The science research institute that would likely receive $4.2 billion in public taxpayer money if voters approve Proposition 38 this November had only three employees as of last month — far fewer than the 51 staffers it planned to have hired by last year.
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it → receive → year
Public statements and public records CalMatters obtained raise questions about how well prepared the institute is to shepherd so much money if the bond measure passes.
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measure → obtain → money
Prop. 38 would allocate up to $8.4 billion in bonds for scientific research on diseases and cures concerning the immune system, with an emphasis on finding treatments for Alzheimer’s, cancer and heart disease.
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. → allocate → Alzheimer
The ballot language stipulates that a single, unnamed research institute would receive half the bond’s money to conduct research and partner with other researchers if it meets highly specific criteria.
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it → stipulate → criteria
Bonds are a type of debt that must be repaid.
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that → repay → debt
Previous reporting by CalMatters found only one institute in California currently meets those criteria: the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy.
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institute → find → Immunology
The institute’s principal funder is billionaire Gary K. Michelson, who wrote Prop. 38 and is by far the largest donor to its political campaign.
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who → write → campaign
Backers of the proposition said state bond money is needed to stabilize research funding after President Donald Trump repeatedly attempted to cut existing and future federal science grants.
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Trump → say → grants
The measure’s critics say Prop. 38 is well-intentioned but poorly designed because it overlooks the many established public and nonprofit university and hospital research labs in California.
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it → say → California
They also say California should not subsidize subsets of scientific research and instead should support research more broadly.
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California → say → research
CalMatters obtained documents that included the five-year business plan of the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy.
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that → obtain → Immunology
The plan was part of the formal affiliation agreement between UCLA and the institute, which the two parties signed in August 2024.
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parties → sign → August
Among other details, the agreement requires the institute to pay UCLA 7.5% of the net revenue of any drugs and technologies developed by the institute’s staff.
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agreement → require → staff
The institute is one of the founding tenants at a UCLA-owned research park in West Los Angeles, where the institute is leasing 235,000 square feet of research space, the institute says.
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institute → found → space
Far fewer employees than plan called for
Between summer 2024 and summer 2025, the institute committed to hiring “approximately” 51 employees, including six executives, five “world-class” scientists who can lead research labs, and 40 other employees, such as data scientists, lab technicians, biologists and administrative personnel.
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who → call → scientists
Between 2025 and 2027, the institute would hire roughly 90 more workers, including 10 research lab leaders, according to the agreement.
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institute → hire → agreement
But John Mazziotta, a senior UCLA official who also serves as a board member of the immunology institute, last month said the institute has hired just three employees: a chief operating officer, a general counsel, and a scientific advisor, and “they’re well into the search” for a director.
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they → serve → director
Mazziotta, the CEO of UCLA Health and vice chancellor for health sciences at UCLA, made his comments during the Sept. 16 UC Regents meeting.
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Mazziotta → make → meeting
The Yes on Prop. 38 campaign has repeatedly refused to comment on whether the bond was written specifically for the immunology institute.
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bond → refuse → institute
Claudia Briggs, a spokesperson for the campaign, told CalMatters in July that whichever nonprofit receives the $4.2 billion portion of the bond fund should be a sophisticated one that “is prepared to accelerate lifesaving research immediately while maintaining the highest standards of scientific quality, accountability, and stewardship of public funds.”
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that → tell → funds
At a September press conference, a Yes on Prop. 38 spokesperson appeared to confirm CalMatters’ findings that only one institute currently qualifies to be the one to receive half the bond money.
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institute → appear → money
“It is very likely that CIII, which is a research institute affiliated with UCLA, will qualify for half of the funds under the current criteria,” said Robin Swanson.
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Swanson → affiliate → criteria
According to the five-year plan, the institute was supposed to spend $25 million on personnel between 2024-25 and 2025-26 and $45 million total on operating expenses in that time, including maintenance, utilities and rent.
uncertain
institute → accord → maintenance
It was also supposed to spend an additional $167 million in that time on capital expenses, such as construction and demolition.
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It → suppose → construction
However, Mazziotta told UC regents that the institute had so far spent a total of $20 million on “operating expenses, hires” and other expenses.
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institute → tell → expenses
The Yes on 38 campaign refused CalMatters’ request to interview Michelson for this story, as did Michelson himself in a separate email.
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Michelson → refuse → email
A spokesperson for the institute, Becky Warren, sent a written statement that didn’t answer CalMatters’ questions about employing far fewer people than the five-year plan laid out.
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that → send → plan
Instead, she highlighted the promise of the institute and a few of its milestones, including signing the affiliation agreement with UCLA and clearing a state environmental review of its forthcoming research facility.
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she → highlight → facility
The institute won’t get state bond money if it isn’t ready to begin work, “plain and simple,” wrote Swanson, the Yes on 38 spokesperson, in an email.
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Swanson → get → email
She stressed that though the institute very likely qualifies, the ultimate decision to award half the bond funding is up to the California Department of Public Health.
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decision → stress → Health
Institute facility will be built by 2028
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facility → build → 2028
The UCLA research park that houses the institute isn’t slated to be fully built until at least late 2028, according to the agenda item of the September UC regents meeting.
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that → house → meeting
The research park is a former mall UCLA acquired in late 2023 that’s now undergoing major retrofitting.
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that → acquire → retrofitting
But the 2024 affiliation agreement between UCLA and the institute anticipated this.
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agreement → anticipate → this
The agreement permitted the institute to use UCLA health research space on another campus property on an interim basis.
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institute → permit → basis
Mazziotta told regents that research is underway there.
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research → tell → regents
Mazziotta also told the regents the institute’s construction costs are not fully funded — it still needs roughly $100 million.
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it → tell → million
He said UCLA was in serious talks with a donor to provide about $50 million to the institute.
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UCLA → say → institute
If Prop. 38 passes, the bond funding would be provided in increments based on how often the institute requests new money that senior state officials approve.
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officials → pass → that
If all the funds are depleted, Californians would repay the bond at a rate of $500 million to $600 million annually for about 20 years.
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Californians → deplete → years
…and 17 more, not listed.
The Aporia
