A nonprofit dedicated to instituting guaranteed income programs across the country is reportedly aiming for a permanent policy in California funded by taxpayer dollars — in a state already $1.3 trillion in debt.
That, according to a report published Saturday by Fox News which examines the Economic Security Project (ESP), a nonprofit founded in 2016 and consisting of “100 entrepreneurs, activists, researchers, and philanthropists” dedicated to promoting direct cash payments to individuals.
ESP has created over 100 guaranteed income pilots across the United States, the outlet reported.
Now, a state affiliate of ESP, Economic Security California (ESC) aims to establish a permanent guaranteed income program, Fox reported.
The group said it leads “the transition from cash pilot initiatives” and focuses on “expanding, modernizing, and scaling programs for direct cash.”
California tops the United States in having the most guaranteed income programs, presiding over 60 pilot launches, according to the outlet.
Fox reported:
“As California builds towards permanent GI infrastructure, future research and policy solutions should examine how GI can continue to be a complementary support to the existing public benefit system,” the ESP notes on its website in a section titled “A Permanent Pathway for Guaranteed Income in California.”
“Government agencies should also explore public funding mechanisms beyond philanthropy; options can range from dedicated local taxes to shifting affordability-focused investments into direct cash supports,” the organization said.
It cited “Breathe,” Los Angeles County’s guaranteed income program, which is funded by taxpayers, as well as programs in other cities that have used the Covid-era’s American Rescue Plan Act to fund pilots.
In 2022 the Breathe pilot randomly selected 1,000 participants to receive $1,000 per month for 3 years.
“In 2023, the pilot program expanded and an additional 200 former Los Angeles County DCFS foster youth were randomly selected to receive $1,000 per month for two years,” according to the county website.
Other cities are looking for other sources of revenue as the federal funding runs out from the American Rescue Plan.
Following its 2022 pilot Chicago’s Cook County, the second-largest county in the United States, has established a permanent guaranteed basic income program.
Its board of commissioners unanimously approved $7.5 million in November of 2025 for a permanent guaranteed basic income program.
Proponents say the guaranteed income approach is needed to solve affordability issues in the United States.
Michael D. Tubbs, the former mayor of Stockton, California and the president of Mayors for Guaranteed Income, another advocacy group, told Fox News Digital earlier this year that “regular cash infusions are necessary to help low-income Americans stay afloat amid high costs for basic expenses like rent, groceries, and gasoline.”
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more
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