Posts Tagged: institutions

News

State ponders prison closures, as inmate population drops.

A dining room at the Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, which closed last year. (Photo: CDCR)

With California’s prison inmate population flatlining, authorities are pondering the closure of three institutions. But many questions remain. The 2022-2023 state budget notes that there is a possibility of three prison closures during 2024 and 2025, based at least in part in the reduction of California’s prison population to about 94,000 in prisons and camps

News

Prisons close as California inmate population dwindles

An aerial view of the California Correctional Center in Susanville, destined for closure. (Photo: CDCR)

California authorities have ordered the closure of state prisons for the first time in nearly two decades: Four are destined to be shut down in whole or in part, and three more are being discussed for possible closure.

News

State gives $51 million to college students for stem cell research

Berkeley City College, which received a portion of $51 million in state stem cell research grants. (Photo: berkeleyside.org)

The California stem cell agency has awarded $51 million to help train students in the art of research at the Golden State’s community colleges and universities. All 15 applicants for awards that ran as high as $3.6 million each were approved, including Berkeley City College, which was initially rejected by anonymous reviewers who met privately prior to the ratification of their decisions by the agency’s directors.

News

CIRM board member, former chair tangle over Prop. 14

Robert Klein, left, and CIRM board member Jeff Sheey, right. At center is Board Vice Chair Art Torres. (Photo: California Stem Cell Report)

The two men once worked together over the last 16 years to spend $3 billion in state funds on stem cell research in California. This week, however, they were very publicly on opposite sides of a ballot initiative to spend $5.5 billion more. The initiative is Proposition 14, which would require the state to borrow the additional billions.

News

Those linked to stem cell board received more than $2.1 billion

A medical researcher examines cancer stem cells. (Photo: luchschenF, via Shutterstock)

Over the last 15 years, California’s stem cell agency has spent $2.7 billion on research on everything from cancer to arthritis.  The vast majority of the money has gone to enterprises that have ties to members of the agency’s governing board. Eight out of every ten dollars that agency has handed out have been collected by 25 institutions such as Stanford University, multiple campuses of the University of California and scientific research organizations. Their combined total exceeds $2.1 billion.

News

Lorena Gonzalez, a victor in major political fights

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez addressing lawmakers about her labor bill, AB 5. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez wrapped up this legislative year feeling pretty good about her accomplishments. Despite often fierce opposition, the San Diego Democrat was able to pass 11 pieces of legislation, including those that protect child sexual abuse survivors and workers.

News

USC pays UCSD $50 million to settle recruitment fight

Students outside the library at the University of California, San Diego. (Photo: Stanislavsky, via Shutterstock)

The University of Southern California in Los Angeles is coughing up $50 million and publicly apologizing for its tactics in recruiting a star Alzheimer’s researcher from UC San Diego, it was reported Thursday. The Los Angeles Times story about the unprecedented settlement described the case as an “ugly academic war.” It had the potential of bringing $340 million in research grants to USC.  

Opinion

Wanted: A statewide database for higher education

Sather Tower at UC Berkeley, looking toward the bay. (Photo: Chao Kusollerschariya, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: How can the state of California make intelligent public policy on higher education when it does not have the data to do so? This simple question underscores every governor’s and legislator’s dilemma when they annually establish funding levels for California’s postsecondary education system. There is no integrated statewide database for higher education.

News

A first: Stem cell agency okays ‘great idea’ grants

An illustration of a telomere at the end of a DNA sequence of a chromosome. (Illustration: VIT Studio, via Shutterstock)

The $3 billion California stem cell agency this week welcomed the first members of its “Great Ideas” club and gave them a total of nearly $4 million to pursue the scientific gleams in their eyes. Nineteen researchers received awards at a meeting yesterday of the governing board of the agency. They were the first such grants approved by the nearly 12-year-old enterprise.

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