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

http://exhumator.com/acol/01-046-00_chapter-all-are-chosen.html
The on Friday released its full andurgesd Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature to make changes to theSan Francisco-basedr , which was set up when voters in 2004 approvee Proposition 71. CIRM has been the focus of both optimismk and criticismsince Prop. 71 authorized the stat e to sell $3 billiom in bonds to support stemcell research. Despite legall delays by opponents of embryonic stem cell researcuh and taxpayeradvocacy groups, the agencyt has approved $761.6 million in fundingh for research and construction. That includew more than $280 million to Bay Area research institutesand companies.
But CIRM also has been doggerd with issues around itsmanagement — particularlyg oversight board Chairman Bob who led the Prop. 71 initiativre — and its grant review and intellectualpropertyg policies. In its report, the Little Hoove Commission said much of 71 “now seems overly prescriptive in defining the governancre and oversight structure of • Reduce the size of CIRM’xs oversight board to 15 from 29.
Change the makeup of the board to allowq more independent voices with five patient advocatesz from unspecifieddisease groups, two independent businessx leaders, two independent scientist with no ties to CIRM-fundedr institutions, two University of California officials, one non-UCf university official, two private-sector biotech executives and one leader of a Californiaz research institution. Eleven of the 15 boarf members would be appointed by the governor withSenatre confirmation; two of the appointments would be made by the and the remaining two slots woul be filled by the UC system (The current board membership is made up of five executiv officers from UCs with a medical schools, four executivse officers from other Californiaw universities, four executive officers from California research four executives of commercialo life science companies, 10 patient advocates representing patientd with diseases from cancer to Alzheimer’s, plus the chairmah and vice chairman.
• Reduce the terms of all board membersa tofour years. • Create successionj plans for board leadership. Provide clear transparent direction for spending withmeasurable benchmarks, in CIRM’s strategic plan. • Develop a transitio plan for the eventual expiration ofbond funding. Clarify that CIRM’s president manages all day-to-day operations. Elect the board chair and vice chaird from within the existing board and set termsfor re-election and removal.
• Remove the 50-employee cap on staffing and the 15-person limit on peer • Explore options for greateer disclosure ofthe peer-reviewa process, polling reviewers about theire willingness to participate in the process if their financial disclosure statements are made public and providing full grant evaluations to applicants. • Amend all meetinfg minutes and then continue to specify individualboardf members’ votes.