By VANGUARD STAFF
SACRAMENTO — Citing steep federal cuts to scientific research, Scott Wiener on Tuesday announced Senate Bill 895, a bipartisan measure that would place a $23 billion bond before voters in November 2026 to fund scientific research across California while requiring discounts on drugs developed with public funding.
The proposal would create the California Foundation for Science and Health Research to issue grants, loans and funding for research facilities focused on health, agriculture, pandemic threats, wildfire resilience and related fields. Supporters say the bill is designed both to preserve California’s scientific leadership and to ensure that publicly funded discoveries directly benefit residents through lower health care costs.
SB 895 includes what its backers describe as first-in-the-nation affordability requirements tied to publicly funded research. Under the bill, pharmaceuticals developed through bond-funded research would have to be made available to Californians at a discount, the state would be allowed to recoup a portion of licensing and royalty revenues from successful discoveries, and California could publicly manufacture such drugs through CalRx to sell them at cost to residents and at a profit to other states.
The legislation is supported by Eleni Kounalakis and the University of California Office of the President and is sponsored by United Auto Workers Region 6 and the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, which represent tens of thousands of researchers statewide. The bill is jointly authored by Sens. Pérez and Wahab and principal co-authored by Assemblymembers Solache Jr., Gipson, Irwin, Muratsuchi and Patel. Thirty-one lawmakers are listed as co-authors.
“Science has fueled California’s prosperity for decades. Now, it’s time to spread the benefits of that prosperity to all Californians, preserving our scientific leadership while lowering health care costs for families,” Wiener said. “The advancements produced with this funding will not only blaze new paths for science — they will reinvest a share of their success in the future of California. With this legislation, we are showing the world how to invest in our future while making life more affordable for everyone.”
James B. Milliken said recent federal actions are already affecting the university system. “Reductions in federal funding are already disrupting critical UC research that supports thousands of jobs, drives medical innovation, and leads to life-changing solutions that benefit everyone,” Milliken said. “The University is grateful for Sen. Wiener’s efforts to ensure that UC remains the greatest research university in the world.”
Mike Miller, director of UAW Region 6, said the measure could help sustain work on treatments for major diseases while lowering costs for Californians. “This measure could help you or someone you love by continuing research in groundbreaking therapies for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and more,” Miller said. “It also makes health care more affordable for Californians by leveraging the innovations made in our state to lower costs here. On behalf of the 60,000 UAW members working on life-saving research in labs across California and the patients who benefit from their work, we urge every legislator to support this bill.”
Stuart Bussey, MD JD, president of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, also endorsed the proposal. “More than ever, California needs to continue innovative and credible medical research,” Bussey said. “SB 895 provides a crucial foundation for funding such critical research. The Union of American Physicians and Dentists strongly supports this bill.”
Supporters of the legislation say scientific research underpins a significant share of California’s economy, from biotechnology and agriculture to software and higher education. The life sciences sector alone supports an estimated 1.15 million jobs and $395.7 billion in economic output.
They also point to high returns on public investment, noting that every dollar invested in National Institutes of Health research generates roughly $2.50 in economic activity. California accounts for nearly half of U.S. biotechnology research and development spending and more than half of national biotech revenues. Research conducted within the University of California system has contributed to developments including the internet, gene-editing technology CRISPR, early artificial intelligence algorithms, Viagra, high-yield rice varieties, lifesaving treatments for premature infants and therapies for millions of people with genetic diseases.
Supporters say that progress is now at risk. In 2025, the federal government froze or suspended $584 million in grants to UCLA and demanded $1 billion in fines, actions that supporters say jeopardized thousands of research projects. Areas cited as vulnerable include cancer treatment, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s research, HIV/AIDS, pandemic preparedness, climate science, and earthquake and wildfire safety.
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Was the Grant “Amplication” in the A.I. generated picture a Freudian slip because once approved the amount will amplify later on? You know, like the Bullet Train to Nowhere bond?
I don’t know if computers can have Freudian slips, but what’s clear to me is America is headed for a disastrous crash. We’ve already seen that two Chinese colleges have PASSED HARVARD because of funding cuts. This move could at least stem the losses in California.
I like how the Democrats tried to frame this as a drug benefit program for Californians when it’s another huge handout that many will get rich off of.
“We’ve already seen that two Chinese colleges have PASSED HARVARD because of funding cuts.”
Harvard is its own worst enemy with how it has lost its focus.
What do you think is going to happen the next pandemic when we don’t have the training or funding for a crash vaccine development?
Like the Covid vaccine that we all took and still caught Covid?
“Like the Covid vaccine that we all took and still caught Covid?”
What a stupid statement.
For the record, I never got Covid.
For the record, I took all the shots and still caught Covid.
But you didn’t die
Was that because of the vaccine or more just natural immunity buildup?
Probably both. By the time I got COVID I had two vaccines in me and it was like a mild flu. As a diabetic, I was concerned.
This is a drop in the bucket for what we are going to have to pay to rebuild the nation’s health agencies and university health research funding.
Like A.I. said, the Grant “Amplification” bond.
That’s the problem.
First Senator Weiner is dead to me. The only thing that he did right was he defended Jews when others would not, and now he flip flopped on using the word genocide after he wouldn’t declare it at a debate and then flipped the next morning — after over two years and only when it looked like it would hurt him when he embarrassed himself in front of a hostile crowd. So now ‘both sides’ despise him. He must be looking for a blinding win to cover his worst political week ever. $23 billion is pretty blinding.
Second, $23 billion is a carp-load of money – over 2.5 times the bullet train bond and would put the state just massively further in debt. Have we all forgotten all the previous ‘bonds for a good cause’ that mainly made money for those on the inside, with little tangible results? This is yet another cynical ‘Californians are just this stupid’ trick, and they just might be. Due to TDS anything that is anti-Trump gets done/funded no matter what. Oh, Trump cut research money, we have to restore research money with a #choke gag# $23 billion #choke gag# bond.
It will come from the magic money tree growing behind City Hall in Davis.
$23 billion comes out to @ $600 per very CA resident.
Over 30 to 35 years