked up an item about the California stem cell agency that CalAware says shows that CIRM “still hasn't learned to take governmental transparency seriously.”

CalAware made the comment on a piece Nov. 17 on the California Stem Cell Report, which said the stem cell agency “has had difficulty even complying with the basic state public records law and the state Constitution's public access guarantees.”

Terry Francke produces the CalAware blog from Sacramento. He was general counsel for 14 years for the California First Amendment Coalition and served for 10 years as legal counsel for the California Newspaper Publishers Association. Francke founded Californians Aware in 2004.

Science vs. Salaries: What Do People Talk About?

The $225,000 salary now enjoyed by Art Torres, co-vice chairman of the California stem cell agency, made the news again today.

This time it was in the San Francisco Chronicle, in a column by Philip Matier and Andrew Ross. The piece provides an example of the staying power of such relatively minor matters compared to the size of California's fiscal problems and CIRM's $3 billion research effort. The column also illustrates the difficult task facing CIRM's new communications push by its directors.

Torres' salary was brought up in connection with those of state and local government officials. Matier and Ross pointed out that San Francisco city officials are paid more than a number of state officials who have greater responsibilities, including the governor, state treasurer and attorney general.

“On the other hand,” they pointed to Torres' salary, noting that he received a $150,000 boost last week from his previous half-time position.

Matier and Ross quoted Torres as saying,

"I'm saving the taxpayers $50,000 a year by not taking my (state legislative) pension or having my health benefits paid by the agency."

Since the beginning of this year, the San Francisco Chronicle, CIRM's “hometown” newspaper, has carried five stories dealing primarily with CIRM, based on a search on its site using the term “stem cell agency.” One of the five deals with a conflict of interest problem involving a member of the CIRM board of directors. The Torres story does not come up in the search, but with it, two out of six Chronicle stories this year with a heavy CIRM component carry a negative spin on CIRM.

One cannot draw the conclusion that a similar balance exists at other newspapers. But it does confirm that coverage of CIRM has been very light in the Chronicle. That pattern is true around the state, based on our daily searches throughout the year. That means that positive messages can easily be overwhelmed in impact and staying power by negative ones. One rule of thumb in such cases that it takes 10 positive stories to neutralize one negative piece.

The question is: What do people talk about? They don't talk about arcane research results. They don't talk about CIRM collaborating with the state of Maryland. They talk about $150,000 pay raises for state officials.

Something for CIRM directors to consider as they begin their work with the new communications subcommittee.

Chiang Delays CIRM Oversight Meeting

State Controller John Chiang has postponed Wednesday's meeting involving the California stem cell agency until sometime in late January.

The session of the Citizens Financial Accountability Oversight Committee was slated to discuss the recommendations by the Little Hoover Commission for changes at CIRM, among other things.

The committee was created by Prop. 71, the same measure that created the stem cell agency. The controller, the state's top fiscal officer, is chairman of the committee by state law.

A new date for the meeting is expected to be posted sooon. However, we are not likely to be carrying a notice on it since we will setting to sea in a few days and will not have access to the Internet until sometime late in January. You can find the meeting schedule for the panel and other information here.

Inside Biotech in San Diego: A Multibillion Dollar Matter

If you want to understand a little more about the biotech biz in San Diego, the Voice of San Diego Web site has a couple of pieces that deal with the industry that employs 40,000 people in that balmy corner of California.

Both are by David Washburn, who wrote last month about the impact in San Diego of the Pfizer cutbacks. He said:

“Pfizer's research facility in La Jolla...was not only spared in the downsizing, but is now one of five main R&D centers in the newly restructured operation. That's good news for the roughly 1,000 employees at the La Jolla facility, and perhaps for other San Diego scientists who could get hired by Pfizer as it moves more of its work here.

“And, on another level, the new Pfizer — as well as other Big Pharma restructurings — might be good news for the all the little fish that make up the San Diego biotech industry.”

