Board approves ‘Contra Costa Thrives’ guaranteed-income pilot after debate over eligibility and evaluation

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on July 8 approved a pilot guaranteed‑income program, Contra Costa Thrives, that will deliver monthly cash payments to about 170 people drawn from county program caseloads over an 18‑month period, funded with Measure X and AB 109 money.

County Director of Employment and Human Services Marla Stewart presented the plan and said the pilot will use $3,250,000 in Measure X funds plus $1,000,000 in AB 109 funding to test outcomes for four target populations and to fund an evaluation. “We are recommending a long‑term evaluation to you because that's one thing that's missing in this field,” Stewart said during the presentation.

The proposal directs EHSD to enroll recipients from four county programs—independent living services for former foster youth, CalWORKs welfare‑to‑work families, probation clients returning from incarceration, and Adult Protective Services clients age 60+ at risk of homelessness—and to use existing case managers to provide voluntary supportive services. Selected participants will receive a total of $18,000 each distributed over either 12 or 18 months, with three payment‑option schedules available and a tapering in the last six months to reduce the risk of an abrupt “cliff” when payments end.

Stewart told supervisors the plan is designed so most funds go to direct payments: “With our plan, we can dedicate 75% of the budget to direct payments,” and she said the county team proposed contracting UC Davis to manage a literature review and evaluation. The presentation identified a proposed $615,111 allocation for a five‑year longitudinal evaluation (roughly 14% of the pilot…