Biomedical Community in the State Capitol
On Wednesday, March 28, over 150 representatives from all sectors of the life sciences industry gathered in Sacramento as part of the annual Life Sciences Day at the State Capitol. With over 90 meetings with legislators, the day was a huge success as legislators and their staffs were educated on a wide spectrum of issues of importance to the industry. Highlights of the day included a medical device showcase – displaying some of the cutting edge technologies on the market, a luncheon with guest speaker Ana Matosantos, deputy legislative secretary in the Office of the Governor, and a closing reception at the historic Sutter Club. CHI would like to thank the sponsors of the event: AdvaMed, Allergan, Amgen, Amylin, BIO, Genentech, Gen-Probe, Gilead, MDMA, MedImmune, NVCA, Pfizer, PhRMA, and Schering-Plough.
Governor Appoints New Secretary of Education
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday appointed David Long, superintendent of schools for Riverside County since 1999, as his new secretary of education. Long, who will serve as the governor’s chief education adviser, has more than 40 years of experience, including two decades as a teacher. CHI will continue to work with public officials to improve the quality of education programs, especially in the areas of mathematics and science, to ensure that the state is able to educate and train its citizens to meet the workforce needs of the biomedical community.
California Presidential Primary: Frontrunners with Solid Leads
California has moved its primary to February 5 and current political wisdom says that the candidate who wins California will win the 2008 presidential election. The new Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll is good news for Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani. The former New York mayor has a big lead in the Republican primary over John McCain and other GOP rivals. He’s at 33%, while John McCain is at 19% and Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor, is at 7%. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has 14%, though he’s not yet a declared candidate. Meanwhile, New York Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton is also in a strong position in the Democratic primary. She leads Barack Obama - who has twice drawn huge crowds to rallies in Oakland and LA - 35% to 24%. John Edwards, who would be pressing Clinton now had Obama not emerged, is third with 14%. And New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson - two-time landslide winner as governor in a swing state, renowned global trouble-shooter, veteran ex-congressman/House Intelligence Committee member and holder of two Cabinet posts in the Clinton Administration: UN Ambassador and Secretary of Energy - running fourth now with 6%.
Legislature Adjourns for Spring Recess
The California State Assembly and Senate concluded legislative business on Thursday, March 29 for the Spring legislative recess. Lawmakers will return to Sacramento on Monday, April 9. Following the recess, policy committees will be very active, holding initial hearings on over 3000 measures as they move through the legislative process.
Sacramento at a Glance Publication
There will be no edition of Sacramento at a Glance for the week ending April 6th. The next publication will publish on April 13.