California Science and Health Research Fund Clears First Legislative Hurdle
Faculty Association Members Speak in Support
Faculty Association members from the ten UC campuses are campaigning to pass the California Science and Health Research Bond Act (SB 895), a law that will place a $23 billion bond on the November ballot to fund research at California institutions.
Over 2,000 UC faculty signed a letter in support of the bill. Last Wednesday, March 25th, the bill cleared its first legislative hurdle, passing out of the Senate Health Committee on a 9 to 2 vote.
UC Davis Physicist Richard Scalettar, Co-Chair of the Davis Faculty Association, speaks in support of SB895 at the Senate Health Committee hearing, March 25, 2026.
Next up, the bill will be voted on by the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water in April and, if successful, will go to the Senate floor.
The Faculty Associations are voluntary organizations of faculty coming together to advocate for our interests. Join your local Faculty Association to support this important work, including our recent legal victories protecting research funding.
Faculty support for the bill continues to build and is more important than ever.
Faculty voices will be key to ensuring that research funding remains available in the future. New studies show that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued 66% fewer grants for 54% less in monetary value so far in FY 2026 compared with the same period in previous years.
Over the past months, faculty groups on UC campuses have asked colleagues to sign the letter and have met with state legislators. At UCLA, a group of faculty members came together to increase the circulation of the open letter within their home departments. Steve Shoptaw, a clinical psychologist and an emeritus Professor at the UCLA Departments of Family Medicine and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, wrote to his colleagues:
“One way to SPEAK UP is to add your name to a petition in support of SB 895. If you are a faculty member (any series), there is a campaign underway to gather signatures confirming faculty support for this legislation – an effort deemed critical to the success of this legislation.”
— UCLA Prof. Dr. Steve Shoptaw
At UC Davis, a group of faculty from the Medical School and STEM departments gathered over 300 signatures from colleagues and held multiple meetings with local legislators. Tran Nguyen, Associate Professor of Environmental Toxicology, attended the meeting with aides from Rep. Cabaldon from the Davis area. She explained,
“The state representative’s office was receptive of our message regarding the negative impacts of federal funding disruptions on critical research at the University of California. We relayed the important point that SB895 is an investment – the adoption of this bill would benefit not only the scientists in the state, but also generate economic growth and yield significant returns for the health of the people, the environment, and the commercial industries in California.”
— UCD Prof. Dr. Tran Nguyen
The time to show your support is now. Sign the letter and circulate it to your colleagues. Let’s win funding for California research!