Posts Tagged: public

Opinion

Equality in anti-cancer treatment needed now

A young cancer patient stares out a hospital window. (Photo: Solid photos, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: In the many years we have been treating patients, the hardest conversations to get through were always revealing a person’s cancer diagnosis to them for the first time.  But like everything else in our world today—that has changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

News

Signature gathering halted for $5.5 billion stem cell initiative

A signature gatherer in Ventura during the 2018 election cycle. (Photo: Michael Gordon, via Shutterrstock)

Backers of a $5.5 billion stem cell research initiative in California have suspended their efforts to gather signatures to place it on the November ballot, but are expressing confidence that the proposal will qualify. The campaign said it had run afoul of statewide bans on public gatherings.

News

Stem cell agency officially files $5.5 billion ballot measure

Stem cells for treating cancer in microtubes. (Image: Science Photo, via Shutterstock)

Backers of the financially stressed California stem cell agency yesterday filed their proposed ballot measure to refinance the agency with $5.5 billion if voters approve it in November 2020. The complex, 30-page initiative  would also restructure a number of aspects of the agency and provide for financial assistance for patients and their families who might be involved in clinical trials.

Opinion

A key move to address California’s wildfire crisis

A resident watches smoke billowing from the Woolsey Fire, November, 2018, in Southern California. (Photo: BrittanyNY, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: California is facing a wildfire crisis of epic proportions, and with the 2019 fire season already upon us, the immediate threat of yet another highly destructive and costly wildfire looms over communities all across the state. Everyone agrees that something must be done to address this crisis, and yet legislators still have not taken definitive action.

Opinion

Key advantages of a private nursing education

Nursing students at a university health care facility. (Photo: Africa Studio, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Nursing is in my blood. My parents are both nurses. My sister, countless cousins and others in my family have all dedicated themselves to serving others through the noble profession of nursing. When I graduated high school, I briefly tried to outrun my destiny. I left Los Angeles to enroll at UC Merced, only to find that the call to nursing remained strong.

Opinion

Wanted: A comprehensive data system for education

Illustration depicting the examination of complex data. (Image: alphaspirit, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: It is easy to point to recent public investments that demonstrate the state’s commitment to improving educational and economic opportunity for Californians. But attempt to assess the outcomes of those efforts, and you will come up woefully short.

Opinion

Forget naysayers: Public pension funds doing fine

A photo illustration of putting money aside as the clock ticks. (Image: Cozine, via Shutterstock)

OPINION:   Another round of alarmist commentary is being spread by those who begrudge a secure retirement for those who teach in our classrooms or heroically labor on the front lines of wildfires.  Amidst their negativity Californians may have missed a bit of positive news last month. The state’s two largest pension funds reported end-of-year investment returns that again exceeded their assumed average annual rate of return.

Analysis

CA120: What’s wrong with public polling?

Illustration by Tashatuvango, via Shutterstock.

Is something wrong with public polling in California? The 2018 election season has been raucous, even weeks before the first votes are cast.  And one of the contributing factors has been the seemingly erratic public polling, particularly in the top-of-the-ticket races. The veteran political observers at CalBuzz have called this year’s polling a “muddled mess.”

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

Stem cell agency plots against its own death

A pipette and recepticles used in stem cell research. (Photo: CI Photos)

California’s $3 billion stem cell research program later this month is expected to unveil detailed plans for extending its life beyond the middle of 2020 in hopes of avoiding a lingering death. The latest proposals, which are not yet public, are scheduled to be discussed Nov. 27.

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