Here are some links to information related to the CIRM biotech loan proposal.
Transcript of the Aug. 13, 2008, meeting of the CIRM board of directors.
Biotech loan policy document for Aug. 13, 2008, directors meeting.
Biotech terms and policy May 6, 2008, version
PriceWaterhouseCoopers report-(three parts)
Benchmarking analysis
Loan financial model
Loan model scenarios
Transcripts of the Biotech Loan Task Force
Transcript of Finance Subcommittee June 19, 2008, which dealt with size of loans and possible conflicts of interest
Agendas of the Biotech Loan Task Force
The agendas have links to additional documents dealing with the plan.
Monday, September 15, 2008
A Theatrical Trounson Appearance in San Francisco
"A sharp and generous comedy, for our times, on roller skates," it's been called. So what does it have to do with the $3 billion California stem cell agency. The answer: The author of the play is Kylie Trounson(see photo), daughter of Alan Trounson, who presides over the Golden State's research effort.
The play, "The Man with the September Face," will premiere in the United States at the Boxcar Playhouse in San Francisco for one night Friday at 7 p.m. A reception will follow the staged reading.
One Australian writer said this about the play,
"The decadent but vacuous nature of the Eighties aesthetic is a rich platform for investigating our existential artist, Jesse, languishing in a suburban intellectual and political wasteland. In synch with the Berlin Wall, he finally crumbles. "Kylie Trounson is a playwright, actor and teaches drama and acting.
If I were a CIRM staffer, I would be sure to attend this event. It would be the politic thing to do.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Biotech Loan Plan Up Again on Saturday
Followers of the biotech loan proposal from the California stem cell agency will have a another chance later this week to make suggestions and hear the latest permutations in the $500 million or so effort.
The CIRM directors' Finance Subcommittee canceled last week's hearing and rescheduled it for this Saturday. The agenda remains the same as we discussed earlier. And there is still no further explanation of the cryptic topics on the agenda.
As we mentioned previously, if you have something at stake in biotech loan program, now is the time to weigh in. It is likely to come up later this month at the directors' meeting, but that is a less propitious venue for making an impact. Teleconference locations are available in Northern and Southern California.
The CIRM directors' Finance Subcommittee canceled last week's hearing and rescheduled it for this Saturday. The agenda remains the same as we discussed earlier. And there is still no further explanation of the cryptic topics on the agenda.
As we mentioned previously, if you have something at stake in biotech loan program, now is the time to weigh in. It is likely to come up later this month at the directors' meeting, but that is a less propitious venue for making an impact. Teleconference locations are available in Northern and Southern California.
Whale Shark Nursery
The California Stem Cell Report is now being produced from Bahia de Los Angeles, a lovely, large bay in Baja California on the Sea of Cortez. The area is remote. It only gained regular electricity last year. Previously the village of perhaps 800 persons received electrical power from a huge, throbbing diesel generator that was shut off every night at 10. The town then went completely dark. Satellite phone and Internet service came in several years ago as a result of a special Mexican government program to help isolated communities. Cellular service does not exist. Currently the only Internet link – a rather slow one -- is via an Internet cafe, which requires a dinghy ride to shore and a one-mile walk in 100 degree heat.
As for those whale sharks, during this time of year, juvenile whale sharks swim slowly on the surface of the water in the southern part of the bay, feeding on creatures that they filter through their huge mouths. About 25-feet long, they are oblivious to people and boats and have no known natural enemies. As the water cools, the youngsters leave the bay and migrate to parts unknown where they reportedly grow to 50 feet or more.
As for those whale sharks, during this time of year, juvenile whale sharks swim slowly on the surface of the water in the southern part of the bay, feeding on creatures that they filter through their huge mouths. About 25-feet long, they are oblivious to people and boats and have no known natural enemies. As the water cools, the youngsters leave the bay and migrate to parts unknown where they reportedly grow to 50 feet or more.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Doing the Public's Business in Public
Consumer Watchdog's John Simpson usually spends his days tracking events at the California stem cell agency, but recently he attended a meeting of the Interstate Alliance on Stem Cell Research.
