Tough Editorial Calls for Rejection of $5.5 Billion Stem Cell Measure; Therapies Have not Materialized

 A hard-hitting editorial this morning ripped this fall's $5.5 billion ballot measure to refinance the California stem cell agency, declaring that the proposal was unnecessary and "out of the question."

The article appeared online in the the San Jose Mercury News and the East Bay Times in the San Francisco Bay Area. It declared: 

"Long-term, sustained funding was never the intent when California voters passed Proposition 71 in 2004, authorizing the state issuance of $3 billion of bonds for stem-cell research....

"It’s time for California’s stem-cell agency to continue its work as a self-sustaining non-profit or close down and allow federal grants and private business to push the industry forward."

The editorial on Proposition 14 was the toughest of the four that have surfaced so far, going point by point through expectations aroused by the campaign of 2004 and CIRM's performance since then. 

On the state vs. federal research, the editorial said,

"Finding therapies for devastating diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes should be primarily the federal government’s responsibility."

On theoretical cost savings running as high as $1.1 trillion, it said,

"If those eye-popping, speculative estimates sound familiar, they should. Prop. 14 supporters made similar suggestions in 2004. But 16 years later the savings and life-saving therapies have not materialized."

On financial returns to the state, the editorial said, 

"In 2004, overzealous promoters of Prop. 71 said the state could expect as much as $1.1 billion in royalties from stem-cell research within 35 years. But, so far, the independent Legislative Analyst Office’s reports the state’s stem-cell efforts have provided just $350,000 in royalties."

On conflicts of interest, it said, 

"Prop. 14 does little to eliminate that ethical issue. If anything, it makes it worse by adding an additional six members to its board without substantially altering the selection criteria. Don’t look for elected state officials to provide the needed oversight. Prop. 14 prevents the Legislature from making any amendments to the law without a 70% vote of approval from both the state Senate and Assembly."

The editorial concluded, 

"California’s stem-cell research effort does not merit another $5.5 billion investment of state taxpayer funds. Vote no on Prop. 14."

Read the California Stem Cell Report regularly for the latest and most in-depth coverage of the effort to save the California stem cell agency from financial extinction. 

 

Fresh Media Endorsements of Proposition 14: Two Against, One in Favor

Two more media outlets this week took positions on Proposition 14, the $5.5 billion ballot initiative that would save the California stem cell agency from financial extinction. 

One outlet recommended approval. The other did not. 

The Orange County Register came down on the negative side. It declared, 

"For one thing, times have changed and the original rationale — California doing what the feds wouldn’t — is no longer applicable. For another, private enterprise has taken a bigger interest and stepped up research in this field. 

For another, Prop. 14 doesn’t resolve a longstanding lack of oversight and accountability. And finally, imposing new costs on residents is hardly merited when most are struggling....Stem cell research will go on, CIRM or no CIRM. No on Prop. 14."

The editorial did not mention that UC Irvine, which is in its circulation area, has received $125 million from the agency. 

The Bay Area Reporter, which serves the San Francisco area LBGTQ community, said, 

"Continuing medical research is vital. While CIRM board member Jeff Sheehy, a gay man who's a former San Francisco supervisor, has been quoted as saying he is 'troubled' by the proposal because he thinks it might oversell potential benefits of stem cell research, Robert Klein, the real estate investment banker who spearheaded the 2004 initiative, has created an accessibility and affordability working group. The state needs to continue this research."

News media positions on the measure now total three. The Bakersfield Californian is the third. It is recommending a no vote. 

(CIRM, of course, is the anacronym for the official name of the stem cell agency.)

Need Money? California Stem Cell Agency Offering Cash for Clinical Stage Proposals

 Want to be one of the last researchers in the Golden State to get cash from the $3 billion California stem cell agency?

That's a possibility if you act before Aug. 31. The agency has reopened its clinical trial stage round and has issued a special call for proposals.  The agency is running out of money and is hoping that voters will provide $5.5 billion more by approving Proposition 14 on the fall ballot. 

But it has enough left that to be able to finance two proposals in this area. The agency said in an announcement, 

"The objective of this program announcement is to create a highly competitive partnering opportunity to accelerate the completion of a clinical trial for a promising stem or progenitor cell-based treatment that addresses an unmet medical need. 

"Under this program, CIRM will act not only as a funding agency, but will also devote significant internal resources and leverage its external team of world-class subject matter experts to actively advance the project. The result of a successful application will be the formation of a true partnership that both accelerates the program and gives it the greatest opportunity for success."

For more information see here. 

Voting on Life or Death for California Stem Cell Agency Begins in October -- Not November

Don't be fooled by the talk about an election in November. Voting on the $5.5 billion stem cell bond measure, Proposition 14, actually begins early in October -- not Nov. 3. 

That is a critical fact of life for the campaign on behalf of the measure. With voting starting in October, backers and opponents will have to persuade voters early.  Late October or Nov. 3 will be too late to capture the votes of millions. 

It is not as if the folks in the mainstream media are trying to deceive when they refer to the November date. The first Tuesday in November has long been a traditional election day in presidential races. But it is the final day for voting -- not the only one -- something that is well known to political professionals. 

It is especially important this year because all 20 million or so registered voters in California are scheduled to receive their ballots by mail -- not just those who have previously signed up for absentee ballots. 

That means that many voters will be casting their ballots in less than two short months -- not three -- and making their decisions on whether the California stem cell agency should live or die. The agency is running out of its original $3 billion and will begin closing its doors this fall if Proposition 14 fails. 

Quote of the Day

 “I realized early on that when you deal in the heady company of presidents, cabinet secretaries and members of Congress and are asked for advice, you must be prepared to disappoint people with the truth and risk never getting asked back into the inner circle. I accepted that concept. Science is truth, and as a scientist I told the truth.” -- Anthony Fauci, in a speech accepting 2007 Lasker Award, as quoted by UC Davis medical student Samantha Wong in her prize-winning essay, "Science as a Voice of Reason."