“Hearing the stories of folks that are able to pay rent … able to pay off credit card debt, able to interview for a better job, able take time off and quarantine when they're sick, I've become more and more convinced that it's [guaranteed income] not a crazy idea. What's crazy is the amount of poverty and economic insecurity we allow to run unchecked in our country,” says Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs. Credit: REUTERS/Jane Ross.
Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs launched a pilot program in 2019 that gives $500 per month to 125 low-income residents. Now other mayors, including LA’s Eric Garcetti, have joined the “Mayors for Guaranteed Income” initiative that Tubbs started.
Tubbs talks about how his guaranteed income program is doing, why COVID-19 is hitting his city hard, who he’s endorsing for the November election, and whether he might run for higher office.
From this Episode: