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California just voted to give two billionaires $4 billion in taxpayer money so they can do obscure research

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Wu, T. (2026, November 10). California just voted to give two billionaires $4 billion in taxpayer money so they can do obscure research. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/11/10/us-news/california-voted-to-give-two-billionaires-4b-so-they-can-do-obscure-research/

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New York Post · collected 2026-11-10 · by Titus Wu

Quick Summary

California voters approved Proposition 38, which will allocate over $4 billion in taxpayer funds for medical research through state bonds. Half of this money is earmarked for the California Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA, co-founded by philanthropist Gary Michelson and businessman Meyer Luskin. Critics argue that the measure lacks transparency and fairness, with opponents highlighting Michelson's significant financial backing of the proposition and concerns about the state’s debt from bond repayment estimated at $500 to $600 million annually for two decades.
Written by AI on 2026-11-10, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

California voters have approved Proposition 38, which will allocate $4 billion in taxpayer money to support medical research. The proposition officially passed with over 54% of the vote, according to the Associated Press. Half of this funding will go to a single nonprofit immunology research institute affiliated with the University of California, founded by two billionaires. Critics have labeled Prop 38 as problematic, arguing that voters did not fully understand its implications due to insufficient time and information. Supporters claim the measure is necessary to advance medical discoveries amid federal funding cuts, which have disrupted clinical trials nationwide. Any medications developed from this research will be required to be sold at a 20% discount to Californians.

Written for “California Votes Subsidize Billionaires Research” on 2026-11-11, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but every quote it verified points right, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 143003: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-11-10

Story

California Votes Subsidize Billionaires Research
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 24% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The Guardian
Leans strongly right Hedges 3 of 15 claims Outlet record 65/100
“The articles describe different ballot propositions with distinct outcomes: Proposition 40, which failed, versus Proposition 38, which passed.”
South China Morning Post
Leans left Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 62/100
“The articles describe two different ballot measures: one related to medical research and another concerning a billionaire tax. They are not reporting on the same specific incident.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
24%
4 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-10 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 18601 article(s) · 39 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 39 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Titus Wu
90 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
California voters have approved a eyebrow-raising ballot measure to support medical research that will send more than $4 billion in taxpayer money to a nonprofit founded by a pair of billionaires.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing more backlash from prosecutors over his bombshell decision Thursday to commute all 548 death-row inmates in California — but the sweeping move may not be the end of the story.
She noted that Newsom, when he first ran for governor, told editorial boards at the time that he would “follow the will of the people” when asked on the death penalty.
In his final weeks as governor, Gavin Newsom has made a major change to California’s correctional system — one that will be felt deeply by families of victims across the state.
“Not how you’re going to build goodwill with the next American president, whoever that is.”
She will receive due process and remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” a DHS spokesperson told KRON4.
Proposition 39, which would have required California voters to show ID at the polls and introduce additional verification requirements for mail-in ballots, was rejected by 60% of voters with roughly half of votes counted, according to Associated Press.
Proposition 40, which would slap a one-time 5% tax on billionaires’ wealth, was trailing by 56% to 44% with roughly half the ballots counted shortly after 9 p.m. The measure was among the most fiercely contested of the 14 propositions on California’s ballot, pitting powerful labor unions and lefty Democrats against some of the world’s richest tech entrepreneurs.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass unleashed an early-morning Election Day attack on rival Nithya Raman, releasing a blooper reel highlighting her opponent’s campaign gaffes as the bitter mayoral race reached its climax.
Housing advocate Toby Muresianu joked: “Finally, a politician with the courage to say ‘Maybe in my backyard?’
Also by Titus Wu
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 90 articles by Titus Wu →

Topics

California Prop 38 Proposition 38 the Associated Press the San Francisco Chronicle

Subjects

California GPE · 4× Michelson PERSON · 3× Californians NORP · 2× Gary Michelson PERSON · 1× Meyer Luskin PERSON · 1× University of California, Los Angeles ORG · 1× the Associated Press ORG · 1× the San Francisco Chronicle ORG · 1× the University of California ORG · 1× the yet-open California Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy ORG · 1×

Narrative

“We believe Californians would have rejected Proposition 38 on its merits had they had sufficient time and information to understand its deep flaws.” Any medications developed from research supported by the bond funding will have to be sold at a 20% discount to Californians, and 10% of any revenue will go back to the state.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-10
California voters have approved a eyebrow-raising ballot measure to support medical research that will send more than $4 billion in taxpayer money to a nonprofit founded by a pair of billionaires.

Claims (17 extracted, 4 hedged)

California voters have approved a eyebrow-raising ballot measure to support medical research that will send more than $4 billion in taxpayer money to a nonprofit founded by a pair of billionaires. asserted
that → approve → billionaires
Proposition 38 — dubbed “the worst California proposition” by a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle — officially passed with more than 54% support and 83% of the vote counted, according to the Associated Press. uncertain
Proposition → dub → Press
“The measure will fund a statewide network of researchers, universities and nonprofit institutions working to advance immunology discoveries and turn promising science into life-saving treatments,” the Yes on 38 campaign said in a statement Monday. asserted
campaign → fund → statement
“Its passage comes as federal research funding cuts have disrupted clinical trials and delayed medical discoveries nationwide. asserted
cuts → come → discoveries
The low-profile ballot measure, which will authorize the state to sell $8.4 billion in bonds to fund medical research at state institutes and universities, has turned some heads. asserted
which → authorize → heads
Half of the money will be directed to a single nonprofit immunology research institute affiliated with the University of California, with the remaining funds distributed through competitive grants to public and nonprofit research institutions. asserted
funds → direct → institutions
That UC institute getting half the cash is the yet-open California Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy at University of California, Los Angeles, co-founded by philanthropist and medical inventor Gary Michelson businessman Meyer Luskin. asserted
institute → get → Luskin
The billionaires launched the institute and Michelson was the primary backer of Prop 38, contributing more than $65 million to the campaign, the Sacramento Bee reported. asserted
Bee → launch → campaign
That sparked criticism from opponents, who accused Michelson of funneling taxpayer money to his own organization, which is reportedly is still understaffed. uncertain
which → spark → organization
“Something stinks about two billionaires getting taxpayers to pay for their pet project, especially when the measure doesn’t disclose that,” Consumer Watchdog wrote in its endorsement picks of California’s propositions. asserted
Watchdog → stink → propositions
The California Post reached out to Michelson through the institute for comment. asserted
Post → reach → comment
Opponents of Prop 38 also argued that it’s unfair for money to be directed to just one area of medical research when so many have been impacted by federal cuts. asserted
many → argue → cuts
They also claim that the measure could saddle the state with debt. uncertain
measure → claim → debt
According to legislative analysis, the state will have to pay $500 million to $600 million annually for 20 years to repay the Prop 38 bond. uncertain
state → accord → bond
Critics pointed out as well that there will be a statutory exemption for the institute from public sector transparency laws. asserted
Critics → point → laws
“California deserves a funding process designed to maximize the likelihood of finding cures, with strong accountability and research proposals judged on their scientific merits,” the No on Proposition 38 campaign said in a Tuesday statement. asserted
campaign → deserve → statement
“We believe Californians would have rejected Proposition 38 on its merits had they had sufficient time and information to understand its deep flaws.” Any medications developed from research supported by the bond funding will have to be sold at a 20% discount to Californians, and 10% of any revenue will go back to the state. asserted
% → believe → state
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