FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 19, 2026

CONTACT:
Maria Leal
[email protected]

PHOTOS, VIDEO, AND INTERVIEWS WITH HEALTHCARE WORKERS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

SACRAMENTO, Calif – County election officials have verified enough signatures in support of the Clinic Funding Accountability and Transparency Act to advance the campaign toward qualifying the measure for the November 2026 ballot.

More than one million California voters signed the petition demanding accountability for how community clinic dollars are spent. These federally funded community clinics, known as Federally Qualified Health Centers, or FQHCs, exist to provide affordable primary care to low-income Californians who have nowhere else to turn. With Congress poised to cut up to $30 billion in annual federal healthcare funding to the state, the stakes for responsible spending have never been higher.

The Clinic Funding Accountability and Transparency Act would require FQHCs to devote at least 90% of total revenue to direct patient care and mission-related services, fulfilling the core promise these clinics made when they accepted public funding. It would also require clinics to publicly report their financials and spending priorities, ensuring transparency in how taxpayer dollars are used.

Frontline healthcare workers say the need for accountability is urgent and spending priorities have not kept pace with their mission. Some clinics spend as little as 57% of their funding on patient care, diverting public dollars to executive compensation and other non-essentials instead of the services and frontline staff patients depend on.

“I became a healthcare worker because I believed in the mission of community health, making sure that every Californian, regardless of income or insurance status, could get the care they need,” said Nieves Perez, a medical assistant at Camarena Health. “These clinics exist to serve people who have nowhere else to turn, and they are funded by taxpayer dollars to do exactly that. When that money isn’t making it to patients and workers are stretched to the breaking point, something has gone wrong. Californians deserve to know where their healthcare dollars are going, and this initiative makes that possible.”

The next step is the Secretary of State confirming the measure has qualified for the November 2026 ballot, when California voters will have the opportunity to vote on the initiative.

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SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is a healthcare justice union of more than 120,000 healthcare workers, patients, and healthcare activists united to ensure affordable, accessible, high-quality care for all Californians provided by valued and respected healthcare workers. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org.