Former California mayor pushes guaranteed income as fix for affordability crisis

The architect behind the nation's growing movement for no-strings-attached cash pilot programs is doubling down on direct payments, arguing that unconditional cash transfers are the fastest route to easing the burden of high living costs.

"Giving families direct, unrestricted cash is the fastest way to address the affordability crisis," the advocacy group Mayors for a Guaranteed Income declared in a recent video on X. "Data from pilots across the country show that guaranteed income works. It's time for us to get to work and make it a reality."

Former Stockton, California, Mayor Michael Tubbs — founder of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income — argued in an accompanying video that traditional economic solutions fail to provide immediate relief to struggling families.

According to Tubbs, "half of U.S. states saw some kind of guaranteed income legislation introduced" this year.

"At a time when key federal aid programs are being dismantled, state leaders are picking up the slack and looking for ways to bolster economic stability for residents. Ultimately, I believe this needs to become a federal intervention, and we are building the momentum needed to earn that kind of national support," he told Fox News Digital.

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Americans nationwide have struggled to grapple with rising costs of living, healthcare, and gas prices.

"The U.S. is unaffordable for almost all of us," Tubbs said. "Yet, so many solutions about affordability focus on the importance of long-term solutions, like building more affordable housing or breaking up monopolies. But people also need relief now."

Tubbs' comments coincided with an Oct. 13 celebration hosted by the group and Alameda, California, city leaders marking the completion of "Rise Up Alameda," the city's first guaranteed income pilot project. City staff presented the program's final 24-month evaluation report to the Alameda City Council on Oct. 6.

The Alameda City Council previously allocated $4.6 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to finance the program, which provided 150 low-income households with $1,000 per month over two years.

"Guaranteed income is a proven tool to help our most vulnerable residents achieve financial stability," Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft said. "I am proud that Alameda launched this critical program when families need it most."

Ashcraft also provided a statement to Fox News Digital on Friday.

"As Mayor of the City of Alameda, one of 14 cities in Alameda County, I am focused on the health and wellbeing of residents of the City of Alameda," she said.

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According to the city’s official site, the pilot aimed to "reduce economic instability for program participants, help to change local narratives and perceptions surrounding poverty and the provision of public benefits, and help to support and inform the national discussion regarding public benefits and anti-poverty policies."

"There are now more than 30 independent, scientifically-rigorous studies, including around 10,000 recipients of guaranteed income; this is the largest body of research ever amassed on guaranteed income. Very few policies have been this studied this thoroughly before being implemented at scale," Tubbs told Fox News Digital on Friday.

He added, "Data is important, but it's only part of our strategy. It's also crucial that people hear from the recipients of guaranteed income, and understand the real life impacts of this kind of unconditional support. As the affordability crisis squeezes working families and an increasingly large majority of Americans struggle to make ends meet, polling shows a bipartisan majority support guaranteed income as an intervention."

Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a coalition of more than 150 mayors, advocates for direct taxpayer-funded stipends as a tool to tackle poverty and economic insecurity. The network has supported dozens of local pilots nationwide since launching in 2020. Cook County, Illinois, recently became the first county government in the nation to make guaranteed cash payments a permanent line item in its budget following an initial ARPA-funded trial.

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Tubbs launched one of the nation's earliest municipal cash experiments in Stockton in 2019 and has long maintained that federal tax dollars should supplement income for lower-income households.

However, local leaders face funding challenges as the Dec. 31, 2026, deadline to spend most obligated federal pandemic relief funds approaches, potentially leaving cities with budget shortfalls if other funding sources do not replace the expiring aid.

At the same time, Republican state officials and conservative policy groups have sought to block guaranteed income programs. Critics argue unconditional handouts discourage work, increase dependence on government assistance and misuse taxpayer funds.

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Four states — Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, and South Dakota — have passed state laws banning local governments from administering unconditional cash transfers. A similar ban took effect in Kansas after passing without the governor's signature. In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton successfully challenged Harris County's "Uplift Harris" cash program in court, resulting in the Texas Supreme Court blocking the direct payments.

Conversely, Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed GOP-led legislation in her state that would have barred municipal guaranteed income initiatives.