That group is even less well known than CIRM, which sometimes worries that its name does not tell the full story of a $3 billion California human embryonic stem cell research effort.(see item below)
The IASCR, as the alliance is known, indirectly grew out of Prop. 71, the ballot measure that created CIRM in 2004. The research effort in California spawned similar ones by other states, raising concerns about scientific and bureaucratic chaos in research standards.
Thinkers at the National Academy of Sciences and elsewhere decided that something must be done to keep everybody on sort of the same track. Otherwise research would be impaired. Thus the IASCR came about.
Earlier this week, Simpson participated in two days of meetings by the IASCR in Baltimore and reports that the meeting seemed to be a success. The group decided to develop a model form for states to use in helping to certify that stem cells have been ethically derived.
Simpson writes on his organization's blog that it was a good decision, one that was debated and decided in public. That is significant since Simpson a couple of years ago was kicked out of a meeting of the group in Irvine, Ca., despite an earlier invitation to attend.
The current openness of the IASCR is healthy, Simpson writes, and adds credibility to the organization and the entire stem cell research effort. We agree.
That group is even less well known than CIRM, which sometimes worries that its name does not tell the full story of a $3 billion California human embryonic stem cell research effort.(see item below)
The IASCR, as the alliance is known, indirectly grew out of Prop. 71, the ballot measure that created CIRM in 2004. The research effort in California spawned similar ones by other states, raising concerns about scientific and bureaucratic chaos in research standards.
Thinkers at the National Academy of Sciences and elsewhere decided that something must be done to keep everybody on sort of the same track. Otherwise research would be impaired. Thus the IASCR came about.
Earlier this week, Simpson participated in two days of meetings by the IASCR in Baltimore and reports that the meeting seemed to be a success. The group decided to develop a model form for states to use in helping to certify that stem cells have been ethically derived.
Simpson writes on his organization's blog that it was a good decision, one that was debated and decided in public. That is significant since Simpson a couple of years ago was kicked out of a meeting of the group in Irvine, Ca., despite an earlier invitation to attend.
The current openness of the IASCR is healthy, Simpson writes, and adds credibility to the organization and the entire stem cell research effort. We agree.
Friday, September 12, 2008
The CIRM Name Game; USC Goes First
The University of Southern California has become the first California institution to break ground on a stem cell research facility that is partially financed with some of the state's $3 billion in stem cell research funds.
Rattling around in the background is an extremely low profile discussion of naming protocols for structures financed by CIRM, including a comment from one CIRM director that she hates the term CIRM.
In case you missed the USC event, it occurred Sept. 4 with considerable institutional ballyhoo, but also some media coverage. The Los Angeles Times, which rarely writes about CIRM affairs despite being the largest newspaper in the state, recorded the ceremonies along with some television coverage, based on what can be found at the USC web site.
CIRM Chairman Robert Klein and CIRM President Alan Trounson were on hand (see USC photo above with Klein in tan suit and Trounson on far right) to heft two finely polished shovels. But the man of the hour was Eli Broad (the white-haired man next to the woman), whose foundation popped for $30 million for the facility, which will cost a total of $80 million. California taxpayers, via CIRM, added $27 million. USC said the remainder will come from other individuals and foundations.
The 80,000-square-foot structure will be formally called the Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, but it is impossible to tell right now how it will be referred to on a regular basis by its users.
CIRM has more than a casual interest in the naming of buildings it helps to finance. The stem cell agency requires that institutions secure the agency's approval. Don Gibbons, chief communications officer, told CIRM directors that the USC name will not be official until the directors approve it at their meeting later this month. The naming protocol is also of substantial interest to the institutions that want to recognize individuals or foundations that make hefty contributions, including ones that exceed CIRM funding.
Last month, Gibbons discussed the phrasing used by USC and also language proposed by UC Davis. UCD plans to use "California Institute for Regenerative Medicine" as a subscript on the name of its stem cell research lab.
On a straw vote last month, directors indicated that they favored both methods, but not before a brief discussion of whether CIRM is a "very good brand" or whether the "California Institute for Regenerative Medicine" is better. The question seemed to revolve around whether the public would understand that both names indicated that cash came from the California stem cell agency.
