California Signs AB 703 Into Law — Our Chapter Was There

On September 18, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 703 into California law — a historic piece of legislation that gives Californians the option to donate directly to pediatric cancer research through a voluntary checkoff on their state tax returns. For the Society of Emerging Leaders and its chapters across California, including our own here in Contra Costa County, this moment represented years of grassroots effort, personal sacrifice, and relentless youth-led advocacy finally breaking through.

Where the Bill Came From

AB 703 did not begin in Sacramento. It began with grief.

Sahil Mehta, a high school student from Fremont and an ACS CAN legislative ambassador, proposed the concept for AB 703 after losing his younger brother Ronil to Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) — a rare, aggressive, and almost universally fatal pediatric brain cancer with virtually no approved treatments. Sahil channeled that loss into action, working with ACS CAN's Society of Emerging Leaders to develop and pitch the tax checkoff mechanism as a sustainable funding pipeline for childhood cancer research in California.

The bill was championed through the legislature with critical support from Kaitlyn Lee, Executive Director of the SEL, whose own connection to cancer — her brother's leukemia diagnosis when she was 16 — gave the advocacy movement a deeply personal foundation. Under her leadership, the SEL organized statewide lobbying efforts, testimony at hearings, and coordinated meetings with legislative aides across California.

How Our Chapter Got Involved

As Co-Founder of the Contra Costa County ACS SEL chapter, Devansh Karavati was among the youth advocates who mobilized locally in support of AB 703. In the months leading up to the bill's final vote, Devansh coordinated outreach within Contra Costa County — engaging student members, briefing them on the bill's policy mechanisms, and organizing advocacy actions including letter-writing campaigns and direct constituent meetings with local legislative representatives.

"AB 703 showed us exactly what youth advocacy can do when it's organized and personal," said Devansh. "Sahil lost his brother to a cancer that barely gets any funding. This bill changes that. Being part of the push to get it signed felt like the whole reason we built this chapter."

Members of the Contra Costa chapter submitted formal written testimony in support of AB 703 and participated in ACS CAN California's Cancer Action Day in Sacramento, where they met with legislative staff to make the case for the bill's passage. The chapter's advocacy was recognized by ACS CAN's California grassroots team as a model for how county-level SEL chapters can amplify statewide legislative campaigns.

What the Law Does

Starting with the 2026 tax filing year, California residents will see a voluntary checkoff option on their state income tax returns allowing them to donate to a dedicated fund for pediatric cancer research. All funds raised are directed to California-based childhood cancer research programs, with oversight mechanisms to ensure the money reaches researchers working on the hardest-to-treat pediatric cancers — diseases like DIPG, which currently has no FDA-approved therapies.

What Comes Next

The signing of AB 703 is a milestone, but our chapter sees it as a starting point. We are already working to raise awareness about the checkoff option ahead of the 2026 tax season, partnering with schools and community organizations across Contra Costa County to make sure Californians know they can fight childhood cancer with a single box checked on their tax return.

To Sahil, to Kaitlyn, to every SEL member and ACS CAN advocate who wrote a letter, sat in a waiting room outside a legislative office, or showed up to Sacramento — this one's for Ronil.