California Proposition 14, Stem Cell Research Institute …

California Proposition 14, the Stem Cell Research Institute Bond Initiative, was on the ballot in California as an initiated state statute on November 3, 2020. Proposition 14 was approved.

A "yes" vote supported issuing $5.5 billion in general obligation bonds for the state's stem cell research institute and making changes to the institute's governance structure and programs.

A "no" vote opposed issuing $5.5 billion in general obligation bonds for the state's stem cell research institute, which ran out funds derived from Proposition 71 (2004) for new projects in 2019.

California Proposition 14

Yes

The ballot initiative authorized $5.5 billion in general obligation bonds for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), which was created to fund stem cellAs defined by CIRM, stem cells are cells that (1) have the ability to divide and create an identical copy of themselves and (2) can also divide to form cells that mature into cells that make up every type of tissue and organ in the body. research. In 2004, voters approved Proposition 71, which created CIRM, issued $3.00 billion in bonds to finance CIRM, and established a state constitutional right to conduct stem cell research.[1]

As of October 2019, CIRM had $132 million in funds remaining.[2] On July 1, 2019, CIRM suspended applications for new projects due to depleted funds.[3]

The ballot initiative required CIRM to spend no more than 7.5 percent of the bond funds on operation costs. The remaining bond funds were to be spent on grants to entities that conduct research, trials, and programs related to stem cells, as well as start-up costs for facilities. Some of the bond funds were set to be dedicated, including $1.5 billion for research on therapies and treatments for brain and nervous system diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and dementia. Upwards of 1.5 percent of the total funds were to be spent on Community Care Centers of Excellence (CCCE), which would be sites that conduct human clinical trials, treatments, and cures. Upwards of 0.5 percent of the total funds were to be spent on the Shared Labs Program (SLP), which are state-funded facilities dedicated to research on human embryonic stem cells.[1]

As of 2020, an Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC) was responsible for governing CIRM. Proposition 71 provided that the ICOC has 29 members with specific background requirements. The ballot initiative increased the number of members from 29 to 35. CIRM had three working groups that advise the ICOC, one each for medical research funding, research standards, and facilities grants. The ballot initiative created a fourth working group, which focused on improving access to treatments and cures. The ballot initiative also capped the number of bond-funded, full-time CIRM employees at 70 (plus an additional 15 dedicated to improving access to stem cell-derived therapies and treatments). The ballot initiative established training programs for undergraduate students and fellowships for graduate students related to advanced degrees and technical careers in stem cell research, treatments, and cures.[1]

Californians for Stem Cell Research, Treatments & Cures, a political action committee, led the campaign in support of the ballot initiative. The campaign received $19.73 million. Robert N. Klein II, a real estate investor and stem-cell research advocate, was the largest donor, contributing $8.08 million. Klein was also the chairman of Californians for Stem Cell Research, Treatments & Cures. He was the first chairperson of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, chief author of Proposition 71 (2004), and leader of the campaign behind Proposition 71.

The ballot title was as follows:[4]

Authorizes Bonds Continuing Stem Cell Research. Initiative Statute.[5]

The ballot summary was as follows:[4]

The fiscal impact statement was as follows:[4]

Increased state costs to repay bonds estimated at about $260 million per year over the next roughly 30 years.[5]

The full text of the ballot initiative is below:[1]

The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 11.5, and the FRE is 24.5. The word count for the ballot title is 13, and the estimated reading time is 3 seconds. The FKGL for the ballot summary is grade level 16, and the FRE is 14. The word count for the ballot summary is 87, and the estimated reading time is 23 seconds.

Californians for Stem Cell Research, Treatments & Cures led the campaign in support of the ballot initiative. Robert N. Klein II, a real estate investor who funded the campaign behind Proposition 71, was chairperson of the campaign.[6]

The campaign provided a list of supports on its website, which is available here.[7]

The following is the argument in support of Proposition 14 found in the Official Voter Information Guide:[8]

The following is the argument in opposition to Proposition 14 found in the Official Voter Information Guide:[9]

The Californians for Stem Cell Research, Treatments & Cures PAC was registered to support the ballot initiative. The committee raised $19.73 million.[10]

No on Proposition 14 was registered to oppose the ballot initiative. The PAC raised $1,350.[10]

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in support of the ballot initiative.[10]

The following was the top five donors to the support committee.[10]

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in support of the ballot initiative.[10]

Ballotpedia identified the following media editorial boards as taking positions on the ballot initiative.

In 2004, voters approved Proposition 71, which was a ballot initiative designed to establish a state constitutional right to conduct stem cell research, create the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), and issue $3.00 billion in general obligation bonds to fund CIRM.[11]

Yes on 71, also known as the Coalition for Stem Cell Research and Cures, led the campaign in support of Proposition 71. Yes on 71 received $24.33 million in contributions. The largest donors included Robert N. Klein II (Klein Financial Corporation), who provided $3.15 million, Ann Doerr, who provided $1.99 million, and John Doerr, who provided $1.99 million.[12]

No on 71, also known as Doctors, Patients & Taxpayers for Fiscal Responsibility, led the campaign against Proposition 71. The campaign received $499,287 in contributions, including $220,000 from Fieldstead & Company, $50,000 from Don Sebastiani, and $25,000 from the Catholic Common Good Foundation of California.[13]

Proposition 71 established the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) in the California Constitution.[11] As of 2020, CIRM was headquartered in San Francisco, California.[14]

