Economy
Stockton Extends its Universal Basic Income Pilot
A pioneering universal basic income pilot in the low-income California city was scheduled to expire soon. But the coronavirus crisis made the case to extend it.
For the 125 Stockton, Calif. residents lucky enough to receive a basic income of $500 a month, time was running out.
In the winter of 2018, researchers randomly selected residents of high-poverty neighborhoods to participate in the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED). Designed to measure the effects of universal basic income (UBI), the project was funded by the Economic Security Project, a nonprofit that supports other guaranteed income experiments, and championed by Mayor Michael Tubbs, a Democrat.