ALCO City Council to discuss UBI program

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(ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif.) The Alameda City Council will consider proposals for a basic income program on May 17, which would put the county in step with San Francisco, Stockton, Oakland and dozens of other municipalities around the state that are moving to some form of basic income program.

Basic income programs are designed to provide stability to people in the midst of economic uncertainty or hardship. Residents in Stockton have already reported successes with the program.

In practice, the program would provide a specifically designated group of residents with an amount of money based on their existing income monthly. Stockton launched its program in 2019 and Oakland launched its basic income program in 2021.

Councilmembers will review a report from staff on Tuesday and the program could be in place as early as spring of next year. They will decide whether to fund the program with additional funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

For more information about the proposal, or other cities with basic income programs, click here.