In the latest Substack post on his Substack page, The Gold and the Blue, Volume 22, President Milliken shared his experience and remarks from the May 4 Rally for California Science in Sacramento.

President Milliken addresses a crowd at the Rally for California Science on May 4, 2025. (Credit: Noah Berger)

Yesterday, I joined state Senator Scott Wiener, UAW President Shawn Fain, and more than a thousand supporters at the State Capitol for the Rally for California Science. We came together in support of Senate Bill 895 — bipartisan legislation that would place a $23 billion research bond on the November 2026 ballot. By establishing a new, dedicated revenue source for research, this legislation will help ensure UC’s remarkable faculty and researchers can continue finding solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. I’m proud that the University of California is a co-sponsor of Sen. Wiener’s bill.

Below are my remarks from the rally. I’ve been doing this for a long time and have never seen so many people gathered in the rain to support science.

It’s great to be here with all of you.

To our speakers today, thank you for illuminating why research funding is so vital. California’s scientists, medical professionals, workers, and patients all understand the importance of this proposal. As do economists and others who know the huge impact of scientific research on our state’s economy and quality of life.

Of course, we wouldn’t be here today without Senator Scott Wiener. Senator Wiener, we are grateful for your leadership and your support for scientific research. And we are proud to co-sponsor this bill.

We’re here today because we all want to protect research in California, which is the global leader. This didn’t happen by accident. Since World War II, the federal government has been making investments in university research because it recognized that it would fuel the economic, health, and national security engine for our country. It was always a bipartisan issue.

Supporters of SB 895 at the Rally for California Science. (Credit: Noah Berger)

And it was an overwhelming success. Research universities in the U.S. have led the world. Other countries have long tried to emulate us, and they are racing to catch up with us. It seems inconceivable to me that we would voluntarily relinquish the leadership that has propelled our country, fueled the economy, made us healthier, and made us safer. But that’s exactly what’s happening now, and I am optimistic that Californians will not let this happen.

American higher education is facing serious headwinds, and nowhere is this the case more than in California. UC is the most successful research enterprise in the world. Its success is unparalleled. Seventy-five Nobel Prize winners from UC. Last year, the U.S. had six Nobel Prize winners. Five of them were from the University of California. People around the world asked: “What are you doing in California that makes you so successful?!”

It’s not a secret. Our state built the most successful system of research universities the world has ever seen. Its outstanding faculty compete on the merits for funding from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy. That success in research has led to success in innovation. UC leads the world in patents, with twice as many last year as the university in second place.

Today, incredible as it seems, because of actions by the federal government, this success is at great risk. The University of California is facing the most significant disruption to our research enterprise in our history.

This is research that supports tens of thousands of good, local jobs; propels our state’s global leadership in innovation; delivers life-changing and life-saving medical advancements for people everywhere.

To put it simply — no one anywhere does scientific discovery better than the University of California. And if the federal government puts this at risk, I am confident the people of California will understand what needs to be done.

This bond measure would help make sure that California can continue to be the world’s leader in advancing solutions to our most urgent challenges.

The faculty and staff at UC come to work every day to help make Californians’ lives better, whether or not they’ve ever set foot on one of our campuses, or medical centers.

We cannot give up on that mission and all the benefits it has brought. SB 895 is the way Californians can ensure that it continues.

Thank you for being here today. Let’s continue to deliver for California’s economy and workers, for our patients and families, and for every person in this state. That’s our mission, our obligation, our job. We don’t intend to stop now.

Don’t miss a single post from President Milliken! Subscribe to his Substack.

About

View all post by