Concord Launches Guaranteed Income Pilot As Programs Gain Traction In The Bay Area

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KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 5 December 2023

⏱️ 57 minutes

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Summary

Concord has joined a growing list of Bay Area cities testing guaranteed income programs. The East Bay city’s model will provide 120 families with $500 a month for a year. More than 20 similar pilot programs have sprung up in the Bay Area in the last few years after more state and local officials allocated money to fund them. That has made California a hotbed for guaranteed income experiments. Advocates say that “no-strings attached” funding puts participants on a path to financial security because they often use the money to cover basic necessities, pay off debt, and build up savings. We’ll talk about the latest guaranteed income programs, what we’ve learned from the pilots, and how state support is changing local experiments. Guests: Natalie Foster, president and co-founder, Economic Security Project; senior fellow, The Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative Jessica Travenia, director, Richmond Rapid Response Fund. They are preparing to launch the Contra Costa chapter of the Abundant Birth Project, a guaranteed income pilot for pregnant moms. Julia Quintero, ELEVATE Concord project manager, Monument Impact. They are a nonprofit organization that is administering a guaranteed income program in Concord Amy Castro, associate professor of the School of Social Policy and Practice & co-founder and faculty director of the Center for Guaranteed Income Research, University of Pennsylvania Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:59.4	From KQED.
1:04.9	From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrigal.
1:15.9	In Concord, a new guaranteed income program will provide 120 families with $500 a month
1:22.4	for a year.
1:23.7	It's one of 20 similar pilot programs that have sprung up in the Bay Area over the last few years
1:28.3	to help people become more financially stable.
1:31.3	Since a well-publicized trial in Stockton a few years ago, California has become a hotbed for these
1:36.3	experiments as state and local officials allocate more money to them.
1:40.3	Advocates say that no strings attached cash just works, allowing people to cover the basics or pay down debt.
1:46.0	Now that it's less of a wild idea and more a policy tool, we'll check in on the latest programs and what we've learned from all these pilots.
1:54.0	That's all coming up next after this news.
2:18.6	Welcome to Forum. I'm Alexis Madrigal. I remember when I first heard about the idea of some kind of guaranteed or basic income. For me, it first came packaged among the proposals to deal with job displacement by robots and, you know, then later AI.
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