{"id":334529,"date":"2021-03-28T09:48:15","date_gmt":"2021-03-28T13:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=334529"},"modified":"2021-03-28T09:53:11","modified_gmt":"2021-03-28T13:53:11","slug":"oakland-to-enroll-600-families-of-color-in-guranteed-income-pilot-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oakland-to-enroll-600-families-of-color-in-guranteed-income-pilot-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Oakland to Enroll 600 Families of Color in \u2018Guranteed Income\u2019 Pilot Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Foakland-to-enroll-600-families-of-color-in-guranteed-income-pilot-program%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=334529&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Critics say the race-based eligibility criteria\u2014which exclude whites\u2014are illegal<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The mayor of Oakland, California, on Tuesday announced a privately funded program that will give low-income families of color $500 per month in a trial program similar to the \u201cuniversal basic income\u201d idea that gained national attention when proposed by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang.<\/p>\n<p>Under the 18-month long pilot that is to be up and running by summer, 600 families will receive $500 a month to spend as they choose,\u00a0Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandca.gov\/news\/2021\/mayor-schaaf-announces-guaranteed-income-pilot-oakland-resilient-families\">said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While the concept isn\u2019t new\u2014a number of mayors have launched small, temporary programs across the country in a coordinated campaign to convince Congress to adopt a national guaranteed income program\u2014it is the first to limit eligibility strictly to black, indigenous, and people of color communities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur vision is an Oakland that has closed the racial wealth gap, and where all families thrive,\u201d Schaaf said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LibbySchaaf\/status\/1374459808305180678?s=20\">video statement<\/a>. \u201cWe believe that guaranteed income is the most transformative policy that can achieve this vision and whose time has come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe believe that poverty is not personal failure, it is policy failure,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>In an apparent explanation for why white families were excluded from the program, Schaaf cited the <a href=\"https:\/\/data.oaklandca.gov\/stories\/s\/Financial-Health\/2z9b-x57f?_ga=2.137642680.948700121.1616751214-1147809807.1616751214\">Oakland Equity Index<\/a>, which shows that white households in Oakland on average make about three times as much annually than black households.<\/p>\n<p>But the race-based eligibility criteria raise questions about the legality and ethics of the initiative.<\/p>\n<p>Civil rights attorney Harmeet K. Dhillon, civil rights attorney and founder of the Center for American Liberty, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/pnjaban\/status\/1375313484724936706?s=20\">appeared on<\/a> Fox News\u2019 \u201cThe Ingraham Angle\u201d to discuss the initiative.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is obviously immoral\u2014making distinctions based on race for money and distributing money\u2014but is it constitutional?\u201d Laura Ingraham asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s illegal on multiple grounds,\u201d Dhillon replied. \u201cThe United States Supreme Court has long ruled that any race-based classifications are \u2018noxious,\u2019 is one word that\u2019s used, \u2018pernicious,\u2019 is another word that\u2019s used. And any such categorizations are subject to strict scrutiny when the government is imposing them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dhillon added that the California constitution contains specific provisions that make it illegal for benefits to be handed out on the basis of race.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOakland is going to say in court that this is being funded by private, nonprofits that are giving this money, but it\u2019s still the government handing it out, it is still excluding people on the basis of race. Our country was founded on the basis that we don\u2019t do that and the 14th Amendment of the Constitution absolutely forbids this type of race-based classification, so it\u2019s like there was no lawyer involved in designing this ridiculous program.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3541936\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_334560\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-334560\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-334560\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Oakland-mayor-700x420-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Oakland-mayor-700x420-1.jpeg 700w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Oakland-mayor-700x420-1-300x180.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Oakland-mayor-700x420-1-675x405.jpeg 675w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Oakland-mayor-700x420-1-480x288.jpeg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-334560\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">FILE &#8211; In this April 10, 2020, file photo, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf speaks at a news conference in Oakland, Calif. Mayor Schaaf on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, announced a privately funded program that will give low-income families of color $500 per month with no rules on how they can spend it. The program in Oakland is the latest example of &#8220;guaranteed income,&#8221; an idea that giving poor people a set amount of money each month will ease the stresses of poverty that contribute to poor health and hinder their ability to find full-time work. (AP Photo\/Ben Margot, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3541936\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-3674.jpeg\" alt=\"California Heat Wave\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" \/><\/noscript>Ray Lopez delivers supplies to Mountain Mike\u2019s Pizza in the Montclair district in Oakland, Calif., on Oct. 15, 2020. (Noah Berger\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Other critics of the program, including labor unions, have expressed concern that such expensive programs could force cuts to other safety net programs like Social Security and food stamps.<\/p>\n<p>Schaaf dismissed such concerns, saying at a press conference on Tuesday that \u201cthe social safety net programs must remain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe believe that those safety net programs should not go away, but should be supplemented with unconditional cash that gives families the dignity and flexibility to meet their needs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>The pilot, called the\u00a0Oakland Resilient Families program has so far raised $6.75 million from private donors including Blue Meridian Partners, a national philanthropy group. Besides the controversial race-based eligibility criteria, those who qualify must have at least one child under 18 and income at or below 50 percent of the area median income, which is around $59,000 per year for a family of three.<\/p>\n<p>Half the spots are reserved for people who earn below 138 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $30,000 per year for a family of three. Participants will be randomly selected from a pool of applicants who meet the eligibility requirements.<\/p>\n<p>Oakland\u2019s project is also significant because it is one of the largest efforts in the United States so far. Its backers also hope it will fuel the adoption of a federal guaranteed income program.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have designed this demonstration project to add to the body of evidence, and to begin this relentless campaign to adopt a guaranteed income federally,\u201d Schaaf said.<\/p>\n<p>During the 1990s, the U.S. welfare system was overhauled, shifting the focus away from giving cash unconditionally to one that focused on a work-oriented system.<\/p>\n<p>Robert Rector, senior research fellow of domestic policy studies at the Heritage Foundation and a leading authority on poverty and welfare programs, told The Epoch Times that the change slashed the poverty rate among children roughly in half while reducing dependence and increasing employment.<\/p>\n<p>He warned about returning to policies of unconditional aid\u2014like guaranteed income programs\u2014which he called \u201cextremely expensive but also very harmful to the poor themselves, because when you do that you\u2019re pushing them toward the social margin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rector said that an expansion of welfare programs creates disincentives to work, adding that it\u2019s important for various reasons to have a working adult in a household\u2014including the fact that it initiates social contacts, creates role models for children, and improves the psychological well-being of the individuals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a huge cultural trap that you\u2019re creating, by creating this artificial environment where the poorest people are kind of set aside and told, \u2018You\u2019re not expected to work or do anything,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Nicholas Giordano, a professor of political science at Suffolk Community College in New York, told The Epoch Times that, in Finland and Canada, attempted pilot programs for universal basic income were terminated early due to the massive costs and the little benefit they provided.<\/p>\n<p><em>Bowen Xiao contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Critics say the race-based eligibility criteria\u2014which exclude whites\u2014are illegal The mayor of Oakland, California, on Tuesday announced a privately funded program that will give low-income families of color $500 per &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2311265,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Oakland-mayor-700x420-1.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"Oakland to Enroll 600 Families of Color in \u2018Guranteed Income\u2019 Pilot Program","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-334529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Oakland-mayor-700x420-1.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"Oakland to Enroll 600 Families of Color in \u2018Guranteed Income\u2019 Pilot Program","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=334529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2311265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}