Silicon Valley Lawmaker's Universal Basic Income Bill Advances

SILICON VALLEY, CA — A Silicon Valley assemblymember’s bill that would create a statewide universal basic income crossed its first hurdle in the state Legislature this week when it passed the Revenue and Taxation Committee in the state Assembly.

Monday's 6-3 vote marked the first time a universal basic income bill has passed through a state committee. The bill would give $1,000 a month to adults who have lived in California for three years or more and earn up to 200 percent of the median per capita income in their county.

The cost of Assembly Bill 65 — which the Franchise Tax Board estimated could be up to $129 billion annually — and uncertainty over how it would be funded will likely keep it from gaining further traction.

Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell) co-authored the bill with state Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco). Low admitted that it is unlikely to pass this year. But Low’s goal is to get people comfortable with the idea and to initiate policy discussions about where the funding could come from.

“It has to come from somewhere,” Low told ABC7 this week. “We do not have the luxury of printing money overnight like the federal government does. We in the state of California have to balance the budget.”

There are several local, targeted guaranteed income programs in the state, such as one in Oakland that distributes $500 a month to low-income families of color and another in San Francisco that gives $1,000 a month to artists. Stockton, Compton, Long Beach and West Hollywood have also proposed similar programs for low-income residents. Earlier this month, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti proposed a $24 million guaranteed income program that would give $1,000 a month to 2,000 families.

Low’s version of universal basic income was championed by 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who is currently running for mayor of New York City. It would have no strings attached.

“This is what it would look like to have a policy conversation on UBI without any type of regard of the other characteristics,” Low said. “What is the price tag of UBI for every Californian?”

Assemblymember Marc Levine (D-San Rafael) voted in favor of the bill in committee. He joked that he did so only because he was being generous on his birthday.

“We’ve seen one or two [basic universal income programs], but we need to see many, many more to understand what’s right as well as what’s right in specific communities and what helps people,” Levine said, according to CapRadio.