Proposition 38 Endorsed by Equality California to Advance Life-Saving Medical Research and Cures

California’s leading LGBTQ+ civil rights organization joins more than 50 organizations supporting medical research to advance cures

SACRAMENTO, CA, UNITED STATES, September 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today, Equality California endorsed YES on Proposition 38, the Immunology Medical Research & Cures Initiative, joining leading patient advocacy organizations, civil rights groups and other LGBTQ+ organizations, including The Source LGBT+ Center and The Wall Las Memorias.

Prop 38 will provide $8.4 billion in vitally needed funding to advance breakthrough immunology medical research to help prevent and treat Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease and other persistent and debilitating diseases impacting nearly every California family. A broad and growing coalition of more than 50 patient advocacy, medical and research organizations back the measure and urge Californians to vote YES on Prop 38.

“Our community knows what it means to wait on science while people we love run out of time,” said Tony Hoang, Executive Director of Equality California. “The same immunology research that changed the course of HIV is now opening doors to find treatments and cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and so many other debilitating diseases. California must seize this moment and vote YES on Proposition 38.”

Immunotherapies harness the body’s immune system to recognize and stop disease and are already saving and extending lives for patients with melanoma, lung cancer, leukemia and lymphoma.

This breakthrough research has long been central to progress against HIV. Antiretroviral therapy turned a once-fatal diagnosis into a manageable chronic condition, and immunology is pushing that progress further. Prop 38 will fund the next generation of that research, including work on how the immune system and the brain interact as disease develops.

“I have spent nearly four decades building global research consortia that harness the power of the human immune system to accelerate development of vaccines and immune therapies for infectious and non-communicable diseases,” said Wayne C. Koff, Ph.D., Managing Partner of Next Frontier Advisors, and founder of Human Immunome Project. “California has a chance to build the durable research ecosystem needed to carry discoveries all the way to patients.”

Prop 38 represents a new approach to medical research funding, creating a collaborative statewide network that combines competitive research grants with a world-class immunology institute designed to help turn discoveries into life-saving treatments and cures. Half of its funding will support competitive grants at California universities and nonprofit research institutions, while the other half will support a nonprofit immunology institute affiliated with the University of California that can bring together leading scientists, technology, laboratories, patients and clinical trials.

The California Department of Public Health will select an eligible institute based on strict criteria. Prop 38 also requires collaboration among grantees so discoveries, expertise and best practices can be shared across institutions rather than siloed.

Uncertainty in federal research funding is slowing clinical trials and delaying discoveries at the exact moment this science has momentum. Prop 38 provides a reliable source of funding to accelerate discoveries and strengthens California leadership in biomedical research, rather than waiting on Washington.

“Health equity means ensuring every community has access to better treatments,” said Richard Zaldivar, President, The Wall Las Memorias. “We support Prop 38 because advancing medical research and new treatments can help close health disparities and create healthier communities across California, especially underserved populations.”

Prop 38 is designed to pay for itself. Ten percent of all proceeds from the licensing of immunotherapies must be returned to California to offset the measure's total costs, including interest. Additionally, any cure or immunotherapy developed will be provided to California patients at a 20 percent discount. Prop 38 also includes strict accountability requirements, including:

- Two percent cap on state administrative expenses
- Public disclosure of spending
- Independent financial audits
- For-profit corporations are not eligible for grant funding

YES on Prop 38 is supported by a broad coalition of patient advocates, doctors, nurses, scientists, researchers and medical organizations working on behalf of Californians affected by HIV/AIDS, cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and other devastating diseases.
Learn more at YESon38.com, including a full coalition list and what supporters are saying.

Robin Swanson
Yes on Prop 38
Press@YesOn38.com
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