In October, he explored reasons for the tiny voice that the tech and biotech industry has in local government, a phenomenon not unique to San Diego. Washburn said,

"San Diego is home to hundreds of high-technology and biotechnology companies that collectively employ close to 150,000 people, and have an overall economic impact on the region of more than $10 billion.

“Despite these big numbers the tech industry does very little to push the agenda at San Diego City Hall. In fact, among the hundreds of lobbyists registered with the city, only about a half-dozen organizations represent the tech and biotech industry. Scores of lobbyists, on the other hand, represent the tourism and building industries.

“Consider that San Diego Bike & Kayak is represented by a lobbyist, but Connect, the tech industry's most high-profile industry organization, is not.

"'That is telling,' said Duane Roth, the CEO of Connect(and co vice chairman of the California stem cell agency). 'It shows how little cause we've had to be down there.'

Stem Cell PR, Salaries and Mixed Messages

Directors of the California stem cell agency today created a special panel to come up with better and more effective ways to tell the good news about the $3 billion stem cell research effort.

That was shortly after it voted to triple the half-time salary of one of its two vice chairmen, Art Torres, to $225,000 for working four days a week. The move almost immediately prompted an irate posting on the Consumer Watchdog blog, which said that the salary sends a “horrible message” at a time when the state is chalking up record unemployment rates (30 percent or more in one county) and other state workers are facing pay cuts and mandatory furloughs without pay.

A strong case can be made that Torres is worth every penny, but that doesn't fly with folks who have been laid off and can't find work. “Wildly out of touch with the realities of a state mired in a financial crisis” was the comment from John M. Simpson, a longtime CIRM analyst, on the blog at Consumer Watchdog.

CIRM already has salary ranges that are among the highest for California's public servants, topping $500,000. One of the questions for the new PR/communications subcommittee to ponder is how to square that largess with public expectations that public servants should be lean and hungry.

Another PR/efficiency issue popped up at today's directors meeting. CIRM's other vice chairman, Duane Roth, a San Diego businessman, did a little arithmetic and pointed out that CIRM is training undergraduates for stem cell work at a cost of $50,000 per person. He said he would like to see more young people in the programs to lower the average cost.

CIRM Chairman Robert Klein likes to paper over these sorts of issues, citing what amount to notional ideas about the economic impact of CIRM spending, which is minimal considering the size of the state's economy.

The media and critics, however, seize on tangible, understandable details that make for sizzling headlines and irritate the men and women who have to work for 10 years before they see $500,000 in wages.

It is likely that Torres' salary will barely stir a ripple in the pool of sad economic news that surrounds California. But, while CIRM ponders how it can persuade the legislature to give it a pass on the 50-person staff limit enacted by voters, directors should consider the mixed messages that CIRM delivers.

The directors certainly should avoid stepping into another potential pile of financial unpleasantness discussed by Consumer Watchdog. Simpson noted that Torres' salary

“...also raises the possibility of another interesting dilemma for the board. Chairman Klein, a millionaire, initially declined to take a salary. After four years financial reality caught up with him and a year ago the board agreed to pay him $150,000 for what it also defined as a half-time job.

“How long do you think it will before he tells the board he's working four days a week and asks for a raise to $240,00?”

CIRM Identifies Training Grant Recipients

The California stem cell agency has identified the recipients of the $10.8 million in training grants. They include: The Buck Institute, USC, California State University campuses at Fullerton, Northridge and San Bernardino and city colleges in Berkeley and San Francisco. Here is a link to the CIRM news release.

Torres Receives $225,000 Salary as CIRM Vice Chair

Directors of the California stem cell agency this afternoon unanimously approved a $225,000 salary for one of its co-vice chairmen, Art Torres, declaring that his work was “extraordinary” and has helped to improve relations in the nation's capital and elsewhere.

Torres (at right) joined CIRM in March on a half-time basis, with a $75,000 salary. Today's action gives him a $150,000 boost for work on an 80 percent basis.

Michael Goldberg, a CIRM director and general partner with Mohr, Davidow Ventures, a venture capital firm in Menlo Park, Ca., said Torres has picked up the work that previously was done by a fulltime legislative relations staffer. CIRM Director Jeff Sheehy, a communications manager at UC San Francisco, described Torres' work as “extraordinary” in telling the CIRM story to lawmakers.

