Senator Sasha Renée Pérez is responding to massive layoffs at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory by proposing state-level investment in scientific research. The Pasadena Democrat announced her co-authorship of legislation that would ask California voters to fund research institutions as federal support becomes unstable.
“The recent layoffs underscore the broader instability of federal funding, especially at a time when the Trump Administration is implementing severe cuts to essential research programs and highlight the need for California to take decisive action in protecting its research environment,” Pérez stated.
JPL announced it is laying off 550 skilled and talented employees, representing 11% of its workforce at the La Cañada Flintridge facility. The cuts come just months after many employees were evacuated during the Eaton fire, with some losing their homes.
Pérez called the layoffs “both shocking and deeply concerning.” She highlighted JPL’s role as a global leader in scientific research where teams of scientists and support staff enable groundbreaking work vital to the community, state, and nation.
“Their unique research keeps the United States at the forefront of scientific discovery, especially in the field of space exploration,” the senator said. She also highlighted JPL’s work to combat the effects of climate change as “more urgent now than ever.”
The senator is joining Senator Scott Wiener in authoring SB 607, the California Science and Health Research Bond Act. The proposed legislation would establish state-level investment by asking voters to allocate funding supporting California’s leading public and private research institutions.
The statement characterized the layoffs as raising “serious concerns about the future of innovation and scientific leadership in space exploration here in California.”
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