CIRM Director Joan Samuelson said the CIRM abbreviation had bothered her for a long time.She said,
"I hate the brand CIRM...It sounds like sperm."She said CIRM "means absolutely nothing to the public," which is financing the stem cell effort.
"CIRM just doesn't mean anything," Samuelson said, suggesting it would be "lovely" to name buildings after people who are suffering.
Our take: The public does not know what CIRM is, nor does it know what the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine is. High profile public recognition is not likely to occur short of a huge scandal or an incredible research breakthrough. The difficulty with both expressions is that neither says stem cell research. That is the main reason we initially refer in our items to the California stem cell agency. No confusion there.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Neptune's Follies
The California Stem Cell Report will be dark for a week or so as we begin another multi-day ocean passage in the Sea of Cortez. However, rather than sailing/motoring for 78 consecutive hours as we did previously, we will be dropping the hook overnight at remote anchorages along the eastern shore of Baja California. We have been requested by one reader to post a photo of our current location, which is in the mining town of Santa Rosalia. The image is of the 9-boat marina, which has seen better days. The docks feel like trampolines. Cockroaches play in the marina shower, scampering across your feet. The temperature is 100 degrees, and no air conditioning exists in our sailboat, which is located in the foreground with two black masts. The small outboard boats, also in the foreground, are used by workers at night to fish for squid, which they sell to a processing plant owned by the Moonies of South Korea.
CIRM Announces $60 Million Translational Grant Round
The California stem cell agency this week posted its request for applications for a $60 million grant round dubbed the Early Translational Research Awards.
CIRM is proposing to split $60 million among 10 recipients, who are required to make a three-year effort.
CIRM said the awards, which are open to both business and nonprofits, "are designed to move promising basic research in stem cell science toward the clinic."
It said,
CIRM is proposing to split $60 million among 10 recipients, who are required to make a three-year effort.
CIRM said the awards, which are open to both business and nonprofits, "are designed to move promising basic research in stem cell science toward the clinic."
It said,
"These awards will support two categories of projects including research that: 1) results in a development candidate that meets an unmet medical need; or 2) addresses a significant bottleneck in the translation of stem cell biology that hinders advancement of effective, novel cell therapies to the clinic."Letters of intent are required by Oct. 15, applications Nov. 20. Funding may come in the summer of 2009.
Friday, September 05, 2008
A Partial Case for a Deep Outside Look at CIRM
California patient advocate Don Reed has embarked on a letter-writing campaign to have the governor of the state veto legislation aimed at ensuring affordable access to taxpayer-financed stem cell therapies.
Of course, Reed, a longtime and effective advocate for stem cell research, does not see the legislation that way. In an appeal on his blog to the patient advocate community, he warns that SB1565 "intends to restructure" the board of directors of the $3 billion California stem cell research effort. With all due respect to Reed, he has overstated the case in a way that does not necessarily well-serve the best interests of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
His assertion is based on the measure's request for a study of CIRM by the state's bipartisan Little Hoover Commission. Even if the commission performs the study and recommends structural changes, their enactment is remote. They would have surmount a huge barrier, including possible alterations in the state Constitution. That would require a two-thirds vote in both house of the legislature and a vote of the people.
Reed's latest outpouring against the legislation embodies in some ways the deep-seated concerns among some stem cell advocates that somehow CIRM could be thwarted. Many supporters of the state research effort are wary of any public scrutiny of the agency. They are blind to blemishes. They regard any evaluation or analysis of the effort as destructive. The true believers also sometimes seem to be bent on funding hESC research regardless of whether the state of California benefits significantly from the expenditure of $6 billion in public funds, including interest.
Prop. 71 created the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The ballot measure was not hammered out in a public process. It was written behind closed doors with no public input. It was put before the people because someone ponied up $1 million-plus to gather the necessary signatures to place it on the ballot. The initiative placed representatives of the beneficiaries of the $3 billion in grants in control of the rules for giving away the money, a built-in conflict-of-interest that naturally raises concerns. Prop. 71 also created difficulties that have repeatedly hampered CIRM's operations, including an unusual quorum arrangement that forced directors last month to fill out their panel by picking a member from the audience. All of which is legal under Prop. 71. And then there is the dual executive arrangement that helped to create unhealthy management tension early on.
