Hahn, Villaraigosa trade jobs over respective biotech plans.Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn and one of his challengers, City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa, sparred last week over efforts to attract biomedical bi·o·med·i·cal adj. 1. Of or relating to biomedicine. 2. Of, relating to, or involving biological, medical, and physical sciences. and biotech jobs to L.A. The first shot came from Hahn's City Hall press office: a bid from the city for the headquarters of the yet-to-be established California Institute for Regenerative Medicine The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was created by California's Proposition 71 (2004), which authorized it to issue $3 billion in grants, funded by bonds, over ten years for embryonic stem cell and other biomedical research. that voters authorized last fall when they approved a $3 billion stem cell stem cell In living organisms, an undifferentiated cell that can produce other cells that eventually make up specialized tissues and organs. There are two major types of stem cells, embryonic and adult. research initiative. The bid was contained in a letter addressed to Robert Klein, chair of the independent citizen's oversight committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. In the bid, Hahn offered up two downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or locations for the headquarters: the Banco Popular Building at Spring and Fourth streets and City National Plaza at Flower and Fifth streets. He also said he would be open to other locations, including possible sites near the USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. campus. The next day, Villaraigosa participated in a press conference with L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina and University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission Keck School of Medicine Dean Brian Henderson announcing the formation of a joint county-city authority to expedite a long-stalled biomedical research park near County-USC Medical Center. Nearly four years ago, after losing his first bid for mayor, Villaraigosa was hired by billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad as a lobbyist and facilitator for a proposed biomedical park near County-USC. That plan ran into red tape because the land, which is now in Villaraigosa's council district, has multiple owners. Later in the week, Villaraigosa's campaign shot off a memo to Hahn taking the mayor to task for being late to the stem cell headquarters game. The memo, titled "Maybe the Mayor Needs a Stem Cell Implant," said Hahn's press release and letter was a publicity stunt designed to pre-empt pre·empt or pre-empt v. pre·empt·ed, pre·empt·ing, pre·empts v.tr. 1. To appropriate, seize, or take for oneself before others. See Synonyms at appropriate. 2. a. the Villaraigosa/Molina announcement on the biomed park. "While Jim Hahn was been busy issuing phony press releases, other cities were hard at work putting together credible proposals to lure the headquarters of the Stem Cell Institute to their cities," the campaign memo said. Hahn campaign consultant Kam Kuwata said the press release was not designed to preempt pre·empt or pre-empt v. pre·empt·ed, pre·empt·ing, pre·empts v.tr. 1. To appropriate, seize, or take for oneself before others. See Synonyms at appropriate. 2. a. the biomed park announcement. "Earlier in the week, we finally secured some office space for this center, and that's why the press release was put out," Kuwata said. |
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