universal basic income

In 2021, California has become a testing ground for universal basic income programs for youth aging out of foster care.

In July, California created the first statewide UBI, with monthly payments to former foster youth. Lawmakers and advocates are working to ensure the payments don't hinder other forms of public assistance.

In a historic move to support young adults raised by the government, a monthly check of up to $1,000 — with no restrictions and no strings attached — will be sent to thousands of California foster youth once they leave the state’s custody, guaranteeing them the first statewide universal basic income.

A bill moving through the state Legislature aims to bring the same guaranteed monthly income, or UBI, to former foster youth statewide.

Following impassioned testimony from more than a dozen advocates for incarcerated people and their families, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to come up with a plan that would ban expensive collect calls and markups on commissary items in jails and juvenile detention facilities.

The mayor of Los Angeles wants to give the 2,000 poorest households in his city $1,000 a month in income for a full year, no strings attached, just to see how the money affects their lives.

In the midst of a brutal pandemic and tanking economy, one California county is taking a lead from former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang in an effort to help former foster youth: universal basic income, no-strings-attached payments to help keep their lives stable in turbulent times.