All public agencies need and deserve outside scrutiny. It is one of the basic principles of American government and is embodied in the concept of checks and balances amid the three branches of government. CIRM operates largely without those checks. For all practical purposes, it is free from fiddling by the executive or legislative branches of California government.
CIRM is an extraordinary experiment, unprecedented in California history. Some believe it could serve as a model for successfully tackling other difficult social problems. It is important that it be successful, fulfilling its mission efficiently and in a manner that recognizes its first responsibility is to the public – not the scientific community, not patient advocates and not industry. They are all exceedingly important constituencies, but CIRM is first a public endeavor. If CIRM is perceived to be under the control of those groups, its credibility will be damaged. Public trust can be mercurial. It can easily vanish overnight, and the whole field of hESC research can become besmirched.
Corporations regularly pay hundreds of thousands of dollars – if not millions – to outside consultants to analyze and critique their operations as they strive to remain efficient and competitive. The Little Hoover Commission will basically do the same job for free for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. CIRM should welcome the commission and use the opportunity to build support for making some of the difficult changes that could make it more successful in its mission.
Of course, Reed, a longtime and effective advocate for stem cell research, does not see the legislation that way. In an appeal on his blog to the patient advocate community, he warns that SB1565 "intends to restructure" the board of directors of the $3 billion California stem cell research effort. With all due respect to Reed, he has overstated the case in a way that does not necessarily well-serve the best interests of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
His assertion is based on the measure's request for a study of CIRM by the state's bipartisan Little Hoover Commission. Even if the commission performs the study and recommends structural changes, their enactment is remote. They would have surmount a huge barrier, including possible alterations in the state Constitution. That would require a two-thirds vote in both house of the legislature and a vote of the people.
Reed's latest outpouring against the legislation embodies in some ways the deep-seated concerns among some stem cell advocates that somehow CIRM could be thwarted. Many supporters of the state research effort are wary of any public scrutiny of the agency. They are blind to blemishes. They regard any evaluation or analysis of the effort as destructive. The true believers also sometimes seem to be bent on funding hESC research regardless of whether the state of California benefits significantly from the expenditure of $6 billion in public funds, including interest.
Prop. 71 created the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The ballot measure was not hammered out in a public process. It was written behind closed doors with no public input. It was put before the people because someone ponied up $1 million-plus to gather the necessary signatures to place it on the ballot. The initiative placed representatives of the beneficiaries of the $3 billion in grants in control of the rules for giving away the money, a built-in conflict-of-interest that naturally raises concerns. Prop. 71 also created difficulties that have repeatedly hampered CIRM's operations, including an unusual quorum arrangement that forced directors last month to fill out their panel by picking a member from the audience. All of which is legal under Prop. 71. And then there is the dual executive arrangement that helped to create unhealthy management tension early on.
All public agencies need and deserve outside scrutiny. It is one of the basic principles of American government and is embodied in the concept of checks and balances amid the three branches of government. CIRM operates largely without those checks. For all practical purposes, it is free from fiddling by the executive or legislative branches of California government.
CIRM is an extraordinary experiment, unprecedented in California history. Some believe it could serve as a model for successfully tackling other difficult social problems. It is important that it be successful, fulfilling its mission efficiently and in a manner that recognizes its first responsibility is to the public – not the scientific community, not patient advocates and not industry. They are all exceedingly important constituencies, but CIRM is first a public endeavor. If CIRM is perceived to be under the control of those groups, its credibility will be damaged. Public trust can be mercurial. It can easily vanish overnight, and the whole field of hESC research can become besmirched.
Corporations regularly pay hundreds of thousands of dollars – if not millions – to outside consultants to analyze and critique their operations as they strive to remain efficient and competitive. The Little Hoover Commission will basically do the same job for free for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. CIRM should welcome the commission and use the opportunity to build support for making some of the difficult changes that could make it more successful in its mission.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Big Money Issues Come Up Next Week at CIRM
A key panel of directors of the California stem cell agency next week will tackle three hefty financial topics, ranging from its proposed $500 million biotech loan program to the amount of money available for grants and loans.
