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

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Feb 24, 2026

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

What you need to know: California is co-leading a multi-state lawsuit against the Center for Disease Control (CDC), U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and others for violating federal law and advancing vaccine policies unsupported by science.

SACRAMENTO –Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that California is co-leading a multi-state lawsuit against Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the CDC, and the CDC's Director for their unprecedented attack on the country's evidence-based childhood vaccine schedule.

The lawsuit includes 15 states suing the federal government for the HHS and CDC's decision in January to strip seven childhood vaccines of universally recommended status. This decision was made circumventing federal laws and without solid scientific supporting evidence, and will certainly result in more kids contracting preventable diseases.

"California is going back to court because the Trump administration is violating federal law and pushing a reckless, unscientific childhood vaccine schedule that puts kids' lives at risk. These changes ignore decades of medical evidence and will lead to outbreaks of diseases we've already beaten. We will not stand by while politics overrides science and endangers our children. Just as we've done before, we're standing up — alongside 14 other states — to defend the law, protect public health, and keep our kids safe."

Governor Gavin Newsom

"The Trump Administration's attacks on science are irresponsible and dangerous. Undermining confidence in vaccines will lead to lower vaccination rates and more infectious disease. It will also drive up costs for states, including increased Medicaid spending and new expenses to combat misinformation and revise public health guidance. Public health decisions must remain grounded in truth and facts. That's why, for the 59th time, I'm taking the Trump Administration to court. My fellow attorneys general and I cannot sit on the sidelines while lives are put at risk and our laws are broken."

Attorney General Rob Bonta

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.

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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.

California's response to protect public health

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.

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