No one at the directors meeting at Stanford University spoke against the salary move. However, John M. Simpson, stem cell project director of Consumer Watchdog of Santa Monica, Ca., was monitoring the proceedings in Southern California via an Internet audiocast.

Responding to a query, he said,

"At a time when California is in a severe economic crisis, state workers' salaries are being cut and they are facing mandatory furloughs, this raise is highly inappropriate. Art Torres knew the terms of the job when he took it. He should have been happy simply not to face the cuts endured by other state employees."

Torres has made a career as a public servant and politician. The former head of the state Democratic Party (1995-2009) had a 24-year career in the state legislature. He was first elected to the state Assembly in 1972, later served in the state Senate and became the first Latino nominated as a Democrat for statewide office(insurance commissioner).

Torres' talents and experience are unique within CIRM. No other director possesses the web of political connections and government experience that Torres brings to the state-financed stem cell effort. He also has maintained his political roots, campaigning last weekend in Hayward for a candidate for the Alameda county board of supervisors.

The candidate is Nadia Lockyer, wife of the state treasurer, Bill Lockyer, who is a friend and former state legislative colleague of Torres. Lockyer also presides over the sale of state bonds, which are virtually the only source of funding for the $3 billion stem cell agency.

The other vice chairman is Duane Roth, a San Diego businessman who has declined a salary.

Prop. 71 Not Alone in Super, Super Majority Requirement

The outside counsel for the California stem cell agency today pointed out that other adopted ballot measures besides Prop. 71 require a super, supermajority vote to be altered by the state Legislature.

James Harrison, of the Remcho, Johansen & Purcell firm of San Leandro, Ca., made the comment via email in connection with our “Legal Cap” item Dec. 9, 2009.

He said,

“I noticed that you said that no other changes in state law require a super, super-majority. In fact, both Prop. 116 and 117, adopted in 1990, require a 4/5 vote of both houses of the Legislature. Also, many members of the public do not understand that the California Constitution prohibits the Legislature from amending an initiative, unless the initiative expressly permits legislative amendment. Thus, there are many initiatives that do not permit legislative amendment at all, including Prop. 213 and 215, both approved by the voters in 1996. And there are a slew of measures that require a 2/3 vote of the Legislature to amend the law, including Prop. 98 (1988) and Prop. 10 (1998).”

Our thanks to Harrison for calling this to our attention. We have corrected the item.

CIRM Pumps More Millions Into Training

Directors of the California stem cell agency today added $10.8 million to its training efforts at California colleges and universities, a welcome change for the institutions that have been reeling under brutal cuts because of the state's financial situation.

Earlier this year, the directors declined to fund the seven programs because of CIRM's then precarious financial situation. However, the agency now has funds through June 2011.

Scientific reviewers earlier concluded that the seven applications should be approved if cash were available, a decision that CIRM directors this morning accepted without dissent.

Duane Roth, a San Diego businessman and co-vice chairman of CIRM, however, said the $50,000 per student cost in the overall Bridges program was high and asked for a more detailed report later. Given the size of the schools involved, he said the number of students involved (about 100) was quite small.

CIRM staff said that not all the money goes to the students. The institutions take a cut for "indirect costs." Additional funds are also used elsewhere rather than going directly to students.

CIRM has not yet identified the specific institutions that will receive the funds. But here are the number of the grant applications: Training program II, TG2-01155, TG2-01161; Bridges program, TB1-01181 70, TB1-01185 70, TB1-01183 68, TB1-01197 65, TB1-01188.

Summaries by number of the grant reviews for Training II can be found here.

Summaries for the Bridges grant reviews can be found here.

CIRM is expected to issue a news release later today with the names and more details.

Correction

An earlier version of the “Keirstead Leaves” item said that Hans Keirstead and CIRM Chairman Robert Klein briefed Congress on stem cell research last March. It was, in fact, another Robert Klein.