No details of what is to be considered are yet available on the CIRM website for the Sept. 12 meeting of the Finance Subcommittee. But here is the text of the three items to be considered: "Consideration of portfolio policies for CIRM Loan Program," "Consideration of business review processes for CIRM Loan Program" and "Informational presentation on CIRM program budget and funds available for research grants and loans."
The meeting will take place at CIRM headquarters in San Francisco with teleconference locations in Menlo Park, La Jolla, Irvine and Berkeley.
If you have any interest in the biotech loan program, this is a meeting that you should attend at any of the locations(addresses on the agenda). Comments and suggestions can be made at the teleconference locations. If you have specific recommendations, send a letter as soon as possible to CIRM, explaining them and their rationale in detail.
The latest discussion of the biotech loan program can be found in the transcript of the August directors meeting.
No details of what is to be considered are yet available on the CIRM website for the Sept. 12 meeting of the Finance Subcommittee. But here is the text of the three items to be considered: "Consideration of portfolio policies for CIRM Loan Program," "Consideration of business review processes for CIRM Loan Program" and "Informational presentation on CIRM program budget and funds available for research grants and loans."
The meeting will take place at CIRM headquarters in San Francisco with teleconference locations in Menlo Park, La Jolla, Irvine and Berkeley.
If you have any interest in the biotech loan program, this is a meeting that you should attend at any of the locations(addresses on the agenda). Comments and suggestions can be made at the teleconference locations. If you have specific recommendations, send a letter as soon as possible to CIRM, explaining them and their rationale in detail.
The latest discussion of the biotech loan program can be found in the transcript of the August directors meeting.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
California Lawmakers Make Stem Cell History
Another first has been scored in the brief history of California's unique and unprecedented, $3 billion stem cell research effort. For the first time, California lawmakers have passed legislation that would affect the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, a tiny state agency that functions largely outside of the control of both the governor and the state Legislature. CIRM was deliberately created that way through an initiative measure passed by voters in 2004. No lawmakers or other elected officials had a say in its contents.
The complex proposal, Prop. 71, set an extremely high bar against tinkering in its operations by the legislature. The ballot measure required a 70 percent vote of both houses to pass legislation that would affect CIRM – a super, supermajority vote that does not exist for any other bill. Even the state budget requires only a two-thirds vote. That hurdle has been so difficult to clear that California is now deadlocked in a record-setting, two-month long budget crisis.
Nonetheless, lawmakers last week sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a bill – SB1565 – by Sens. Sheila Kuehl(see photo), D-Santa Monica, and George Runner, R-Antelope Valley, designed to ensure affordable access to stem cell therapies developed as a result of state funding. The bill was opposed by CIRM, industry and some patient advocates. They complained about its lack of flexibility, economic impediments and a change that would make it easier to fund research that was not based on human embryonic stem cells.
Kuehl said the bill is needed because Prop. 71 "lacks any provisions" to ensure that poor and uninsured Californians will be able to receive state-funded therapies at "the best available prices." She is joined by a raft of supporters included health access groups, retired persons, nurses and others.
The governor has until Sept. 30 to act on the bill. Otherwise it will go into effect without his signature. He could veto it. An override of the veto would seem remote even though the bill passed overwhelmingly. No negative votes were recorded until the measure hit the Assembly and then only a handful. It finally went to the governor after the Senate on Aug. 29 concurred, 37-1, in Assembly amendments.
Schwarzenegger has been a good friend of the stem cell agency and has garnered considerable favorable publicity touting it as a model for a way to get things done. Our bet is that he will veto the bill, but we could be wrong.
(Editor's note: The governor has pledged to veto any bill that comes his way until the budget crisis is resolved. However, he has breached that promise several times already. But his pledge could be good political cover for a veto if he chooses to use it. That also assumes no budget will be in place by Sept. 30.)
The Hunt for Stem Cell Gold
The California stem cell agency next week will provide tips to scientists and others prospecting for some of the $3 billion in research funding that the state is handing out.
