Group of Mayors Pledge to Push for Universal Basic Income Programs
Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs initiated a program to give $500 to 125 people who earn at or below the city's median household income of $46,033. AP Photo
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A group of 11 mayors from across the country has formed an organization to push for providing a universal basic income, or cash payments that can help people make ends meet. Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs is leading the group called Mayors for a Guaranteed Income. Other members include Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. “Economic insecurity isn’t new and poverty itself is violent. We need a policy solution that is as bold as it is innovative and as simple as it is ambitious,” the group said in a letter to Time magazine. The effort to advocate for a guaranteed income, as well as offer their own programs, comes as Stockton’s pilot program providing $500 a month to 125 people comes to a close after 18 months. The mayors group plans to work with the Economic Security Project, which paid for the Stockton UBI project and others. “All of the economic vulnerabilities that have been exposed [during the pandemic] are still going to be the case even if and when someone comes up with a cure for Covid-19,” Carter said. He noted that St. Paul, Minnesota gave out $1,000 to 1,200 low-income families this spring, as they dealt with the start of the coronavirus pandemic. But the city doesn’t have the money to continue that assistance. [The Guardian; Smart Cities Dive; KXTV]
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Laura Maggi is the managing editor of Route Fifty and Emma Coleman is the assistant editor.
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