Proposal to Develop a
Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot
Program
Alameda City Council
T uesday, May 17, 2022
1 Presentation Outline
Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) Program
Overview
GBI Program Elements and Considerations
Administrative Structure and Program Costs
Proposed Implementation Timeline and Next
Steps
Staff Recommendation
Background
The Alameda City Council requested a report
on basic income programs
A note on terminology
City staff conducted extensive research and
has developed a proposed approach and
program scope
What is Guaranteed Basic
Income (GBI)?
Basic income programs provide cash payments to a defined population:
Unconditional and unrestricted
Regular payments for a period of time
Often administered concurrently with a research
component
Positive outcomes of GBI:
Increased expenditures on education and training,
improved food security, and improved measures of well-
being among the recipients.
Currently nearly 100 pilot programs in the U.S.
The State of California has launched a $35M grant program GBI Program Elements
and Considerations
GBI Program Size and Scope
Number of recipients
Minimum of 110 persons
Common range for GBI pilots: 100 – 600
individuals/families
Monthly cash payment amount
Minimum $400/month
Common range for GBI pilots: $400 - $1,300/month
Duration of pilot program (e.g. number of
months/years)
Common range: 12 – 36 months
Recipient population
GBI Program Elements and
Considerations
Potential impacts on other benefits such as
CalWORKS, CalFresh, and housing assistance
A small increase in earnings or savings can
lead to a reduction in public benefits
Eligibility for safety net programs vary
significantly and can include calculations
of both earned and unearned income and
savings
Mitigation Efforts Best Practices
Securing income exemptions
Benefit Conservation Fund
Transparency and communication
GBI Program Elements and
Considerations
Administrative Structure
City sponsor -- City staff provides oversight
and promotion
Implementing partner -- Responsible for
administering the program
Research partner – Responsible for research
design and implementation; necessary to
secure State benefits waiver
Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI)
Program Costs
Estimated program cost allocation:
• 60% for disbursement of cash payments
• 20% administrative cost
• 20% for research
Program Pilot Program Scope
Provides
payments of
$1,000 /
month
For 24 months
To 150 low-
income
households
Pilot program cost estimate: $4.6 million
Financial Impact
City’s ARPA allocation: $28,679,908
Obligated to ARPA-eligible programs to-date :
$11,044,600
Eligible for general revenue replacement: $10,000,000 ARPA funds remaining to be allocated: $7,635,308
Staff requests an allocation of $4.6 million in ARPA
funds to reserve funds for this program.
If allocated, approximately $3M in ARPA funds would
remain to be allocated by City Council for other
ARPA-eligible uses.
Recommended Pilot
Program Timeline
Recommended Pilot
Program Timeline
Recommendation
• Approve recommended approach to
designing and developing a GBI program for
the City and allocate $4,600,000 in ARPA funds
in order to proceed with the program.