Prop. 38 explained: California voters to decide $8.4 billion medical research bond

LOS ANGELES -- California voters are being asked to weigh in on Proposition 38, a multibillion-dollar medical research bond.

Proposition 38 would authorize $8.4 billion in general obligation bonds to fund immunology research. Supporters are selling the measure as a way to combat Trump administration cuts.

"Under this current administration, Donald Trump has already cut billions from NIH funding and proposed an additional $5 billion in funding cuts for 2027," said Robin Swanson with the Yes on 38 campaign.

"Prop. 38 is positioned to fill that gap and position California as a world leader in biomedical research," Swanson added.

Opponents of the measure say it's deceptive because half the funds, $4.2 billion, would go toward the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, an institute founded by billionaires who got Prop. 38 on the ballot: Gary K. Michelson and Meyer Luskin.

"We think this is a bad deal for taxpayers, it's bad policy, bad science, and we need to send a message to future billionaires that California voters can't be bought," said David Panush with the No on Prop. 38 campaign.

Opponents of Prop. 38 say they support immunology research, but they're raising questions about the relatively new California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy.

"If you look on their website, everything is written in future tense. So, if you ask basic questions like: do you have an address? Do you have a phone number? Do you have an executive director? Do you have any researchers that are on staff that are working on immunology research right now? The answer is no," Panush said.

Supporters of Prop. 38 disagree with that assertion.

"Lots of institutes are going to qualify for funding under this measure, so it's not accurate to say that only one institute would qualify for funds under this measure," Swanson said. "But it is very likely that (California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy), which is a research institute affiliated with UCLA, will qualify for half of the funds under the current criteria. Ultimately, the California Department of Public Health has to determine that."

If Prop. 38 passes, half the funds would go toward cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's research.