What Are Taxpayers Entitled To Know?

Photo by: Scott Jacobs
Gotta stay alert and watch what the state government does with our money at all times, especially when it comes to stem cell research in our own backyard.

Basic facts here courtesy of the blog, The California Stem Cell Report.

The Santa Barbara, Merced, Riverside and Santa Cruz UC campuses have applied for "type three" grants for specialized stem cell training programs. Yet the California stem cell agency created by Proposition 71 says this application information is secret.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is organizing a $45 million effort to create a cadre of stem cell researchers through grant programs.

Type three grants offer training at "one or two levels of education." Each grant can support up to 6 trainees, with a budget of no more than $500,000 per year.

But the names of the applicants have been kept secret by the CIRM.

CIRM's claim to secrecy is based on language in Prop. 71 that says CIRM "working group" records are not public. A working group is scheduled to make recommendations later this month to the Oversight Committee on which applicants should receive grants.

Following approval, only the successful applications would become public.