KarunaNews Story

California's newest budget proposal includes $35 million over five years to help local governments create universal basic income pilot programs that would help poor people find full-time jobs while staying healthy. Cities have been creating such programs since Stockton launched a privately funded scheme in 2019, but this may be the first time a state is helping them get started. Once created, local governments would have to fund the programs themselves. While critics say such programs stop people from looking for work, a review of the Stockton program found full-time employment actually increased among people who got the money.