California co-leads multi-state lawsuit against CDC’s unscientific vaccine recommendations putting public health at risk

The federal government’s move to advance a childhood vaccine schedule unsupported by science, without deliberation or public input, and circumventing established processes and procedures, is unlawful. It stands in direct violation of federal requirements that mandate the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advances vaccine recommendations for the country, be fairly balanced.  

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. cleared ACIP of all 17 voting members last summer – something he swore under oath during his confirmation hearing in Congress not to do – replacing the committee with anti-vaccine activists. 

The federal requirements guiding ACIP are meant to ensure that vaccine policy emerges from a body of independent and multi-disciplinary experts guided by evidence-based decision-making. 

The Trump administration’s bucking of an evidence-based childhood vaccine schedule is especially dire as the United States experiences the highest numbers of measles cases, outbreaks, hospitalizations, and deaths in more than 30 years, driven by populations with low vaccination rates. 

In the year since the second Trump administration’s tumultuous public health appointments and recommendations, Governor Newsom and California have stepped up to place guardrails on the public’s exposure to preventable health risks:

• Last month, Governor Newsom announced that California became the first state to join the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network (GOARN), strengthening public health preparedness and rapid response coordination as the Trump administration pulled the U.S. from WHO.
• In December 2025, Governor Newsom announced the launch of the Public Health Network Innovation Exchange (PHNIX), a new California-led initiative to modernize public health infrastructure and maintain trust in science-driven decision-making. To lead this work, the state engaged some of the nation’s most respected public health voices, including Dr. Susan Monarez, former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. Debra Houry, former CDC Chief Medical Officer; and Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, founder and CEO of Your Local Epidemiologist, to work with and advise California’s public health leaders.
• In October 2025, Governor Newsom joined 14 other Governors in launching the Governors Public Health Alliance, a new non-partisan hub coordinating public health leadership across the country. The Alliance helps to strengthen emergency preparedness, improve communication, facilitate sharing data and expertise, and ensure states and territories can respond quickly and consistently to emerging health threats.
• In September 2025, California also joined the states of Oregon, Hawaii, and Washington in launching the West Coast Health Alliance. Through this partnership, the four states have coordinated health guidelines by aligning immunization recommendations informed by respected national medical organizations, allowing residents to receive consistent, science-based recommendations they can rely on — regardless of shifting federal actions.

In September 2025, Governor Newsom signed AB 144, authorizing California to base immunization guidance on credible, independent medical organizations rather than the CDC’s increasingly politicized Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). That same day, the West Coast Health Alliance announced coordinated winter virus vaccination recommendations, including the 2025–26 COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines.