Air Force veteran with ALS backs Prop. 38 medical research measure

Jessy Ybarra, a San Diego-area Air Force veteran living with ALS, is urging California voters to support Proposition 38, saying sustained medical research funding could speed new treatments for ALS and other serious diseases. The measure would direct $8.4 billion to immunology research and include funding rules, discounts for California patients and oversight requirements.

Why it matters: - Jessy Ybarra is using his personal fight with ALS to make the case that medical research funding can determine whether patients live long enough to benefit from new treatments. - Proposition 38 would direct $8.4 billion toward immunology research aimed at preventing and treating cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, ALS and other diseases. - The measure is framed as a response to federal research cuts that are delaying clinical trials and slowing discoveries.

What happened: - Ybarra, a San Diego-area U.S. Air Force veteran, published a guest opinion in the San Diego Union-Tribune backing YES on Proposition 38. - Ybarra was diagnosed with ALS in 2017 after four years in the Air Force and 32 years in information technology. - Ybarra said one of his main goals is living long enough to see his son graduate from college. - Ybarra said Prop. 38 gives California a stable source of funding to keep research moving fast enough for ALS patients. - Prop. 38 is called the Immunology Medical Research & Cures Initiative.

The details: - Prop. 38 would fund research into immunotherapies, which use the body’s own immune system to prevent and treat disease. - Immunotherapies are already being used for melanoma, lung cancer, leukemia and lymphoma. - The measure would also support research for Parkinson’s, diabetes, muscular dystrophy, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis. - Half of the funding would go to competitive grants for California universities and nonprofit research institutions. - The other half would support a nonprofit immunology institute affiliated with the University of California. - The institute would be designed to connect scientists, technology, laboratories, patients and clinical trials. - Prop. 38 would require 10% of proceeds from licensing immunotherapies developed under the measure to be returned to California to offset costs, including interest. - California patients would receive any cure or immunotherapy developed under the measure at a 20% discount below the national average. - The measure includes a 2% cap on state administrative expenses. - Prop. 38 requires public disclosure of spending and independent financial audits. - For-profit corporations would not be eligible for grant funding. - YESon38.com includes a coalition list and supporter information. - The campaign also lists social channels at LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X and Substack.

Between the lines: - The endorsement comes from a patient who can speak directly to the pace of disease and the uncertainty that comes with waiting for a breakthrough. - The pitch for Prop. 38 ties voter support to a broader argument that California can fill gaps left by shrinking federal research support. - The measure tries to combine scientific funding with cost controls and public oversight, which appears aimed at making the proposal more politically durable.

What's next: - Supporters are pressing voters to back Prop. 38 and to use YESon38.com for more information. - If approved, the measure would set up the statewide grant system and the UC-affiliated institute to start directing funding. - The campaign is expected to keep highlighting patient stories like Ybarra’s to build support.

The bottom line: - Prop. 38 is being sold as both a research investment and a patient-centered policy response to diseases that still lack cures.