Council OKs $2 million expansion of guaranteed basic income program for youth and survivors

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to expand the city's guaranteed basic income pilot, approving a $2 million program that will provide $1,000 per month for two years to transitional-age youth and survivors of intimate partner violence.

The measure, discussed and introduced by Councilmember Curren Price and Councilmember Soto-Martinez, uses $1 million in discretionary funds from each office. Council records show the roll call recorded 14 ayes when the item was adopted.

The expansion builds on an earlier pilot that provided $1,000 a month to more than 3,000 residents, speakers said, and targets two groups that independent evaluators identified as among the most vulnerable and most likely to benefit. Councilmember Price said the original program "reached over 3,000 individuals who were on the brink of homelessness." He asked colleagues for an "aye" vote to continue the work.

Councilmember Soto-Martinez said the new phase will pair direct payments with job training, noting the Hospitality Training Academy has a high placement rate among graduates. "Families were able to put food on the table," Soto-Martinez said, and the payments gave some survivors of intimate partner violence the financial means to leave abusive situations.

City staff members from the Community Investment Families Department and others were acknowledged during the discussion for their roles in designing and evaluating the prior pilot. The motion's proponents said the payments are intended to reduce immediate financial instability while connecting recipients to training and employment services.

Formal details in the council record state the program will provide $1,000 per month for 24 months to qualifying transitional-age youth and survivors of intimate partner violence; $2 million in discretionary funding is committed, split between the two council offices sponsoring the motion. The vote was recorded as 14 ayes.

Councilmembers praised the pilot's previously reported outcomes, citing improved economic stability and reductions in what speakers described as neighborhood-level strain on public-safety resources. No ordinance or long-term budget appropriation was enacted at the meeting; the action authorized the expansion as described and requested implementation by city departments.

The council did not specify an exact start date for payments in the discussion. Staff were directed to continue work on implementation details and reporting to the council, and proponents said they expect additional program evaluation once payments begin.