Latest news with #MichaelTubbs
Newsweek
02-07-2025
- General
- Newsweek
A New Blueprint for Disaster Relief—Human-Centered, Tech-Enabled, and Community-Led
Six months after the Eaton Wildfires ravaged Los Angeles County (Altadena and Palisades), many families are still navigating systems and deliberating on whether or how to rebuild. As the 2025 hurricane season begins, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warns it may be one of the most active in decades, a stark reminder that communities must prepare even as they recover. Amid these escalating threats, there's deeper uncertainty: Who will show up when disaster strikes? FEMA's acting administrator has acknowledged gaps in hurricane readiness, and staff reductions are shifting more response responsibilities to under-resourced state and local governments. This moment underscores what many already know: disaster recovery systems are failing those who need them most. What if recovery didn't depend on navigating broken systems? What if the people closest to the crisis were trusted to lead the response? A firefighter sprays water as the Juniper Fire burns on June 30, 2025, near Perris, Calif. A firefighter sprays water as the Juniper Fire burns on June 30, 2025, near Perris, a former mayor, I've led through emergencies and the aftermaths that rarely make the headlines. I've seen both the resilience of communities and the dysfunction of the systems meant to support them. But I've also seen what's possible: meeting disasters with equity, speed, and local innovation. When the fires hit, I led a coalition of local partners alongside former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, founder of End Poverty in California, and my team at FORWARD, launched the Dena Care Collective, a new disaster response approach. The Dena Care Collective is providing over $1 million in direct cash assistance to Altadena families left behind by traditional disaster systems, helping them rebuild quickly, with dignity, and without red tape. We've also empowered additional relief efforts to quickly administer emergency funding to local families, including the Los Angeles Unified School District Education Foundation fund. This model offers valuable lessons that other communities can learn from, especially as disasters become more severe and frequent. Recognizing that even well-intentioned systems can be slow and inaccessible, we built a single-entry platform that scales, reduces delays, and improves outcomes. Families could check their status with one click, and funds were delivered within days—restoring trust and transparency. But our national model isn't just outdated—it's inequitable. Renters are overlooked. Small business owners are told to wait. Low-income families don't have the luxury to process their grief or process their loss while navigating disparate systems not designed for them. Data shows that underserved neighborhoods often receive less FEMA funding than wealthier areas. But when recovery systems leave people behind, everyone pays the price. According to the National Institute of Building Sciences, every $1 spent on disaster mitigation saves an average of $6 in future disaster-related losses. Faster aid strengthens local economies and protects long-term health and safety. We can't continue to accept the status quo. Apathy is both costly to families and expensive to taxpayers. Communities everywhere can adopt the same principles: lean into local leadership, integrate smart technology, embed equity, mandate efficiency from the start. Real-time data can help identify households with the greatest need, while community-based partnerships ensure that aid reaches people in culturally competent and efficient ways. That's what responsive recovery looks like. Technology alone isn't enough. This model succeeds because it combines tech with deep community relationships. In Altadena, community-based organizations were essential to delivering personalized support that addressed immediate needs while installing critical infrastructure to support long-term recovery: mental health, housing, and more. This approach addresses the short-term crisis and builds long-term resilience, necessary in an era of ever-worsening climate disasters. These outcomes resulted from strong partnerships between civic groups, governments, technologists, and philanthropic organizations. In the case of the Dena Care Collective, relationships across civic groups, technologists, and funders like the California Community Foundation delivered critical support to unlock smart, accessible, and integrated community infrastructure. The takeaway here is simple: empower local networks, leverage technology for efficiency, unlock data-informed investments and always center the needs of those most affected. To be clear: this is not about placing blame on any one institution. Governments and nonprofits are doing the best they can with the tools they have. But the truth is, those tools are too often outdated, underfunded, or misaligned with community realities. Without reform, those tools will fail the people they're meant to serve. States and cities don't have to wait for federal reform. But agencies like FEMA and HUD must also evolve to support faster, locally led models that center equity, especially as we face what could be one of the most destructive hurricane seasons in recent memory. They can start by investing in integrated technology that unlocks communication, resource administration, economies of scale and real-time data tracking. Critics may call this approach expensive. The reality is that technology innovation has made data accessible and equity possible. Gone are the days when antiquated approaches are the only approaches. Data gaps, inaccessibility, and disparate systems delay recovery, strain community ecosystems, and decimate local economies, not to mention eroding public trust. When families stay housed, healthy, and financially stable, entire communities thrive. Our current system isn't built for the people who need it most. We must design recovery that actually serves them: by cutting delays, removing barriers, and investing in trusted local networks. We don't need to start from scratch. It's time to fix what's broken and scale what's working. As climate disasters become more frequent and severe, recovery must be fast, fair, and led by the people who know their communities best. Aja Brown is a civic tech strategist and former mayor of Compton, now serving as strategic impact partner at FORWARD. She works at the intersection of government, equity, and technology to design systems that deliver public resources more effectively to the communities that need them most. The views in this article are the writer's own.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State lawmakers launch group to spur 'guaranteed income' cash to residents
