Stem cell panel picks S.F.

[democracyindanger]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/03/STEMCELLS.TMP

San Francisco bested three competing California cities Monday in the battle to land the headquarters of the state's $3 billion stem cell program, scoring well ahead of the second-place finisher.

After totaling up points for location, amenities and general impressions, key decision makers for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine decided San Francisco was clearly the best place to be. Although there is still technically a chance of an upset, it appears almost certain that the institute's full 29-member board, known as the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, will go along with the eight-member subcommittee's preferences when it meets Friday to make the final call.

Sacramento narrowly edged out San Diego as the No. 2 choice, while a proposed site in Emeryville finished last.

San Francisco won largely on the strength of the Bay Area's biomedical research institutions, as well as the estimated $17 million value of incentives the city is offering the stem cell program, which include 10 years of free rent, $900,000 worth of hotel accommodations and free use of laboratory facilities at San Francisco General Hospital.

[caligirl]

1. yahooooo! This is great news. But I live across the bay. Sorry Sac

[democracyindanger]

2. It's not Emeryville, but you're welcome to come to SF for

all your regenerative advancement needs. :)

[Coastie for Truth]

4. I always figured if you can get there on BART or CALTRAIN or MUNI

it's the greater SF Metro Area.

(A voice from San Jose)

[caligirl]

6. Its not a lock yet. the full board hasn't voted yet. Its on the SFGATE

front page this morning.

[marmar]

3. Very apropros...

Where else should such a program be based but the nation's most progressive city?

:headbang:

[davidinalameda]

5. anything to help the bay area!

I would have like to have seen it in Emeryville for the tax benefits for Alameda County but it will still have a trickle down effect, especially since I'm sure they'll be working with UC-Berkeley

[Coastie for Truth]

7. I think it will have a trickle "down" effect

as far south as Monterey and Santa Cruz and a "trickle up" effect as far as Mendocino County, and as far east as Merced, Stanislaus, and Joaquin. and obviously the "Bay Area" - San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, and Marin. I also think Sacramento and UC Davis will benefit.

This will be bigger then the transistor, the integrated circuit, and the internet.

[yorgatron]

8. i'm in san jose,so i hope you're right coastie for truth.

i used to live in santa cruz,we saw plenty of dot com dollars.