SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sept. 28, 2026 — Governor Gavin Newsom today signed Senate Bill 1124 (SB 1124) into law, marking a major milestone for the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative (ALCSI) and its effort to raise awareness of lung cancer screening across California.

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SB 1124 requires the California Department of Public Health to develop signage on lung cancer screening by July 1, 2027. Beginning Jan. 1, 2028, tobacco retailers throughout California will be required to conspicuously display this signage at each retail location. The signs will explain who is eligible for screening and why it matters, and will also share information regarding Kick It California, the state's free program to help people quit tobacco.

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Why It Matters

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, but screening with low-dose CT can detect it at earlier stages, when treatment is more likely to be effective. Screening is recommended for adults ages 50 to 80 with at least a 20 pack-year smoking history who currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years, and it is covered by most insurance plans, including Medi-Cal.

Yet awareness remains strikingly low, and only about one in four lung cancers in California is diagnosed at an early stage. “Sixty-two percent of Americans do not know that lung cancer screening exists,” Dr. Alex Zhu, an ALCSI physician advisor, told the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee while testifying in support of the bill.

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“The screening itself is basically going into a machine — we call it almost a donut,” Miah Chao, co-director of ALCSI’s national advocacy team and co-president of ALCSI at UCLA, told the Daily Bruin. “You lay down and you go through the machine. It takes just a couple minutes. It’s non-invasive, pain-free.”

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Deepti Srinivasan, ALCSI’s vice chair and co-director of national advocacy, has led ALCSI’s effort since 2023 to require lung cancer screening information at the point of sale of tobacco products. She believes that “by placing screening information at tobacco points of sale, SB 1124 reaches the people most likely to qualify for lung cancer screening.”

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Dr. Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang, founder and chair of ALCSI and a thoracic surgeon at Mass General Brigham, has seen many patients’ lives saved through lung cancer screening, but has also cared for many patients who were eligible for screening yet had never heard of it. That experience is why he has been so committed to passing SB 1124. Yang said he is “incredibly proud” of the ALCSI team for leading efforts to pass what he believes is “historic legislation that is going to save countless lives in California and set a national precedent.”

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From Student Idea to State Law

The legislation began as an initiative drafted and advanced by ALCSI, with student advocates working alongside physicians, lung cancer survivors, advocacy organizations, and policymakers to move the proposal from an idea into state law. ALCSI students began pursuing the legislation in 2025 and partnered with Senator Bob Archuleta’s (D-Pico Rivera), office to introduce SB 1124 in February 2026. The bill passed both houses of the Legislature in August 2026.

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Along the way, the bill drew what Chao described as "overwhelming support in every single committee that it's passed." The campaign also reshaped ALCSI's work on campus. "We actually started an advocacy committee out of our ALCSI chapter at UCLA last year because of the bill," said Elaine Dong, co-president of ALCSI at UCLA.

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"Too many Californians who are eligible for lung cancer screening simply don't know it exists or that they qualify," said Gianna Reyno, Director of California Operations for ALCSI. "We estimate that earlier screening could prevent 1,917 of the roughly 9,320 lung cancer deaths in California each year. This law puts that information where it can reach the people who need it most."

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Thank You!

We would like to begin by expressing a deep heartfelt thank you to Senator Bob Archuletta for his belief, unwavering commitment, and passionate advocacy on behalf of the bill. None of this work would have been possible without his leadership.

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We next recognize the ALCSI advocacy team members who led the legislative campaign, including Ethan Chen, Miah Chao, Elaine Dong, Gianna Reyno, Alexandra Nees, Shaan Mehta, and Monicka Manni, Deepti Srinivasan, Lyndon Walsh, and Cici Zhai. Finally, we thank the student advocates from UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton, UC Davis, and ALCSI chapters across California who helped build support for SB 1124.

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ALCSI also extends special thanks to Jesus Nolasco, Policy Analyst for Senator Archuleta, whose work made SB 1124 possible at every stage. From drafting the bill to meeting with community organizations and addressing stakeholder concerns, his partnership was essential in carrying the legislation from introduction to the Governor's desk.

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We are also grateful to Jose Merino of the UCLA External Vice President's Office, the UC Student Association, and the UCLA professors who provided advice and guidance throughout the legislative process.

Lastly, ALCSI would especially like to recognize the physicians who guided and supported this effort, including Dr. Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang, Dr. Jeffrey Velotta, Dr. Hari Keshava, and Dr. Drew Moghanaki, Dr. David Cooke, Dr. Haley Tupper, as well as Dr. Alexander Zhu, who testified in support of the bill before the California Senate.

 

This effort would not have been possible without the lung cancer survivors, physicians, organizations, students, and advocates whose voices and support carried it forward.

What's Next

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SB 1124 is the beginning of a broader effort. ALCSI looks forward to working with partners in California to support implementation of the law and is exploring opportunities to replicate this model in other states.

"Our ultimate goal is to see this implemented across the country," Ethan Chen, a national director of ALCSI, told the Daily Bruin. "We're really hoping to see this change spread."

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