CGS-authored
LOS ANGELES - After scuttling much of its first meeting's agenda in response to the complaints of open-government advocates, California's newly created stem cell oversight board is coming under fire for turning its second gathering into a "mystery meeting."
The panel, created by the Nov. 2 voter approval of Proposition 71, is scheduled to meet today at the University of Southern California to begin consideration of how to hire a president, where to put its offices and other issues.
But open-government advocates and Proposition 71 opponents said the board's agenda is too vague for the public or its own members to understand what will be considered today.
"The descriptions of the issues to be addressed are inadequate, and there's no backup documentation for the members of the public," said Marcy Darnovsky, associate executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society. "It's a mystery meeting. I don't know why they keep kicking themselves in the foot."
Darnovsky and open-government advocates also called for committee members to sell their biomedical holdings and any real estate interests that might benefit from the...
The panel, created by the Nov. 2 voter approval of Proposition 71, is scheduled to meet today at the University of Southern California to begin consideration of how to hire a president, where to put its offices and other issues.
But open-government advocates and Proposition 71 opponents said the board's agenda is too vague for the public or its own members to understand what will be considered today.
"The descriptions of the issues to be addressed are inadequate, and there's no backup documentation for the members of the public," said Marcy Darnovsky, associate executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society. "It's a mystery meeting. I don't know why they keep kicking themselves in the foot."
Darnovsky and open-government advocates also called for committee members to sell their biomedical holdings and any real estate interests that might benefit from the...