Little Hoover: Reform Calif. stem cell agency - San Francisco Business Times:

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The on Friday released its full andurged Gov. Arnolds Schwarzenegger and the Legislature to make changesw to theSan Francisco-based , whichg was set up when voters in 2004 approved Propositionj 71. CIRM has been the focus of both optimismj and criticismsince Prop. 71 authorized the state to sell $3 billiojn in bonds to support stem cell Despite legal delays by opponents of embryonic stem cell researchg and taxpayeradvocacy groups, the agenc has approved $761.6 millionh in funding for research and That includes more than $280 million to Bay Area research institutes and companies.
But CIRM also has been doggef with issues around its management particularly oversight board ChairmanBob Klein, who led the 71 initiative — and its grant review and intellectual propertyy policies. In its report, the Little Hoovef Commission said muchof Prop. 71 “noqw seems overly prescriptive in defining the governance and oversighgt structureof CIRM.” • Reduce the size of CIRM’w oversight board to 15 from 29.
• Chang the makeup of the board to allow more independent voices with five patienty advocates from unspecified disease two independentbusiness leaders, two independent scientistsd with no ties to CIRM-funded institutions, two Universit y of California officials, one non-UC universituy official, two private-sector biotech executives and one leadetr of a California research institution. Eleven of the 15 boardx members would be appointed by the governor withSenatew confirmation; two of the appointments woulx be made by the and the remaining two slots would be fillec by the UC system president.
(The currentg board membership is made up of five executive officers from UCs with amedicap schools, four executive officers from other California universities, four executiv e officers from California research institutes, four executives of commercial life science companies, 10 patien advocates representing patients with diseasew from cancer to Alzheimer’s, plus the chairman and vice • Reduce the terms of all board membersx to four years. • Create succession planse for board leadership. • Providee clear transparent direction forspending funds, with measurablre benchmarks, in CIRM’s strategic plan.
• Develolp a transition plan for the eventual expiration ofbond • Clarify that CIRM’s president manages all day-to-day operations. Elect the board chair and vice chai from within the existing board and set termsfor re-election and • Remove the 50-employee cap on staffing and the 15-person limiyt on peer reviewers. • Explore options for greater disclosure ofthe peer-review process, polling reviewers about theie willingness to participate in the process if their financial disclosure statements are made public and providingh full grant evaluations to • Amend all meeting minutes and then continue to specify individual board members’