Sacramento County guaranteed basic income program to benefit Black, Native American families in need
SACRAMENTO — Sacramento County will launch a pilot program aimed at helping African American and Native American families in poverty.
The program experiments with guaranteed basic income – $725 a month – but even the most skeptical members of the county Board of Supervisors want the public to rethink the concept this time.
County supervisor Sue Frost wasn't initially sold on the program.
"When I first heard the words 'guaranteed income,' my little conservative red flags started to go up," she said at a board meeting on Tuesday.
However, Frost found that the term guaranteed basic income wasn't just what was proposed.
"It's way more than that word, that concept. That name is not right," Frost said. "I'm going to support the pilot."
So how and why did we get to $725 a month to select families starting in July of this year?
African American children, for instance, make up 11% of the county population but 30% of the calls to Child Protective Services.
Calls can mean anything. An example is a parent who has to go to a job and leave one minor to take care of another.
Michelle Callejas, the county director for child, family and adult services said financial support can open pathways.
"If it changes and really reduces disparities, that's awesome," Callejas said. "Then, we need to reassess and see 'Where do we target and focus our resources?' "
While inside the board chambers, Supervisor Phil Serna brought up those very issues.
"The goal should be that we don't have to do guaranteed income," he said. "In other words, that people find their footing in education or career."
Other programs like this have been implemented in cities nationwide and Stockton, in particular.
"There's a lot of concern of 'What if they blow the money?' " Callejas said. "Well, that's not what all these pilots are showing."
The proposal was met with some disagreement from the public.
"People have lost in the welfare system, but the problem lies there," civilian Davi Rodrigues said. "We should address that, not go off on our own."
Callejas doesn't believe the county will face any legal challenges over starting with specific marginalized groups.
"We believe the data would help us prevail," she said. "We are using data to allocate taxpayer money in ways that we think can have the most impact."
Callejas added that if the program succeeds, it could stop a potential pipeline to homelessness.
"When over 50% of foster youth exit into homelessness, we are feeding into our homeless population which is not something we can afford to do," she said.
The board unanimously approved the proposal and the office said that they will track the data of who gets the payments, how they spend the money and the best ways to refine the project as it progresses.