Coronavirus Fallout: New and Bigger Hurdles Now Face $5.5 Billion California Stem Cell Measure

California's intensifying battle against the coronavirus is creating ever larger obstacles and uncertainty concerning the proposed $5.5 billion ballot initiative to refinance the state's stem cell research program, which is running out of money.

The new, statewide ban on public gatherings is certain to hamper the gathering of the 600,000-plus signatures needed to place the measure on the November ballot. No one knows how long that ban will be in place. Signature gathering in California largely occurs in public places using paid workers. 

The financial fallout from the crisis also raises questions about whether funds can be raised to support the petition drive -- not to mention a fall ballot campaign that could cost in the neighborhood of $50 million. The usual contributors to such an effort are likely to feel financially squeezed, plus they may be refocusing on new and higher priorities dealing with health care, if they have cash they are willing to contribute.

The impact of the coronavirus crisis has already knocked off one ballot measure in Palo Alto, a wealthy Silicon Valley enclave.  The school board there this week removed a $16-million-a-year property tax measure from its May ballot.  An article in the Palo Alto Daily Post said, 

"'In order to do even a high-polling ballot initiative … the committee doing it needs to have a certain amount of resources, including money raised and feet on the street,' (school) trustee Melissa Baten-Caswell said. 'It is really not conceivable that they’re going to have enough to run the rest of the campaign in this time frame.'

The financial squeeze is also being reported nationally. Some big national political donors backed the measure that created the stem cell program 15 years ago.  Politico wrote just this morning,

"Campaigns across the country have canceled face-to-face fundraisers for the foreseeable future and are scrambling to figure out how to raise enough money to stay solvent. Big donors' stock portfolios are tanking. And small-dollar, online contributors — who have never been more important to campaigns — are facing sudden financial uncertainty and the real possibility of unemployment."

Backers of the $5.5 billion stem cell initiative have until June 15 to complete the qualification process, which goes beyond simply gathering signatures. They must be verified by election officials as valid signatures of registered voters which can take some time. 

The campaign had expected to submit more than enough signatures by late April. The California Stem Cell Report has queried the campaign for comment, but has received none. 

The stem cell agency, known formally as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), was created in 2004 by voters with $3 billion in funding. It is now down to it last $27 million for awards.