Backers of a $5.5 Billion California Stem Cell Measure Claim 915,000 Signatures, Ballot Qualification at Stake

The campaign to place a $5.5 billion, stem cell measure on the California ballot this fall says it has gathered more than enough signatures to bring it before voters. 

In response to questions from the California Stem Cell Report, a campaign spokeswoman said,

"In our last full week of signature gathering, we received 120,000 signatures, showing the tremendous support from California voters. With 915,000 signatures in hand and a new sign-from-home option that allows individuals to mail in their signatures, we’re confident that we will be able to gather the final signatures we need while, most importantly, keeping Californians safe." 

The proposal needs 623,212 valid signatures of registered voters to qualify. Because so many signatures are disqualified in the verification process, many more than the bare minimum are required. 

The next step is for the campaign to submit the signatures to election officials for verification, a process than can take a month or more under normal government operating conditions. 

The entire process has a deadline of June 15 to be completed.  

Campaign spokeswoman Sarah Melbostad said, "Voters can go to our website caforcures.com to sign the petition and ensure the continuation of treatments and cures that could save or improve the lives of millions."  

(Editor's note: An earlier item on this subject that was briefly up this afternoon  incorrectly said that the campaign had not responded to a question concerning the current number of signatures. That post has been deleted.)

California Pumps $5 Million into Search for Stem Cell Treatment for Covid-19

Coronavirus

California's stem cell agency, in an emergency action, has allocated $5 million for research into treatments for Covid-19 and set the deadline for the first applications for one week from today. 

The agency, formally known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), approved the funding last Friday during an emergency meeting of its governing board. 

In an item yesterday on the CIRM blog, Maria Millan, CEO and president, said,

"California researchers have made us aware that they are pursuing potential stem cell based approaches to the Covid-19 crisis, and we felt it was our responsibility to respond by doing all we can to support this research and doing so as quickly as we possibly can."

The agency set accelerated timetables for action, both by the agency and applicants. It said it would expect winning applicants to begin work within 30 days of being approved. 

CIRM's move comes as itself is facing a mortal financial threat. It was created by voters CIRM in 2004 with $3 billion. It is now down to its last $27 million and is hoping voters will approve $5.5 billion more via a proposal that is yet to qualify for the November ballot. Otherwise CIRM's doors will begin to close in the fall. 

Presumably, billions of private and public dollars are already pouring globally into the search for various aspects of Covid-19, so the $5 million is a relatively tiny amount. CIRM has developed a speedy process, however, for bringing funds to bear on research and is acting to accelerate that even further. 

Jonathan Thomas, chairman of the CIRM board, said, 

"The coronavirus is creating an unprecedented threat to all of us and, as one of the leading players in regenerative medicine, we are committed to doing all we can to develop the tools and promote the research that will help us respond to that threat." 

The campaign to qualify the $5.5 billion initiative for the ballot released a statement heralding the action by CIRM. Robert Klein, the Palo Alto real estate developer behind both the original ballot measure and this year's funding initiative for CIRM, said, 

"The investment by California’s stem cell institute to combat Covid-19 highlights the remarkable potential of this research and therapy development to impact the lives of every Californian. ...We urge Californians to think back on this moment, when they decide the fate of future life-saving stem cell discoveries and treatments come November."

The campaign said 10 days ago that it has suspended the gathering of signatures. It is not clear whether it has enough to qualify for the fall ballot. More than 600,000 valid signatures are required. 

Here are links to additional CIRM information on its Covid-19 program:

• Concept statement
• Application information and timetables
• Presentation slides from last week's meeting
• CIRM's news release

Covid-19 Break for California Stem Cell Report

The California Stem Cell Report, at least this writer, has tested positive for covid-19.  The symptoms are such that it makes it make difficult to compose even short postings. We are following the usual precautions and hope to return to regular publication soon.

California's $5.5 Billion Stem Cell Initiative: Signature Gathering Suspended Due to Coronavirus

Backers of a $5.5 billion stem cell research initiative in California have suspended their efforts to gather signatures to place it on the November ballot, but are expressing confidence that the proposal will qualify.  

