Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg tour a greentech firm in Silicon Valley.
While the boss recuperated in bed at an undisclosed LA hospital location following his Sun Valley skiing mishap, some of his top minions, along with leaders of California’s academic/technocracy complex, unveiled a major new tech initiative on Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s behalf.
“The governor wants California to be number one in everything,” noted his communications director, Adam Mendelsohn, in something of an understatement. These programs could help.
The amount of money proposed, some $95 million, is small by big-time governmental standards. But it will, if successful, leverage many times that.
For example, much of the proposal — $40 million — would come into play only if the University of California wins a a half billion dollars for research from oil giant BP to develop alternative fuels in the stead of fossil fuels. And $5 million to pursue the next generation supercomputer project, which California has a good chance at, would generate another $200 million. If successful, the funding will leverage about a billion dollars in research and development spending.
Very little of the money would come out of the state’s general fund, which is under pressure from a reduced yet chronic structural budget deficit. Proceeds from the commercial applications are to be shared with the state.
The Arnold proposal would use the latest version of magic money, which does not require a two-thirds vote of the Legislature or a popular vote on an initiative. Lease revenue bonds would be used to fund $70 million of the proposals. That includes nearly half the sum, the $40 million needed to get the BP grant. Lease revenue bonds constitute the bulk of his $11 billion prison program.
There are four major projects in the Schwarzenegger initiative.
$40 million in lease revenue bond funding if BP chooses UC Berkeley or UC San Diego for a $500 million energy biosciences institute, which will look for more fuel efficient biofuels than ethanol. The two UC campuses are among five finalists for the institute.
$30 million in lease revenue bond financing for the Helios Project at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which will focus on next generation solar energy and the use of nanotechnology.
$20 million from the general fund for the existing California Institutes for Science and Innovation (CISI) at the University of California for work on nanotechnology, biomedicine, and information technology.
$5 million to help the University of California in a competition to receive grants to build the most powerful computer in the world, the Petascale Supercomputer Project.
University of California President Robert Dynes said on a conference call that the the computer system would be in a very large room at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, consisting of thousands of microcomputers linked together. He views California as having an excellent chance in competition with the University of California and Carnegie Mellon to create the new computer, which would be a thousand times faster than the fastest computer now.
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15 Comments
Jonas Blane:Figurees a science fiction movie star would be into this.
Dec 28, 2006 - 6:41 am Ann:These sound like good ideas. Get a picture of Schwarzeneger next to a big computer for New West.
Dec 28, 2006 - 6:53 am Bill Bradley:Actually, they don’t make gigantic computers like in the old science fiction movies. This would be a picture of Schwarzenegger in a big room filled with linked small computers.
Dec 28, 2006 - 7:04 am Ann:That doesn’t sound so fun. I want a picture of him next to a huge computer like Colossus: The Forbin Project. Is this new computer a computer that can take over the world?
Dec 28, 2006 - 7:09 am Bill Bradley:Uhh … Yes, it is a computer that can take over the world.
Dec 28, 2006 - 7:12 am Jonas Blane:From Berkeley. Think about that.
How would nanotechnology work with solar energy?
Dec 28, 2006 - 7:27 am Bill Bradley:I’m not sure. Presumably to use molecular level machines to build more efficient photovoltaic devices.
Dec 28, 2006 - 8:04 am Ann:Alright then I want a picture of Schwarzeneger next to a tiny nanomachine. lol
Dec 28, 2006 - 8:13 am Bill Bradley:How do you know I haven’t already shown you one?
Dec 28, 2006 - 8:16 am Capitol Boy:Which picture of Schwarzenegger is that?
Dec 28, 2006 - 8:49 am Bill Bradley:I’ll have to re-examine them.
With an electron microscope.
Dec 28, 2006 - 9:02 am Barbara:This is very important and exciting. It will help us remain a real power in research and it will be a big job creator down the line, but it also means it is IMPERATIVE that we fix our very disgustingly ineffective K-12 public education system NOW or we will be importing workers from other states and countries. Too many Californian kids fail to graduate and too many kids start college ill prepared. Arnold is a supporter of “small schools” and Charter schools and right now he needs to add a “Science and Engineering Education Initiative” that addresses curriculum in K-12 and provide funding for more small schools and Charter Schools that have a emphasis on science and engineering and link them to these university research hubs. I have been studying up on nanotech for years (it actually was the real reason I got excited about Westly last year at this time because he published a great white paper on Nanotech, which was unique it that it also addressed some of the ethical concerns in its use) we should include nanotechnology to our “science education standards.”
Dec 28, 2006 - 9:29 am Bill Bradley:K-12 in California may be a more intractable question than renewing the life cycle of innovation.
Dec 28, 2006 - 9:54 am Ann:I think I see a nanotech machine in this video. It is right behind Schwarzeneger’s ear.
Dec 28, 2006 - 11:28 am Barbara:yep… I am hoping at some point parents whose kids are trapped in poor performing schools take the bull by the horn…too many Reep politicians see education only as an expenditure and not as an investment and too many Dem Politicians along with their consultants are on the payroll of the unions, who are directing education policy, which is a disaster ..so it is up to the parents really…but they need leadership, they are under-educated, exhausted from working difficult low paying jobs…this is where faith based organizations should focus…I wish they would organize a state-wide boycott of poor performing schools …if I were such a parent I would be demanding my community leaders to set up home-school co-ops and I would only send my kid back to a public school when it is safe, clean and my kid has a teacher with the resources he/she needs to teach….I wish that is could happen with with Antonio’s clusters…a total rebellion …parents should just boycott those fricking failing schools after this court ruling …something needs to happen…we need a wake up call…as I said sometime ago here this issue is a civil/human rights issue in this country…John Edwads understand this as does Mayor AV and The Speaker…but understanding and doing what is right is another matter…I would like to think that all three men when push comes to shove will pick poor kids over their union buddies….but it is getting pretty close to when push comes to shove…and I am getting very impatient.
Dec 28, 2006 - 11:33 am