Article XXXV provided CIRM with three purposes:[11]

An Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC) was responsible for governing CIRM, including the institute's funding decisions. Proposition 71 provided that the ICOC has 29 members with specific background requirements.[11]

Proposition 71 also required CIRM to have three working groups to advise the ICOC(1) the Scientific and Medical Research Funding Working Group, (2) the Scientific and Medical Accountability Standards Working Group, and (3) the Scientific and Medical Research Facilities Working Group.[11]

Proposition 71 required grant recipients to share a portion of their income resulting from inventions. Between 2004 and 2019, the state received $352,560 from grant recipients' incomes.[2]

The following is a list of the grants that CIRM issued between 2004 and 2020:[15]

Californians cast ballots on 44 bond issues, totaling $188.656 billion in value, from January 1, 1993, through June 1, 2020. Voters approved 32 (73 percent) of the bond measuresa total of $151.174 billion. Eight of the measures were citizen's initiatives, and five of the eight citizen-initiated bonds were approved. The legislature referred 36 bond measures to the ballot, and 27 of 36 legislative referrals were approved. The most common purpose of a bond measure during the 25 years between 1993 and 2020 was water infrastructure, for which there were nine bond measures.

Click show to expand the bond revenue table.

In California, the number of signatures required for an initiated state statute is equal to 5 percent of the votes cast in the preceding gubernatorial election. Petitions are allowed to circulate for 180 days from the date the attorney general prepares the petition language. Signatures need to be certified at least 131 days before the general election. As the verification process can take multiple months, the secretary of state provides suggested deadlines for ballot initiatives.

The requirements to get initiated state statutes certified for the 2020 ballot:

Signatures are first filed with local election officials, who determine the total number of signatures submitted. If the total number is equal to at least 100 percent of the required signatures, then local election officials perform a random check of signatures submitted in their counties. If the random sample estimates that more than 110 percent of the required number of signatures are valid, the initiative is eligible for the ballot. If the random sample estimates that between 95 and 110 percent of the required number of signatures are valid, a full check of signatures is done to determine the total number of valid signatures. If less than 95 percent are estimated to be valid, the initiative does not make the ballot.

On October 10, 2019, Robert N. Klein filed the ballot initiative.[1] Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) released ballot language for the initiative on December 17, 2019, which allowed proponents to begin collecting signatures. The deadline to file signatures was June 15, 2020.

On February 13, 2020, proponents announced that the number of collected signatures surpassed the 25-percent threshold (155,803 signatures) to require legislative hearings on the ballot initiative.[16] In 2014, Senate Bill 1253 was enacted into law, which required the legislature to assign ballot initiatives that meet the 25-percent threshold to committees to hold joint public hearings on the initiatives not later than 131 days before the election.

On March 21, 2020, Sarah Melbostad, a spokeswoman for Californians for Stem Cell Research, Treatments, and Cures, reported that the campaign's signature drive was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Melbostad said, "In keeping with the governors statewide order for non-essential businesses to close and residents to remain at home, weve suspended all signature gathering for the time being. ... Were confident that we still have time to qualify and plan to proceed accordingly."[17]

On May 5, 2020, the campaign submitted 924,216 signatures for the ballot initiative.[18] At least 623,212 (67.43 percent) of the signatures needed to be valid. On June 22, 2020, the office of Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced that a random sample of signatures projected that 78.14 percent were valid. Therefore, the ballot initiative qualified to appear on the ballot at the general election.[19]

Cost of signature collection:Sponsors of the measure received in-kind contributions from Robert N. Klein II to collect signatures for the petition to qualify this measure for the ballot. A total of $4,145,719.73 was spent to collect the 623,212 valid signatures required to put this measure before voters, resulting in a total cost per required signature (CPRS) of $6.65.

Click "Show" to learn more about voter registration, identification requirements, and poll times in California.

All polls in California are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[20]

To vote in California, an individual must be a U.S. citizen and California resident. A voter must be at least 18 years of age on Election Day. Conditional voter registration is available beginning 14 days before an election through Election Day.[21]

On October 10, 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown (D) signed into law Assembly Bill No. 1461, also known as the New Motor Voter Act. The legislation, which took effect in 2016, authorized automatic voter registration in California for any individuals who visit the Department of Motor Vehicles to acquire or renew a driver's license.[22][23]

California automatically registers eligible individuals to vote when they complete a driver's license, identification (ID) card, or change of address transaction through the Department of Motor Vehicles.

California has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

California allows same-day voter registration.

To register to vote in California, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

California does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration, although individuals who become U.S. citizens less than 15 days before an election must bring proof of citizenship to their county elections office to register to vote in that election.[24]

The site Voter Status, run by the California Secretary of State's office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

California does not require voters to present photo identification. However, some voters may be asked to show a form of identification when voting if they are voting for the first time after registering to vote by mail and did not provide a driver license number, California identification number, or the last four digits of their social security number.[25][26]

The following list of accepted ID was current as of November 2019. Click here for the California Secretary of State page, "What to Bring to Your Polling Place," to ensure you have the most current information.

As of April 2021, 35 states enforced (or were scheduled to begin enforcing) voter identification requirements. A total of 21 states required voters to present photo identification at the polls; the remainder accepted other forms of identification. Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.[27][28]

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California Proposition 14, Stem Cell Research Institute ...