A new bill could give Californians money for science they fund

Kate Wolffe, The Sacramento Bee on Jan 16, 2026

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California lawmakers on Thursday unveiled a $23 billion science research bond aimed at offsetting recent federal funding losses — and, in a break from past efforts, tying public investment in university research to lower drug prices for Californians.

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, announced the effort during a news conference Friday, saying it was necessary to support universities that have lost federal funding.

“We have to fight back, and we’re going to do it in a way that lowers health care costs for Californians and that benefits California taxpayers,” he said.

According to the state, the University of California received over $5 billion in federal grants in 2023-24, but freezes and cancellations to those grants in 2025 were estimated in the hundreds of millions, including more than $584 million at UCLA alone.

Wiener and Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, D-La Mesa, tried a similar approach last session with SB 829, which stalled in the Legislature. Afterward, Wiener announced he would pursue a bond on the 2026 ballot to fund research.

The newest bill, SB 895, would also create a general obligation bond to go before voters in 2026.

It says it is the “intent” of the Legislature to recoup licensing and royalty fees from research products, make pharmaceuticals developed through the research cheaper for Californians, and allow the state to produce drugs publicly through CalRx. Wiener said the specifics will become clearer as the legislation moves forward.

UC San Diego’s vice chancellor for Research and Innovation, Corinne Peek-Asa, spoke positively about the measure, which would create a California Foundation for Science and Health Research Council to determine which projects to fund.

“It will keep us at the forefront of areas where there might be a lot of backing off of really important investments at the federal level,” she said.

The experience of Proposition 71, California’s 2004 stem cell research bond, could give a picture of the affordability impact: While the measure helped generate tens of thousands of jobs and high tax revenue, as of 2019, the state had captured only a few hundred thousand dollars in licensing fees.

As a legislative report from 2019 noted, “Many times, research does not lead to an invention, but, in a few cases, inventions do result and are lucrative.” Voters considering SB 895 in 2026 will face a similar gamble: billions in research funding, but no guarantee the state will recoup much from the innovations it helps create.

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