On Monday, Nov. 10, a coalition including representatives from the University of California, members of United Auto Workers Local 4811, California state Sen. Scott Wiener, and other state legislators gathered in San Francisco to announce a 2026 potential state ballot measure called “Save Science, Save Lives.” If passed, the measure would create a state-funded foundation to distribute funds for scientific research and related facilities.
Before it can appear on the 2026 California ballot, the state legislature must approve Senate Bill 607, which is sponsored by Wiener and Assemblymember José Luis Solache Jr. The bill must receive two-thirds approval in the legislature and a signature from Gov. Gavin Newsom to pass. Both chambers of the legislature must vote on the bill before the end of the session on Sept. 12, 2026.
If “Save Science, Save Lives” is passed by California voters in 2026, the measure would create the California Foundation for Science and Health Research, funded by $23 billion in state-issued government bonds. This foundation would oversee grants and loans to public and private universities, healthcare organizations, and research companies.
The Union of Concerned Scientists, a non-profit science advocacy organization, is behind the campaign for “Save Science, Save Lives.” The California ballot measure is one of several actions the organization is taking to counter the Trump administration’s defunding of science and research.
The Trump administration has threatened the UC’s scientific independence since taking office, withholding funding for research on topics it disagrees with. Earlier this year, the administration froze hundreds of millions in research funds to UCLA, citing allegations of antisemitism. Most recently, the Department of Justice offered a settlement to UCLA that pressures the UC to payout $1.2 billion dollars and — among other stipulations — release a statement announcing its compliance with Trump’s executive order to recognize male and female as the only two sexes, even in its research.
In a Sept. 3 letter to Wiener about the ballot measure, UC President James Milliken called the Trump administration’s funding cuts “one of the gravest threats in UC’s 157-year history.”
“Last week in Sacramento, I met with more than 30 legislators. I hope my message to all was clear: the stakes are high, and the risks are very real,” Milliken wrote. “We are extraordinarily grateful for the offer of assistance in your letter.”
At the press conference launching “Save Science, Save Lives,” Zoe Readi-Brown, a third-year chemistry Ph.D. student at the California Institute of Technology, said that federal funding cuts have directly affected her research on air quality.
“In light of recent budget cuts, our network’s effort to expand has been completely halted,” she said. “Without additional funding, communities experiencing similar situations may not receive the same critical support and information that we provided this past year to the citizens of Altadena and Pasadena. With this ballot measure, research in both our state’s public and private universities can move forward, and we can continue to keep our communities safe and healthy.”
UC Berkeley graduate student Ryan Manriquez explained how scientific research helped to alleviate his spinal muscular atrophy.
“[The administration] threatens to pull $4 to $7 billion annually from California’s universities and research institutions,” Manriquez said. “This is a lifetime being pulled from patients, from scientists, and from our future. … Science gave me a future; let’s give science a future, too.”