Two days of briefings are planned – one in San Francisco on Sept. 11 and the other in San Diego on Sept. 12.
The sessions are targeted at private businesses but are likely to be useful for academicians as well. CIRM says it will "discuss ways to increase chances of successfully submitting a grant to CIRM." It will also discuss the agency's intellectual property regulations and explain them for private sector attorneys, executives and scientists.
These are must-attend meetings if you want to be serious about securing a CIRM grant.
Two days of briefings are planned – one in San Francisco on Sept. 11 and the other in San Diego on Sept. 12.
The sessions are targeted at private businesses but are likely to be useful for academicians as well. CIRM says it will "discuss ways to increase chances of successfully submitting a grant to CIRM." It will also discuss the agency's intellectual property regulations and explain them for private sector attorneys, executives and scientists.
These are must-attend meetings if you want to be serious about securing a CIRM grant.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Hook Down
Well not exactly. The anchor is still in its roller, but we have come to rest in a rickety marina about midway up the Sea of Cortez in a community called Santa Rosalia. The town has some fame as the site of an iron church reportedly designed by Gustave Eiffel of Eiffel Tower fame. It was constructed for an exposition in France in the 1880s and then dismantled and ultimately shipped to Baja California, where a French company was conducting copper mining operations. Some skeptics contend that the church may not have been designed by Eiffel, but those folks dare not show their face here.
We will be posting some fresh stuff on California stem cell matters after we work our way through nearly 150 emails and other related news.
We will be posting some fresh stuff on California stem cell matters after we work our way through nearly 150 emails and other related news.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Hoisting Anchor
As many of you know, the California Stem Cell Report is produced from a sailboat that cruises the west coast of Mexico. Sometimes, such as today, we actually get to sail. We are departing Mazatlan for a multi-day passage north into the Sea of Cortez. Until we reach our next port, we will not have any further posts. Look for some fresh stuff in about a week or so. We would like to be more definite, but sailing is a pursuit that depends on many conditions totally out of our control.
Fallout From Disclosure of the CIRM 18
Alan Trounson, president of the California stem cell agency, has sent a letter concerning disclosure of the names of 18 companies who expressed an interest in applying for grants from the $3 billion research program.
Trounson wrote the letter to the companies after Consumer Watchdog revealed the names that CIRM had attempted to keep confidential as part of its pseudo policy of secrecy. Pseudo because CIRM chooses to keep some names secret and reveal others. And many of its public grant review summaries contain enough information that any reasonably well-informed person can determine the identity of the applicant should he or she want to make the effort.
In his letter, Trounson expressed regret about the disclosure and said that CIRM has issued a "reminder" concerning its confidentiality policies.
John M. Simpson, stem cell project director for Consumer Watchdog, published a copy of Trounson's letter on Tuesday. Simpson commented:
Trounson wrote the letter to the companies after Consumer Watchdog revealed the names that CIRM had attempted to keep confidential as part of its pseudo policy of secrecy. Pseudo because CIRM chooses to keep some names secret and reveal others. And many of its public grant review summaries contain enough information that any reasonably well-informed person can determine the identity of the applicant should he or she want to make the effort.
In his letter, Trounson expressed regret about the disclosure and said that CIRM has issued a "reminder" concerning its confidentiality policies.
John M. Simpson, stem cell project director for Consumer Watchdog, published a copy of Trounson's letter on Tuesday. Simpson commented:
"From what I've heard, representatives of companies on the list are talking with each other about why it was only one of the 18 companies, Novocell, received an award. They're comparing notes about the grant review process and how they feel it was biased against for-profit entities.
"There's a good chance they will work together as a group and take their concerns to the stem cell oversight committee, possibly as early as its September meeting.
"See what happens when a little light shines in?"
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
SB1565: CIRM Hopes Now Rest with Arnold
The California stem cell agency will be looking to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to gallop to its rescue and veto legislation aimed at ensuring affordable access to state-financed stem cell therapies.
