We built something good, but I think the field has expanded and there's plenty of money going into research in California now, said Jeff Sheehy, who sits on the governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine but says the state can't afford to borrow more bond money to support it.

When voters approved the initial $3 billion in 2004, President George W. Bush's administration had banned the use of federal funds for research using newly created human embryonic stem cell lines. The Obama administration lifted that ban in 2009.

Since then, opponents say, the National Institutes of Health has provided $1.5 billion a year in stem cell research money, while private investment in companies doing stem cell research has flowed in.

Supporters say that federal money could stop at any time, noting more than 90 members of Congress recently signed a letter demanding the Trump administration put an end to funding stem cell research.

More than a third of the initial $3 billion was spent to create stem cell research facilities at Stanford, the University of California, Berkeley, and other prestigious California institutions. Much of the rest has gone toward research.

With only about $30 million left, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has reduced its staff and stopped funding new studies.

If the proposition keeps its lead and passes, at least $1.5 billion would be earmarked for developing treatments for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other brain-related diseases. Some funds would be used to train California university and college students, and no more 7.5% could be used for administrative costs.

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Voters asked to approve $5.5 billion for stem cell research - Lebanon Express