Former Stockton, California, Mayor Michael Tubbs is again urging governments to use direct cash payments to help households manage high costs. Tubbs founded Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a coalition that promotes unconditional cash assistance, and said traditional economic measures may not deliver help quickly enough for families facing immediate expenses.
In a video shared by the coalition, the group called unrestricted payments the fastest way to address affordability. Tubbs told Fox News Digital that guaranteed-income legislation had been introduced in some form in half of U.S. states this year. He said he wants the effort to build toward federal involvement, arguing that state leaders are seeking ways to support residents as federal aid programs change.
The remarks came as the coalition and Alameda, California, officials marked the end of Rise Up Alameda, the city’s first guaranteed-income pilot. City staff presented a final 24-month evaluation report to the City Council on Oct. 6, and the program’s completion was celebrated on Oct. 13. The council had set aside $4.6 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for the initiative. It provided $1,000 per month for two years to 150 low-income households.
The city described the pilot’s aims as reducing financial instability among participants, influencing local views about poverty and public benefits, and contributing to national debate over anti-poverty policy. Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft called guaranteed income a tool for helping vulnerable residents achieve financial stability. In a separate statement to Fox News Digital, she said her focus was the health and wellbeing of Alameda residents.
Tubbs said more than 30 independent studies, involving about 10,000 recipients, have examined guaranteed-income programs. Those figures and his characterization of the research were provided by Tubbs; the supplied material does not include the studies or their findings in detail. He also said recipient experiences should be part of the discussion and cited polling that he said shows bipartisan support for guaranteed income.
Mayors for a Guaranteed Income includes more than 150 mayors and has backed dozens of local pilots since its 2020 launch. Tubbs began a municipal cash-payment experiment in Stockton in 2019. Cook County, Illinois, is described in the source as the first county government to establish guaranteed payments as a permanent budget item, following an initial program funded with pandemic relief money.
The programs have faced opposition as well as funding questions. The source reports that Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa and South Dakota have enacted laws barring local governments from administering unconditional cash transfers, and that a similar restriction took effect in Kansas. In Texas, the state Supreme Court blocked direct payments under Harris County’s Uplift Harris program after Attorney General Ken Paxton challenged it. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, vetoed legislation that would have prohibited municipal programs.
Critics cited in the source argue that unconditional payments could discourage work, foster reliance on government assistance or spend taxpayer money improperly. Separately, many local programs have relied on federal pandemic relief. Most obligated funds face a Dec. 31, 2026, spending deadline, creating a possible funding gap for cities if replacement money is not found. The source does not provide Alameda’s final evaluation findings or a detailed accounting of the pilot’s outcomes.
