The dreams spurred by California's stem cell agency have yet to be fully realized, and now the project's funding is threatened.
Capitol Weekly's David Jensen: C. Randal Mills, the 45-year-old CEO of California’s $3 billion stem cell research program, is a man who loves his milestones."
"A private pilot, he charts his course in the air from one specific point to the next. Three years ago, Mills brought that same sort of navigation to the state stem cell agency. Miss one of the agency’s milestones, and — if you’re a stem cell scientist — you may not crash and burn, but you could lose millions of dollars in research funding from the state."
"Mills has left an indelible stamp on the agency with his emphasis on concrete, measurable results. But he is resigning from the research program at the end of June in the midst of what some say is its “last stage.” His surprise departure to head the world’s largest bone marrow donor organization shocked many in California’s stem cell community. And it added to the unease about its future along with the future of possible stem cell therapies."
READ MORE related to Health: Single-payer healthcare in California? Time to take a cold shower and return to the real world -- LA Times' GEORGE SKELTON; $400B for single-payer healthcare, audit demanded in election of state Democratic Party chair -- The Chronicle
Despite initial misgivings about the current president, Gov. Brown says that Trump's recent meeting with the Pope gives him optimism.
KQED's MARISA LAGOS: "Gov. Jerry Brown was optimistic about the state of climate change policy at a San Francisco conference on Wednesday, saying he was glad to see President Trump meet with Pope Francis this week."
"Pope Francis has been outspoken about the issue of climate change, and gave Trump his nearly 200-page encyclical on the issue at their Vatican meeting."
"It’s very good that the pope met with President Trump and very good that President Trump met with him. … Don’t underestimate the power of the Holy Father. I think that has effect,” Brown told reporters before speaking to a group of Dutch and Californian public workers and business leaders."
Xavier Becerra's position and visibility gives California a barrier against the Trump administration's hardline policies -- and gives Becerra a high political profile. Now, Gov. Brown wants to bolster Becerra's legal team.
Capitol Weekly's MICHAEL WARREN MOTT: "State Attorney General Xavier Becerra is leading California’s increasingly tense challenge to the policies of Donald Trump’s administration. It’s a role that gives him high visibility — and headaches."
"Becerra, in office just five months, is backed by the person who appointed him attorney general: Gov. Jerry Brown. That support is likely to translate into financial resources, too, with Brown seeking $6.5 million more in the state budget for 19 new attorneys and 12 support staff in Becerra’s office."
"The Atlantic dubbed Becerra the “Golden State Warrior” — a title that seems to fit."
READ MORE related to Local: State Democrats have new leverage in effort to curb greenhouse gases -- KQED's GUY MARZORATI; Sei Fugii was denied a law license because of his race. California's top court has granted him one, 63 years after his death -- LA Times' MAURA DOLAN
Oh where, oh where, has Devin Nunes Gone? Oh where, oh where can he be?
LA Times' SARAH D. WIRE: "When the House Select Intelligence Committee opened its most recent hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 election, committee Chairman Devin Nunes was notably absent from the dais."
"The week before, when the Justice Department named a special prosecutor to take over the existing FBI probe, lawmakers on the House and Senate intelligence committees were appearing on cable television at a rapid clip."
"Nunes instead sent out a brief statement. It was his first statement mentioning the Russia investigation in nearly two months."
A recent SF-Marin Food Bank report says that 23% of San Franciscans suffer from hunger.
The Chronicle's TARA DUGGAN: "According to the SF-Marin Food Bank, 23 percent of San Francisco residents struggle with hunger."
"The number is a striking amount, and much higher than the city’s homeless population, which the city said was 6,886 in 2015 (though others estimate it to be much higher), making it less than 1 percent of the population."
Students at a Fresno school tasked with a news assignment found that they could access Breitbart News but not the Huffington Post -- prompting a further investigation by the student sleuths, which disclosed what they believe to be internet censorship at liberal-leaning news websites, while conservative and fringe websites like InfoWars were allowed as firewall exceptions (unblocked).
Fresno Bee's MACKENZIE MAYS: "Edison High School students Richard McCoy and Duncan Wanless were doing research for a school project on campus when they realized the Huffington Post was blocked."
"So they started testing out access to other online news sites to see what the Fresno Unified school district’s internet bans from students. They discovered that other left-leaning sites like Jezebel and Daily Kos were also blocked, but that politically conservative websites like Breitbart, Drudge Report and Infowars were allowed."
"The website of Richard Spencer – a top advocate for white supremacy – was also accessible on campus. (However, the National Policy Institute, the far-right organization he leads, is blocked.)"
The Press-Enterprise has released a report illustrating the bravery of officers involved in 2015's senseless terrorist attack.
OC Register's SUZANNE HURT: "San Bernardino terrorist attack survivors and victims’ relatives will get a chance Thursday, May 25, to ask questions about a report released this week detailing how police officers took down the assailants on Dec. 2, 2015."
"The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s 55-page interoffice memo, whose subject is simply “Officer Involved Fatal Incident,” lays out exactly how law enforcement officers from multiple agencies responded to the Inland Regional Center within minutes of the attack and killed the attackers in a massive gunfight nearby several hours later."
"San Bernardino County employee Syed Rizwan Farook was hit by at least 27 gunshots while his wife was struck by at least 15 – two to the top of the head — as officers fired about 440 rounds from rifles, shotguns and handguns – which the report found were proper uses of deadly force in self-defense and the defense of others."