Former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs is pressing unconditional cash transfers as the quickest remedy for the affordability crisis, pointing to a growing body of pilot data and new state-level legislation as evidence that guaranteed income is moving from experiment toward policy.
«Giving families direct, unrestricted cash is the fastest way to address the affordability crisis,» Tubbs' advocacy group, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, said in a recent video. «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.»
Tubbs, who founded the coalition after launching one of the nation's earliest municipal cash experiments in Stockton in 2019, argued that conventional economic remedies do not deliver relief fast enough. «The U.S. is unaffordable for almost all of us,» he 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.»
He said half of U.S. states saw some form 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,» Tubbs said. «Ultimately, I believe this needs to become a federal intervention, and we are building the momentum needed to earn that kind of national support.»
The push comes as the affordability squeeze — driven by housing, health care and fuel costs — dominates household budgets and political debate. Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a network of more than 150 mayors, has backed dozens of local pilots since its 2020 launch, advocating direct taxpayer-funded stipends as a tool against poverty and economic insecurity.
Tubbs' remarks coincided with an Oct. 13 celebration in Alameda, California, marking the completion of «Rise Up Alameda,» the city's first guaranteed income pilot. City staff presented the program's final 24-month evaluation report to the Alameda City Council on Oct. 6. The council had allocated $4.6 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to finance the effort, 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.» According to the city, the pilot aimed to reduce economic instability for participants, shift local narratives around poverty and public benefits, and inform the national discussion on anti-poverty policy.
Tubbs said the research base has grown substantially. «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,» he said. «Very few policies have been this studied this thoroughly before being implemented at scale.»
He added that personal testimony matters alongside the numbers. «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,» he said, noting that polling shows a bipartisan majority backs the approach as working families struggle to make ends meet.
The model is also spreading beyond cities. 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.
Funding remains a central obstacle. Local leaders face pressure as the Dec. 31, 2026, deadline to spend most obligated federal pandemic relief funds approaches, potentially leaving cities with budget shortfalls if other revenue does not replace the expiring aid.
Opposition is mounting as well. Republican state officials and conservative policy groups have sought to block the programs, arguing that unconditional handouts discourage work, increase dependence on government assistance and misuse taxpayer money. Four states — Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa and South Dakota — have passed laws barring local governments from administering unconditional cash transfers, and a similar ban took effect in Kansas without the governor's signature. In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton successfully challenged Harris County's «Uplift Harris» program in court, leading the Texas Supreme Court to block the payments. In Arizona, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed Republican-led legislation that would have barred municipal guaranteed income initiatives.