What’s Inside: Biocom California Expands International Opportunities to South Korea; Celebrating National Women’s Health Week; Our Annual Advocacy Fly-In to D.C.; Total Rewards Survey Now Open; 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.

Venture Hub Investor Day with Abbvie and Pitch Fest at BIO

Venture Hub by Biocom California connects investors with rising life science companies and we’re excited to spotlight some of the hottest companies during the 2023 BIO Convention for our Venture Hub Pitch Fest. Join us at booth #2935 to hear ten-minute pitches from CEOs and founders on breakthrough science and technologies. We’re also facilitating connections between early-stage biotechnology companies to explore funding opportunities at our upcoming Venture Hub Investor Day with AbbVie in the Bay Area. Apply by June 9 for consideration and selected companies will be notified by June 26.

Advocating for Equity in Women’s Health

This week we’re celebrating National Women’s Health Week, a time for women to reflect on how they can prioritize their whole health, including prevention, care, and well-being. In our latest LifeLines podcast episode, Sabrina Martucci Johnson, president and CEO of Daré Biosciences, notes that although women make up half of the globe’s population, women’s health represents only two percent of the development pipeline of preclinical products for non-cancer related conditions. Listen to the episode to learn how Daré is addressing these unmet health needs.

A Global Approach to Life Science Innovation  

Biocom California is proud to provide our members with opportunities for meaningful connections in California and around the world. Our focus on global industry growth continues next month at #BIO2023 where we’ll host a panel discussion featuring life science leaders from India, Japan, South Korea, and Sweden on Tuesday, June 6 at 3 p.m. at our booth in Boston. The following week, we’ll be hosting a half-day conference with key delegates from South Korea on Monday, June 12 at 12 p.m. in San Diego. Members interested in pursuing cross-border partnerships in Asia are encouraged to reach out directly, and we hope you’ll join us at BioJapan in Yokohama in October before continuing on for a trip with industry leaders to Seoul, South Korea.

Total Rewards Survey Open Through June 2

Biocom California Institute, in partnership with Mercer and Marsh McLennan Agency, gathers benefits and compensation information annually from California life science companies through our Total Rewards Survey. By completing the survey, participants will receive complimentary access to life science salaries and other vital compensation data. The survey closes on June 2. 

Workforce Development

Illumina Ensures ‘The Future Is Bright’ for Young Scientists With Its Global Genomics Outreach Program  

Last month, Illumina wrapped up its third annual installment of The Future Is Bright, its genomic literacy campaign started in 2021 to celebrate DNA Day, which connects K-12 students with the company’s employee volunteers for career chats and in-classroom experiments. This year, Illumina donated 2,300 DNA extraction kits to schools, giving 64,000 students the opportunity to extract and study DNA from strawberries. Approximately 370-plus Illumina employees also met with students in their classrooms. As a partner of this program, Generation STEAM helped deliver all Bay Area and San Diego programming and coordinated many of the in-person visits at nearly 50 classrooms across 13 schools. The month-long educational program that started in April 2021 with 10,000 students has grown to more than 100,000 students in eight countries.  

Policy Perspective

Biocom California Brings Energy & Ag Executives to D.C. 

One of our signature federal events, our Advocacy Fly-In, returned this year with a focus on energy and agriculture biotech sectors. Last week, California executives flew to our nation’s capital to meet with senior officials at some of our most prestigious government institutions, advocate for issues affecting our industry, and influence policies such as the President’s Biotech and Biomanufacturing Initiative and the Farm Bill reauthorization. Read the full story. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom Releases Revision to Proposed State Budget 

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday released a $306.5 billion budget with a growing shortfall he will need to address while also maintaining social safety net programs and other policy priorities. Although Newsom’s May revision did not propose changes that would affect general business tax, it’s important to note that the Senate Democrats’ plan would allow the state to pause the net operating loss deduction, which allows businesses to carry forward their losses to future tax years whenever there is a “budget emergency”—raising about $5 billion annually. Budget discussions will continue until the constitutional requirement for the Legislature to pass the Budget Bill to the Governor by June 15. 

Biocom California Welcomes New Sr. Director of State Affairs

We are pleased to announce Claire Conlon as Biocom California’s new Senior Director of State Government Affairs. Claire is a state capitol veteran, with her most recent experience serving as the Chief of Staff to Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris. She brings industry knowledge, relevant legislative experience, and a unique vision for the future of Biocom California’s presence in Sacramento, leveraging available resources to foster better understanding of the industry as a whole. Prior to working with Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris, Claire served Dr. Richard Pan as District Director and former State Senate Pro Tem Kevin de Leon as both a legislative assistant and as press secretary. She has also been active in the Sacramento community, both via political activism as well as community service. We are excited to bring her on to continue to increase the level of service we bring to our member companies. 

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria Presents 2024 Budget 

Mayor Todd Gloria proposed his Fiscal Year 2024 $5.12 billion “Getting It Done” budget at the end of April, which included top priorities such as solving homelessness, fixing streets, improving city facilities, and keeping the community safe. This is an increase over the 2022 “Ready to Rebuild” budget, which intended to maintain city services post-pandemic. The City Council’s Budget Review Committee is scheduled to provide a revised budget by May 18. 

City Council District 6 Candidates to Face a Runoff Election 

There will be a runoff election between community advocate Imelda Padilla and top staffer to Councilmember Curren Price, Marisa Alcaraz, to fill the vacated Los Angeles City Council Seat. The LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk announced that Padilla received 25.65 percent of the votes and Alcaraz 21.13 percent of the votes. The runoff election will take place June 27.

Redwood City’s Possible Zoning Code Changes

On May 8, Redwood City Council members held a study session on proposed amendments to the Downtown Precise Plan and Gatekeeper Process, which included changes to zoning codes for R&D. Prior to the study session, Biocom California met with the Redwood City Planning Department and Assistant City Manager to help answer questions. Council supported the concept that the Planning Commission should allow mixed use zoning downtown, including R&D labs up to and including Biosafety Level 1 and 2 labs. The Planning Commission will be considering the proposal at their regularly scheduled meeting on June 6. 

Featured Premium Members