California lawmakers on Thursday approved a state-funded guaranteed income plan to distribute $35 million in monthly cash payments to eligible pregnant people and young adults who recently left foster care.
Why it matters: California is the first state to approve such a program. It could serve as a template for other state governments as guaranteed income gains traction across the U.S.
Driving the news: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced in mid-May he would include a carve-out in the state budget to help pay for local governments to launch their own guaranteed income pilots to help low-income families.
- The plan, included in a bill related to the budget, was approved unanimously in both chambers of the legislature in a clear showing of bipartisan support. It now goes to Newsom's desk.
How it works: The plan will be taxpayer funded.
- Local governments and organizations that run programs to help pregnant people and youth aging out of foster care will be able to apply for funding, and California's Department of Social Services will decide who gets the money, according to AP.
The big picture: Guaranteed income programs have been proliferating in cities across the country, including New Orleans, Denver and Los Angeles. ...
- Michael Tubbs, former mayor of Stockton, California, in 2017 launched a guaranteed income program that proved to be "monumental," he told Vox. He noted that California’s investment marks “the largest commitment of recurring cash in a state budget — and the first time a state has ever supported guaranteed income pilot funding,” per Vox.