Ep 40: Mayor Michael Tubbs on Guaranteed Income
Happy New Year! In the first episode of Catalysts for Change in 2021, Jill talks to Mayor Michael Tubbs, Mayor of Stockton, California. Having collaborated with key movers and shakers in the Democratic Party, Mayor Tubbs has been a major figure in politics, as well as a significant supporter of guaranteed income programs.
A lifelong resident of Stockton, Tubbs grew up poor and was raised in a single parent household, before going on to graduate from Stockton Public Schools and, then, Stanford University. At Stanford, Tubbs majored in comparative studies in race and ethnicity, and spent time as an intern in the Obama White House. After graduating from Stanford, Tubbs successfully ran for a spot on Stockton’s city council in 2012 as the youngest person ever elected to the position. Three years later, Tubbs was elected Mayor of Stockton.
As Mayor, Tubbs started and implemented the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration, a Guaranteed Income program that gives 125 residents of Stockton $500 a month. Out of this work, he founded Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, organizing Mayors around pilots and advocacy of guaranteed income for the underserved. Stockton’s guaranteed income program has become a national example, with many other cities and programs following Stockton’s lead, including the Shah Family Foundation’s work in Chelsea, MA.
A key advocate of guaranteed income strategies, we talk to Mayor Tubbs about Stockton’s guaranteed income program, how it became a reality, its impact and importance over time, and more about Mayor Tubbs’ work in Stockton.
If you would like to read more about Mayor Tubbs, as well as the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration, check out the links below.