YES on Prop 38 releases podcast series on Californians tied to medical research

The YES on Proposition 38 campaign has launched five podcast episodes featuring patients, caregivers and doctors who say immunology research has changed or could change lives in California. The series aims to build support for a ballot measure that would direct $8.4 billion toward research on cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

Why it matters: - Prop 38 would direct $8.4 billion to accelerate immunology research aimed at curing and preventing cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and other persistent diseases. - The campaign says the measure could help speed treatments for diseases including Parkinson’s, diabetes, ALS, muscular dystrophy, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis. - The measure comes as uncertainty in federal research funding halted at least 160 active clinical trials nationwide in 2025, slowing work that patients and researchers depend on.

What happened: - The YES on Proposition 38 campaign released five podcast episodes featuring Californians talking about how medical research affects their lives. - The series, “Yes on Proposition 38: Immunology Medical Research & Cures,” is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, YouTube and Substack. - The episodes feature a lymphoma survivor, a Blood Cancer United advocate, a caregiver for a mother with Alzheimer’s, a nurse who found relief through immunotherapy and a UCSF neurologist. - The campaign is pushing the measure under the name the Immunology Medical Research & Cures Initiative.

The details: - Andrew Dale was diagnosed with lymphoma at 45 and later entered remission after immunotherapy replaced chemotherapy that had stopped working. - Zoe Dale, Andrew Dale’s daughter, said young voters have the power to act, adding: “That starts here.” - Alicia Truelove, a registered nurse and mother of two, waited about two years for a diagnosis of a rare autoimmune disorder and then spent about a year trying about six medications before immunotherapy helped. - Truelove said her symptoms disappeared overnight after immunotherapy. - Viva Mogi has cared for her mother with Alzheimer’s for more than a decade and said her family was given little guidance at diagnosis. - Dr. Joe Sabatino, a neurologist and assistant professor at the University of California, San Francisco, said moving an idea from the lab to an FDA-approved therapy is traditionally a decades-long process. - Sabatino said reliable, dedicated funding is needed at every stage of that process. - Adam Zarrin, director of state government affairs at Blood Cancer United, said patients and researchers have had to stop clinical trials when federal funding disappeared. - Zarrin said the ideal outcome is for California patients to receive treatment from California doctors at California hospitals. - Prop 38 says 10% of proceeds from licensing immunotherapies must be returned to California to offset the measure’s total costs, including interest. - The measure also says any cure or immunotherapy developed will be available to California patients at a 20% discount below the national average. - Prop 38 includes a 2% cap on state administrative expenses, public disclosure of spending, independent financial audits and a ban on grant funding for for-profit corporations. - The campaign says immunotherapies already treat melanoma, lung cancer, leukemia and lymphoma by harnessing the body’s immune system.

Between the lines: - The podcast rollout is designed to turn a policy debate into personal stories from patients, families and clinicians. - The campaign is framing Prop 38 as both a medical research investment and a consumer-protection measure through cost offsets, audits and spending limits. - The push also reflects a broader argument that California should keep more research, treatment and funding in-state.

What's next: - The campaign is directing voters to YESon38.com for a coalition list and supporter statements. - The podcast series is likely to remain part of the campaign’s outreach as voters weigh the measure and its funding claims. - If approved, Prop 38 would expand funding for next-generation immunology research and related treatments in California.

The bottom line: - Prop 38 is being sold as a way to speed research, lower future treatment costs and keep life-saving innovation closer to California patients.