Stem Cell Institute Visit - April 30, 2005

I would like to thank Mayor Fargo for those warm words of introduction.

Thank you also to all of the partners who with the City of Sacramento helped put together Sacramento’s bid to locate the stem cell institute in Sacramento – UC Davis, SARTA, the Sacramento Chamber, SACTO and so many others who are here with us today.

I would also like to acknowledge the members of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee and in particular the Site Selection Committee. It is because of the time you have given and your dedication, that Prop. 71 will be implemented and create this amazing research facility to explore all of the possibilities that stem cell research has to offer. California has always been a leader in the nation on so many things and this will undoubtedly be one more.

I can not think of a better place to locate the headquarters of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine than right here in Sacramento, our state’s capitol.

Sacramento has many assets that make it the best choice for the institute’s headquarters, from all that the University of California at Davis has to offer and the proximity to California’s seat of government, to the lower costs of living and doing business.

As you will hear from others, UC Davis is a world-renowned university. They are a leader in life sciences and bio medical research. They graduate more PhD life scientists than any other university, in the world. The campus also has one of the fastest-growing and largest university research budgets in the nation.

While this is impressive, it is not all that Sacramento has to offer. Of all of the city proposals, only Sacramento can offer its proximity to California’s seat of government.

As the Institute takes shape and grows, we cannot forget that stem cell research will continue well beyond the 10 years the proposition provided funding for.

It is important to take a long-term view to this project and by locating the headquarters so close to the capitol; necessary relationships can be developed and maintained. Staff will be in a key position to work closely with the central players in our state government.

This initiative, as we know, is about getting money to those that do the actual research. Because ultimately, it is the research that will, hopefully, lead to life-saving cures.

With the lowest cost of living and the lowest cost of doing business, locating the headquarters in Sacramento could translate into more dollars going toward that all-important research. And that is a goal we all share.

Seeing the best possible California Institute of Regenerative Medicine created is an extremely important and personal issue for me. Stem cell research offers a world of possibilities and by locating the headquarters here in Sacramento; you will make that a reality.