To the UC Davis Community:

I’m writing to ask for your support for SB 895, a critical piece of legislation under consideration by the California Legislature. If placed on the November ballot and approved by voters, it would directly benefit research efforts at UC Davis, strengthening our impact across the region and state. I urge you to learn more about how this bill supports research at the UC and UC Davis, as well as in the communities we serve, and actions you can take to support it. 

Background

SB 895, the California Science and Health Research Bond Act, would place a multibillion-dollar bond on the November 2026 ballot. The bill is supported by the University of California and the United Auto Workers, or UAW, representing our graduate student researchers. This measure would establish the California Foundation for Science and Health Research and provide long-term, stable funding to foster science and research across the state. For us at UC Davis, this means continued support for our foundational and interdisciplinary research work — supporting vital programs in agriculture, veterinary science, human medicine, biomedical science and engineering — all of which are making a difference in people’s lives. This measure would build on progress by our researchers at UC Davis who have developed life-saving treatments for conditions like spina bifida and an innovative communication tool that shows promise for restoring the voices of ALS patients, among other breakthroughs.

As you know, research at public universities across the country faces unprecedented challenges. Without stable funding, UC Davis’ ability to advance research is at risk. Our campus and colleagues across the UC system are navigating significant uncertainty due to shifting federal research funding. The federal partnership supports thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity for California, enriches student opportunities and funds transformative research programs. In California, SB 895 offers a hopeful opportunity to secure the future for UC Davis and the broader UC system.

Our leadership is committed to supporting SB 895. Faculty and staff voices are essential to support, as well. As UC President James B. Milliken recently wrote in an op-ed published in the Sacramento Bee, “This legislation will help ensure that California scholars, including those working within the UC system, can continue finding solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems.”

The California state Senate passed SB 895 late last month, and the Assembly is now considering the bond measure. This is an important moment for our UC Davis community to contact your assemblymember and express support for SB 895. Your support can help ensure UC Davis continues to thrive as a leader in research, education and public service. The Assembly and Gov. Gavin Newsom have until June 25 to approve the bill, so your support is critical right now.

What can you do?

Because UC has co-sponsored the measure, UC Davis faculty and staff are able to advocate for the bill in their UC capacities. Legislators need to hear from faculty, staff and others that they support SB 895. This is a critical time to weigh in with your state Assembly representative. Below are some options for actions you can take to advocate in support of this measure.

UCAN campaign

Sign on to the UC Advocacy Network, or UCAN, campaign and consider expanding UC’s reach by forwarding the campaign to your networks and encouraging others to participate.

Contact your state assemblymember Sample language 

Contact your state assemblymember to urge them to support SB 895. Use this site to find out who represents you in the Assembly. Enter your home address and your assemblymember’s name will appear, hyperlinked to their web page. Once you click on their hyperlink, the “contact” tab on the legislator’s website will provide options for how you can reach out — typically, you will be able to submit an email and/or call the office to express your support. Below is sample language you can personalize for your advocacy message — by email, phone call or both.

Sample language

Personalizing the sample language below when reaching out to your assemblymember will make your message compelling and more persuasive. Explain how your research benefits the public good. If recent federal actions have had a negative impact on your research and work, tell that story.
 
SB 895, the California Science and Health Research Bond Act, is a historic opportunity to invest in science and research to benefit the state of California. The measure would help the University of California offset federal research cuts the university is experiencing.
 
UC’s systemic budget challenges include rising operating costs; state fiscal constraints; and numerous federal actions that directly affect our research mission and support for students, faculty and staff.
 
The research bond under consideration would provide funding to advance knowledge and deliver public benefit across California. Please support SB 895!

At UC Davis, we don’t just envision innovation. We bring it to life in the communities we serve. We’re leading new discoveries and medical breakthroughs that have saved thousands of lives in the Sacramento region, across the state and beyond. Now is a critical time to support the future of our research enterprise and the jobs that drive economic growth in our region and state. I encourage everyone to support SB 895.

Sincerely, 
 
Gary S. May 
Chancellor