Posted on 08/05/2024
ONE BIG THING: GUARANTEED BASIC INCOME IN LA
What Happened?
This week, the city released results from our Guaranteed Basic Income pilot program, which was the largest program of its kind in the country – giving struggling families $1,000/month with no strings attached to help make ends meet. It found:
➡️ Improved financial well-being
➡️ Lower levels of food insecurity, especially when it comes to buying healthy foods
➡️ Better outcomes for children
➡️ Decreased intimate partner violence, because women had the resources to leave abusive partners
Why it Matters
We live in a city where 73% of renter households are rent-burdened and 12% of workers are paid less than the minimum wage. With LA’s staggering inequality and our homelessness crisis, we should be following the evidence about how to solve our city’s biggest problems.
Oftentimes, simple solutions are the most effective. We need a positive vision for our city’s future where we prioritize the needs of the vulnerable among us – because that is how we will uplift our entire community.
What's Next?
With the success of LA’s Guaranteed Basic Income, we joined Councilmember Curren Price to introduce a motion that would continue the program and expand it to specifically serve other groups like people transitioning out of foster care, LGBTQ+ youth, and victims of intimate partner violence.
This motion asks to find up to $5 million, but unfortunately because of the city’s most recent budget, we’ll need to fight to find the funding that would allow this program to have the broad impact across the city we all want to see.
Two More Quick Hits!
1. $30/hour Minimum Wage by 2028
On Monday, we joined airport and hotel workers to demand that City Council pass a $25 minimum wage for tourism workers that would increase to $30/hour by 2030.
This is part of a motion we introduced over 15 months ago with five other councilmembers to update two specific laws already on the books. As the cost of living in LA continues to skyrocket, we need to make sure our lowest wage workers aren't being left behind, which is exactly what’s happening right now as thousands of hardworking Angelenos are forced to live in poverty.
2. CicLAvia Comes to Hollywood Blvd August 18
One of our favorite Open Streets events is coming back to District 13!
CicLAvia – Meet the Hollywoods on August 18th will coincide with the official opening of the Access to Hollywood protected bike lanes on Hollywood Blvd from Virgil to Gower. Even though the entire street will be open to pedestrians, bikers, and rollerbladers – this is an excellent opportunity to test out the first protected bike lanes in District 13.
