Dr. David Shackelford, a professor at the UCLA School of Medicine, said the work he leads to find new treatments for lung cancer has been suspended since the federal government halted about $8 million for his laboratory.
“The impacts have been incredibly devastating, and this is really hurting patients ultimately,” said Shackelford, one of the scientists who spoke in support of SB 607 during a press conference. “This bill is a lifeline for us to continue this outstanding research that really California leads the way in.”
If voters approve the bond measure, the California Foundation for Science and Health Research would provide grants and loans to UC, CSU and other California universities as well as public and private institutions, giving priority to established research projects that were defunded by the Trump administration. Strict fiscal accountability standards would rule the foundation’s operations, including annual independent audits and public disclosure of all funding allocations, according to SB 607.
A previous bill introduced by Wiener, which would have funded scientific research with dollars from the state budget, died in the Legislature due to cost concerns.
Graduate student researcher Elaine Huang said nearly all the funding dried up for the laboratory where she searches for new Alzheimer’s therapeutics. The loss of funding could undo years of work, and many of her fellow scientists might lose their jobs, she said.
“I’m feeling really uncertain about my future as a scientist in this country. And I know many of my colleagues feel this sentiment as well,” said Huang. “If we can come together and pass [SB 607], we can really keep the light of progress from going dark.”
State bonds, a way for California to borrow money from investors in exchange for repayment with interest, are typically used to pay for infrastructure projects such as bridges and roads. But California voters have approved the issuance of bonds for other uses, including a 2004 measure that funded a stem cell and gene therapy research agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.