The bill cleared the Assembly on Monday, 64-7, and now is only one step away from hitting the governor's desk. It will only take Senate concurrence in Assembly amendments to send the measure, SB1565 by Sens. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, and George Runner, R-Antelope Valley, to the governor.
So far the governor has not taken a position on the legislation, although he has been a friend indeed to the stem cell research program. A couple of years ago when CIRM was in financial straits, he loaned it $150 million, which has since been repaid with the state bond funds that finance CIRM's efforts. On more than one occasion, he has cited CIRM as evidence of doing good, both economically and scientifically.
CIRM and industry groups object to Kuehl's bill because it would lock into state law requirements that the agency contends would hamstring it in connection with negotiations with biotech companies. CIRM also objects to a provision that would lower a barrier to the funding of non-embryonic stem cell research.
Reporter Ron Leuty of the San Francisco Business Times wrote about the provision last month, noting that it was inserted at the request of the conservative Runner, who opposes to human embryonic stem cell research.
Leuty quoted Jeff Sheehy, a member of the CIRM board of directors, as saying,
One could speculate that the CIRM legislation could get caught in that battle. Schwarzenegger needs some Republican votes for a budget. Perhaps he could generate a couple by signing the legislation, arguing that he is acting to support stem cell research that does not destroy human life.
The possibility may be remote but stranger things have been done under the dome. And lawmakers and the governor are desperate to find a solution to the budget crisis.
The bill cleared the Assembly on Monday, 64-7, and now is only one step away from hitting the governor's desk. It will only take Senate concurrence in Assembly amendments to send the measure, SB1565 by Sens. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, and George Runner, R-Antelope Valley, to the governor.
So far the governor has not taken a position on the legislation, although he has been a friend indeed to the stem cell research program. A couple of years ago when CIRM was in financial straits, he loaned it $150 million, which has since been repaid with the state bond funds that finance CIRM's efforts. On more than one occasion, he has cited CIRM as evidence of doing good, both economically and scientifically.
CIRM and industry groups object to Kuehl's bill because it would lock into state law requirements that the agency contends would hamstring it in connection with negotiations with biotech companies. CIRM also objects to a provision that would lower a barrier to the funding of non-embryonic stem cell research.
Reporter Ron Leuty of the San Francisco Business Times wrote about the provision last month, noting that it was inserted at the request of the conservative Runner, who opposes to human embryonic stem cell research.
Leuty quoted Jeff Sheehy, a member of the CIRM board of directors, as saying,
"We may be handing a political victory to people opposed to human embryonic stem cell research that hasn’t been earned and that isn’t supported by the science."The issue, however, is of little notice in the Capitol, where lawmakers and the governor are embroiled in a nearly two-month stalemate that has become the California budget crisis. The governor has ordered the layoff of 10,000 state employees and seeks to cut the pay of 200,000 state employees to the federal minimum hourly wage of $6.55 until a budget is passed. The spending measure is being blocked by Republicans, who can do so because it requires a two-thirds vote.
One could speculate that the CIRM legislation could get caught in that battle. Schwarzenegger needs some Republican votes for a budget. Perhaps he could generate a couple by signing the legislation, arguing that he is acting to support stem cell research that does not destroy human life.
The possibility may be remote but stranger things have been done under the dome. And lawmakers and the governor are desperate to find a solution to the budget crisis.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Consumer Watchdog: Some CIRM Directors Missing Work and Should Resign
Five directors of the $3 billion California stem cell agency have missed 60 percent or more of its board meetings this year, the Consumer Watchdog group reported today, declaring that there is "no excuse for flagrant absenteeism."
John M. Simpson, stem cell project director for the Santa Monica, Ca., group, said directors who cannot attend meetings should resign.
Simpson disclosed the attendance performance in a news release after doing an analysis of meeting records since 2006 of the board of directors, which is known as the ICOC.
Here is key paragraph on this year's attendance, which includes names, affiliation and designated slot occupied on the board.
