California voters have approved Proposition 14, the California Stem Cell Research, Treatments and Cures Initiative of 2020. The ballot measure provides $5.5 billion in general obligation bond funding to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to support stem cell and regenerative medicine research in California.

CIRM Board Chairman Jonathan Thomas, JD, PhD, welcome the news, saying:

“We are thrilled to see Proposition 14 approved by the voters of California. We are proud of what we have achieved so far – the cures and therapies we helped develop, the billions we brought into the state in additional investments, and the tens of thousands of jobs we created – and we look forward to continuing that work.

We are honored by the trust the people of California have placed in us, and by the support of our extraordinary patient advocate community and by the many Chambers of Commerce around California who have all recognized our historic achievements.

We are already working on ways to repay that trust and bring stem cell and regenerative therapies to all the people of this great state, particularly for communities that have traditionally been overlooked or underserved.” 

Californians for Cures, the organization behind the campaign to approve Proposition 14, issued a press release celebrating the news.