What’s Inside: Our Focus Areas for 2023; FDA Approvals for Ferring and Gilead; NIH Commits $4.8M for All of Us Genetic Research Program; California’s Drought is Likely to Persist Even After Heavy Rainfall; and more.

We’re championing the progress made by California’s life science community and want to hear about your company’s latest scientific breakthrough, investment milestone, or commitment to creating positive change for our industry. Submit your story here for possible inclusion in an upcoming issue.

Dear Readers,

The start of every year brings hope and opportunity. And with it, a new set of goals and a more intentional focus. We have a lot we want to accomplish in 2023—driven mostly by our industry’s ability to deliver innovative solutions at scale and at unprecedented rates—in a unified mission of improving patients’ lives around the world. As always, we’re prepared to advocate for policies that encourage continued growth of life science in California.
 

Making Progress Toward More Inclusive Leadership

We are committed to fostering more diversity and building accountability in our industry and encourage members to engage with us through our Board-level DE&I Committee, our DE&I Resource Center, at our Annual DE&I Leadership Summit, and at our DE&I events throughout the year. We look forward to continuing this momentum through our membership program with MESH/diversity, our new Female Life Science CEOs event series that has already garnered media attention, our new Black Biotech Trailblazers event series, and by applying to be our new Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Biocom California.
 

Developing Our Future Workforce

An unwavering shared mission of both our Biocom California Institute and Generation STEAM is ensuring a pipeline of talent for generations to come. We are bringing genomics education to the classroom through our partnership with Illumina Genomic Discoveries, our Life Science Young Leaders program, our San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering, and our expanded program offerings in Los Angeles and the Bay Area in the months ahead.
 

Forging Partnerships Globally

Throughout Biocom California’s 27-plus years of existence, we’ve fostered collaboration across the state and around the world, and we continue to expand our strategic partnerships with international biotechnology organizations to provide our members with more resources for foreign expansion. We have a renewed focus on our partnerships with One Nucleus (U.K.), EuroBioMed (France), Link-J (Japan), the City of Tokyo, Japan BioIndustry Association and AusBiotech (Australia), and SwedenBIO (Sweden) to further California’s international alliances.
 

The Pursuit of Next-Generation Solutions

Our members continue to evolve a new world of possibilities through the generation of insightful data, use of AI, and adoption of new technologies. I have nothing but optimism for the year ahead and our industry’s future, especially with our talented and inspiring Life Science Catalyst Award winners among us. The innovation in this industry keeps us striving for new sustainable and socially conscious sourcing solutions as well. We’re also gearing up to launch a new life science founder and investor fundraising platform this Spring.
 

Your Story is Our Story

We recognize the profound impact we have when this industry comes together, and we celebrate our members in their missions of improving the human condition. We’ll be launching our “Your Story is Our Story” campaign next month, showcasing the progress of our 1700-plus member companies, and sharing the story of the life science industry’s relentless pursuit of improving patients’ lives around the world. Make sure to subscribe to our LifeLines ​​​​​​newsletter and keep an eye out for our new podcast launching in March.

I am met with immense pride as I witness the impact of our life science community, and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together—embracing collaboration and community—in 2023. From all of us at Biocom California, best wishes for continued success in delivering transformative life science innovation that empowers a brighter future.

Sincerely,

Joe Panetta
President & CEO 
Biocom California

Policy Perspective

Extreme Weather Unlikely to Break Drought

California has experienced intermittent extreme weather conditions for weeks, but much of the rain has washed out to the ocean. While some reservoirs are filling, drought conditions could persist after the storms fade.

Governor Newsom Unveils 2023-24 State Budget

Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled his budget plan on Tuesday which includes a projected deficit of about $22.5 billion. Despite the need to restrain some new spending or enact programmatic cuts, the state currently enjoys reserves of about $35.6 billion which should ease budget contraction in 2023.

San Francisco’s $728 Million Budget Deficit

In an effort to tackle a looming budget deficit, San Francisco Mayor London Breed ordered budget cuts across city departments. Public safety, staffing shortages, homelessness and mental health remain top priorities.

New South San Francisco Interim City Manager

South San Francisco names Sharon Ranals the new interim city manager as the City Council looks for a permanent replacement to Mike Futrell, who announced his departure for Riverside County in November.

LA Declares State of Emergency on Homelessness

Both the County and City of LA have declared a state of emergency on homelessness in the region. Recently sworn in LA Mayor Karen Bass made the declaration her first act in office. The state of emergency will help clear the way for efforts to improve upon the housing crisis both at the city and county levels.

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