CIRM has been plagued since its inception by attendance and quorum problems, making it difficult to complete its official business. Part of the problem exists because of Prop. 71 language that requires a two-thirds quorum instead a simple majority of the 29-member board. Simpson said his analysis understates the attendance problem because a member is marked present if he or she attends only part of a session. On occasion, some directors seem to be fleeing for the exits in the waning hours of two-day meetings as they try catch planes, we have observed. Simpson wrote:
John M. Simpson, stem cell project director for the Santa Monica, Ca., group, said directors who cannot attend meetings should resign.
Simpson disclosed the attendance performance in a news release after doing an analysis of meeting records since 2006 of the board of directors, which is known as the ICOC.
Here is key paragraph on this year's attendance, which includes names, affiliation and designated slot occupied on the board.
"The worst attendance records for the five meetings this year, according to ICOC minutes, are: Marsha Chandler, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Salk Institute, an executive from a California Research Institute (20 percent); Jonathan Shestack, founder & vice president, Cure Autism Now, patient advocate mental health (20 percent); Tina S. Nova, president and CEO of Genoptix, executive officer of a commercial life science entity (40 percent) and Marcy Feit, president and CEO Valley Care Health Systems, patient advocate Type II Diabetes, (40 percent)."Also absent from 100 percent of meetings this year is John Reed of the Burnham Institute, who has recused himself during a state investigation into conflict of interest violations involving Reed's attempt to influence CIRM staff on a grant application.
CIRM has been plagued since its inception by attendance and quorum problems, making it difficult to complete its official business. Part of the problem exists because of Prop. 71 language that requires a two-thirds quorum instead a simple majority of the 29-member board. Simpson said his analysis understates the attendance problem because a member is marked present if he or she attends only part of a session. On occasion, some directors seem to be fleeing for the exits in the waning hours of two-day meetings as they try catch planes, we have observed. Simpson wrote:
"At this month’s ICOC meeting Chairman Bob Klein was urging members to act quickly because the board would lose a quorum in 25 minutes. That’s no way to make substantive decisions affecting a $6 billion (including interest) program."Simpson said,
"Patients hoping for stem cell cures rightly expect 100 percent commitment by board members. If they can’t do that, the fair thing for everyone is to step aside."Here is Simpson's complete attendance tally by member or alternate beginning in 2006:
"Ricardo Azziz — 14 of 14 — 100 percent
"David Baltimore — 10 of 10 — 100 percent
"Robert Birgeneau — 16 of 18 — 89 percent
"Keith L. Black — 2 of 2 — 100 percent
"Floyd Bloom — 6 of 6 — 100 percent
"David Brenner — 11 of 11 — 100 percent
"Susan Bryant — 17 of 18 — 94 percent
"Marsha Chandler — 3 of 7 — 43 percent
"Marcy Feit — 12 of 18 — 67 percent
"Michael Friedman — 15 of 18 — 83 percent
"Leeza Gibbons — 5 of 6 — 83 percent
"Michael Goldberg — 13 of 18 — 72 percent
"Brian E. Henderson — 14 of 15 — 93 percent
"Edward Holmes — 4 of 6 — 67 percent
"David Kessler — 10 of 13 — 77 percent
"Robert Klein — 18 of 18 — 100 percent
"Sherry Lansing — 16 of 18 — 89 percent
"Gerald Levey — 11 of 18 — 61 percent
"Ted Love — 15 of 18 — 83 percent
"Richard Murphy — 5 of 10 — 50 percent
"Tina Nova — 10 of 18 — 56 percent
"Ed Penhoet — 16 of 18 — 89 percent
"Philip Pizzo — 17 of 18 --- 94 percent
"Claire Pomeroy — 17 of 18 — 94 percent
"Francisco Prieto — 15 of 18 — 83 percent
"John Reed — 9 of 18 — 50 percent (Recused himself during ethics probe)
"Duane Roth — 16 of 16 — 100 percent
"Joan Samuelson — 12 of 18 — 67 percent
"David Serrano Sewell — 15 of 18 — 83 percent
"Jeff Sheehy — 15 of 18 — 83 percent
"Jonathan Shestack — 5 of 18 — 28 percent
"Oswald Steward — 16 of 18 — 89 percent
"Leon Thal — 6 of 6 — 100 percent
"Janet Wright — 15 of 15 — 100 percent."
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