Thousands Rally at the State Capitol in Support of The California Science and Health Research Bond Act

The UAW represents 60,000 workers at the University of California, which stands to lose billions annually due to federal cuts to scientific research. Every dollar of federal research funding returns $2.56 to the economy.

Sacramento, CA – More than 2,000 people rallied at the state capitol today in support of Senate Bill 895 (D-Wiener), which if passed and signed by Gov. Newsom would advance a 2026 ballot measure to restore funding to a broad range of life-saving scientific research. The funding will come with groundbreaking requirements to return funds generated by inventions to Californians. UAW President Shawn Fain, UC President James B. Milliken, Senator Scott Wiener, patient advocate Ryan Manriquez, Dr. Monica Gandhi and more spoke in support of the bill. 

“For 90 years, the UAW has set out a vision for American society that goes beyond the paycheck,” UAW International President Shawn Fain told the crowd. “Yes, we want a fair deal for our members. But we also want a society that works for the entire working class. That’s what this bill is about. The kind of future we want to live in. It’s a future that invests in scientific research of, by, and for the people.  It’s a future where we take on Alzheimer’s, cancer, Parkinson’s, and disease. It’s a future where working class people can reap the benefits of some of the most advanced scientific research in the world, right here in California. If you’re ready to fight for that future, the UAW asks you to stand with us. Pass this bill. Support this research. And fund our future. Let’s get to it.”

“Science gave me a future,” said Ryan Manriquez, who lives with a rare neuromuscular disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. “And there are millions of people — children, parents, grandparents, people in every corner of this state — who deserve that same chance. Let's make sure we give it to them.”

“When grants disappear, the work does not just slow down,” said Doctor Ximena Anleu Gil, a postdoctoral scholar at UC Davis and UAW member who spoke while holding her 7-month old daughter, Sabina. “People lose jobs. Projects shut down. Skilled workers are forced to leave their labs, leave California, or in some cases leave the country. Already, hundreds of layoffs have occurred across UC. And behind each one of those layoffs is a person, a family, and a career thrown into uncertainty.”

Senator Scott Wiener (D-SF) and Assemblymember José Luis Solache, Jr. (D-Lynwood) introduced Senate Bill 895 to place the measure on the November 2026 ballot. More than 45 legislators have signed on as co-authors, including Senators Becker, Caballero, Cortese, Durazo, McNerney (PhD), Padilla, Reyes, Richardson, and Weber Pierson (MD), and Assemblymembers Addis, Ahrens, Bennet, Caloza, Connolly, Carillo, Garcia, Garcia, Gonzalez, Haney, Harabedian, Hoover, Ortega, Petrie Norris, Celeste Rodriguez, Stefani, Wallis, Ward, and Zbur.

The measure is in response to the Trump administration’s cancellation of billions of dollars of scientific research funding, which has shuttered labs working on treatments and cures for the most devastating diseases we face. At UCLA alone, federal administrators suspended nearly $584 million in funding for research and are demanding a $1 billion payment - a demand Governor Newsom called extortion.