When Michael Tubbs, a Democrat running for lieutenant governor of California, was elected mayor of one of the state’s most troubled cities almost a decade ago, he became the face of the public sector’s first major foray into universal basic income. For two years, more than 100 low-income residents were given cash payments, with no strings attached. Cities in 35 states followed suit.
“We did the pilot, which catalyzed the movement,” Tubbs told me recently. But then Republicans fought back by trying to ban the programs. The “movement” didn’t die, but it has certainly been on life support ...