In response to questions from the California Stem Cell Report, the campaign said it had run afoul of statewide bans on public gatherings. Voter signatures on petitions to place the initiative on the ballot generally require small gatherings in public places. 

The proposal is intended to refinance the California stem cell agency, which has spent nearly all of the $3 billion it was provided by voters in 2004. It will begin to close its doors next fall unless more funding is provided. 

Sarah Melbostad, a spokeswoman for Californians for Stem Cell Research, released a statement that said, 

"In keeping with the governor’s statewide order for non-essential businesses to close and residents to remain at home, we’ve suspended all signature gathering for the time being."

The statement continued, 

"We’re proud of our team and proud of the promising and significant number of signatures we’ve gathered to date – demonstrating strong support amongst voters. We’re confident that we still have time to qualify and plan to proceed accordingly."

To qualify for the ballot, the valid signatures of 623,212 registered voters are needed. Large numbers of signatures are usually disqualified during the certification process. So tens of thousands of signatures or more beyond the minimum are invariably necessary. 

The campaign originally expected to have the signatures gathered by the end of April. The campaign did not respond to a question concerning the number of signatures that it has on hand now. 

The California Stem Cell Report understands that petition circulation companies throughout the state are calling in their signatures next week. At that point, reliable figures may be available. The halt to signature gathering affects other potential ballot measures this fall. 

Here is the full text of the campaign's statement:

"In keeping with the Governor’s statewide order for non-essential businesses to close and residents to remain at home, we’ve suspended all signature gathering for the time being.

"As the COVID-19 issue is updating daily, if not hourly, we at the campaign are monitoring the situation very closely and will comply with all statewide, regional and local ordinances.

"We’re proud of our team and proud of the promising and significant number of signatures we’ve gathered to date – demonstrating strong support amongst voters.

"We’re confident that we still have time to qualify and plan to proceed accordingly.

"When faced with this current situation, we’re reminded every day how important this initiative is to save and improve the lives of millions of Californians living with chronic diseases and conditions, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, kidney disease and more."

Coronavirus Fallout: New and Bigger Hurdles Now Face $5.5 Billion California Stem Cell Measure

California's intensifying battle against the coronavirus is creating ever larger obstacles and uncertainty concerning the proposed $5.5 billion ballot initiative to refinance the state's stem cell research program, which is running out of money.

The new, statewide ban on public gatherings is certain to hamper the gathering of the 600,000-plus signatures needed to place the measure on the November ballot. No one knows how long that ban will be in place. Signature gathering in California largely occurs in public places using paid workers. 

The financial fallout from the crisis also raises questions about whether funds can be raised to support the petition drive -- not to mention a fall ballot campaign that could cost in the neighborhood of $50 million. The usual contributors to such an effort are likely to feel financially squeezed, plus they may be refocusing on new and higher priorities dealing with health care, if they have cash they are willing to contribute.

The impact of the coronavirus crisis has already knocked off one ballot measure in Palo Alto, a wealthy Silicon Valley enclave.  The school board there this week removed a $16-million-a-year property tax measure from its May ballot.  An article in the Palo Alto Daily Post said, 

"'In order to do even a high-polling ballot initiative … the committee doing it needs to have a certain amount of resources, including money raised and feet on the street,' (school) trustee Melissa Baten-Caswell said. 'It is really not conceivable that they’re going to have enough to run the rest of the campaign in this time frame.'

The financial squeeze is also being reported nationally. Some big national political donors backed the measure that created the stem cell program 15 years ago.  Politico wrote just this morning,

"Campaigns across the country have canceled face-to-face fundraisers for the foreseeable future and are scrambling to figure out how to raise enough money to stay solvent. Big donors' stock portfolios are tanking. And small-dollar, online contributors — who have never been more important to campaigns — are facing sudden financial uncertainty and the real possibility of unemployment."

Backers of the $5.5 billion stem cell initiative have until June 15 to complete the qualification process, which goes beyond simply gathering signatures. They must be verified by election officials as valid signatures of registered voters which can take some time. 

The campaign had expected to submit more than enough signatures by late April. The California Stem Cell Report has queried the campaign for comment, but has received none. 

The stem cell agency, known formally as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), was created in 2004 by voters with $3 billion in funding. It is now down to it last $27 million for awards.