From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fw: [EXTERNAL] Please reject the lease for Science Corp.
Date: Wednesday, October 18, 2023 11:57:27 AM
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of karen green <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2023 7:27 PM
To: Trish Spencer
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please reject the lease for Science Corp.
Dear Councilmember Trish Spencer,
As a local resident, I am writing to urge you to reject the proposed lease on public land for medical device company Science Corp. and pursue a different tenant. Science Corp. was founded and is run by Max Hodak, who co-founded and served as president of Neuralink until 2021. Public records show that, during Hodak’s leadership at Neuralink, monkeys subjected to invasive brain experiments suffered seizures, paralysis, chronic infections, internal bleeding, and death. The company even failed to follow its own research protocols. The troubling details of Hodak’s past work were detailed in a recent WIRED exposé titled “The Gruesome Story of How Neuralink’s Monkeys Actually Died.” Now, his new company wants to lease public land to expand its own experiments on monkeys and other animals.
We need ethical, human-relevant research – not cruel, unnecessary animal experiments.
There is no need to develop invasive devices that kill animals and pose serious risks to patients. In fact, medical experts have raised serious concerns about the health risks of such invasive devices—like the one being developed by Science Corp.—and their significant potential for severe medical complications in patients. The company should instead focus on improving noninvasive devices.
Researchers elsewhere have already made progress to improve patient health using such noninvasive methods, which do not come with the risk of surgical complications, infections, or additional operations to repair malfunctioning implants. Noninvasive devices are already demonstrating the ability to improve quality of life for older adults and elderly patients, translate brain activity into intelligible speech, and assist paralyzed patients.
Please reject the proposed lease for Science Corp.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
Ms. karen green
2517 San Jose Ave Apt B Alameda, CA 94501-5389
[email protected]
From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fw: [EXTERNAL] Please reject the lease for Science Corp.
Date: Wednesday, October 18, 2023 11:57:13 AM
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Nors Ilarde <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2023 8:12 PM
To: Trish Spencer
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please reject the lease for Science Corp.
Dear Councilmember Trish Spencer,
As a local resident, I am writing to urge you to reject the proposed lease on public land for medical device company Science Corp. and pursue a different tenant. Science Corp. was founded and is run by Max Hodak, who co-founded and served as president of Neuralink until 2021. Public records show that, during Hodak’s leadership at Neuralink, monkeys subjected to invasive brain experiments suffered seizures, paralysis, chronic infections, internal bleeding, and death. The company even failed to follow its own research protocols. The troubling details of Hodak’s past work were detailed in a recent WIRED exposé titled “The Gruesome Story of How Neuralink’s Monkeys Actually Died.” Now, his new company wants to lease public land to expand its own experiments on monkeys and other animals.
We need ethical, human-relevant research – not cruel, unnecessary animal experiments.
There is no need to develop invasive devices that kill animals and pose serious risks to patients. In fact, medical experts have raised serious concerns about the health risks of such invasive devices—like the one being developed by Science Corp.—and their significant potential for severe medical complications in patients. The company should instead focus on improving noninvasive devices.
Researchers elsewhere have already made progress to improve patient health using such noninvasive methods, which do not come with the risk of surgical complications, infections, or additional operations to repair malfunctioning implants. Noninvasive devices are already demonstrating the ability to improve quality of life for older adults and elderly patients, translate brain activity into intelligible speech, and assist paralyzed patients.
Please reject the proposed lease for Science Corp.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
Nors Ilarde
3043 Fernside Blvd Alameda, CA 94501-1627
[email protected]
From: Philip le Roux
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comments for 7B
Date: Tuesday, October 17, 2023 10:35:48 PM
Mr Hodak has been shown to be evasive and ill informed under council member questions. He tells us that he will retire animals to sanctuary and also tells us he needs to cut them up to see if there experiments have worked. he asks we ignore his appalling record at neuralink. Again I ask whether you would choose to do business with this person? Rent vacation of $1.5MM why does the city need to subsidize the construction of an animal experimentation facility with our tax dollars?
Give away clauses that remove the ability of the city to control what happens in their property.
Company has no income, when they start missing targets the investors will pull back. And with the target 500 salaries it will need well over 10MM per month, and will tank really quickly at that burn rate. What tiny fraction of the 23500MM rent income will the city actually realize? The Pyka company is already making revenue, but they aren’t bioscience, this bias is skewing the decision and setting you all up for a very stinky decision.
-Philip