Apr. 29—To California Democratic state Sen. David Cortese, the idea of gaining Republican support for a bill to provide cash to certain residents would have seemed impossible just a few years ago. But his proposed legislation to offer $1,000 per month to homeless youth has so far received bipartisan support in the state Senate. "It's being embraced," said Cortese. "This was not even considered possible five years ago." Cortese is among more than 20 Democratic lawmakers from 17 states launching Legislators for a Guaranteed Income on Tuesday to advocate for programs that provide direct, regular cash payments to lower-income residents to help alleviate poverty. They join a network of more than 245 mayors and county officials who have pursued dozens of basic income pilot projects across the country. The lawmakers want to see states play a larger role in guaranteed income programs, which aim to help residents in need by handing out no-strings-attached cash. The concept of basic income programs took off following a 2019 experiment in Stockton, California. There, 125 individuals received $500 per month for two years, which researchers found improved their financial stability and health. Michael Tubbs, the former Democratic mayor of Stockton and current executive chairman of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, said these kinds of efforts are more important now as economic uncertainty and high prices squeeze the most vulnerable people. "The work around guaranteed income is moving from cities and counties to states," he said. "We're going to be organizing state officials across the country who see what we all see: that affordability is an issue, that the Trump tariffs and gross mismanagement of the economy has made the problem even worse." While the concept has gained traction across the country, Republican state lawmakers have pushed bills to ban basic income programs, arguing they disincentivize work. Last year, then-state Sen. John Wiik sponsored successful legislation banning South Dakota localities from launching basic income programs. At the time, the Republican said he was worried about people growing dependent upon the government. "So, if you get people addicted to just getting a check from the government, it's going to be really hard to take that away," he told Stateline. Legislators for a Guaranteed Income says its 23 members have so far introduced 25 bills across 11 states. The work around guaranteed income is moving from cities and counties to states. — Michael Tubbs, executive chairman of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income Those include Cortese's proposed legislation in California to create a new program to help homeless youth transition out of high school. Eligible students would receive four monthly payments of $1,000 each beginning in May. That bill, expected to cost $40 million to $50 million, has passed through two state Senate committees. Cortese previously advocated for a 2023 California program that was the nation's first state-funded pilot of a basic income program targeting former foster youth. He pointed to research showing basic income programs supplement, rather than replace, the need for work. And he said growing these programs can eventually reduce costs for other social safety net programs. "I'm so pleased to see the proliferation that we've seen so far," he said. "I think that it will become ubiquitous as a way of doing things and that's going to outlast me and my career." In Pennsylvania, Democratic state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta said he's still exploring details on legislation for a basic income program there. He said pilot projects across the country have proven that people pay rent, buy groceries and invest in small businesses when they have more financial freedom. "So, this isn't really some big experiment," he said. "It is a proven way to reduce poverty, improve health care, boost our local economies and really get a real return on that investment." Kenyatta said so-called trickle-down policies that aim to boost business interests and high earners have failed many ordinary people. "But basic income really flips that equation on its head," he said. "It's not about charity. It's about power, and about giving people the power and the resources to breathe." Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at [email protected]. YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State lawmakers launch group to spur ‘guaranteed income' cash to residents
A father plays outside with his son in Mount Vernon, N.Y. State lawmakers across the country are joining forces to pursue legislation for basic income programs to help reduce poverty. () To California Democratic state Sen. David Cortese, the idea of gaining Republican support for a bill to provide cash to certain residents would have seemed impossible just a few years ago. But his proposed legislation to offer $1,000 per month to homeless youth has so far received bipartisan support in the state Senate. 'It's being embraced,' said Cortese. 'This was not even considered possible five years ago.' Cortese is among more than 20 Democratic lawmakers from 17 states launching Legislators for a Guaranteed Income on Tuesday to advocate for programs that provide direct, regular cash payments to lower-income residents to help alleviate poverty. They join a network of more than 245 mayors and county officials who have pursued dozens of basic income pilot projects across the country. The lawmakers want to see states play a larger role in guaranteed income programs, which aim to help residents in need by handing out no-strings-attached cash. Red states fight growing efforts to give 'basic income' cash to residents The concept of basic income programs took off following a 2019 experiment in Stockton, California. There, 125 individuals received $500 per month for two years, which researchers found improved their financial stability and health. Michael Tubbs, the former Democratic mayor of Stockton and current executive chairman of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, said these kinds of efforts are more important now as economic uncertainty and high prices squeeze the most vulnerable people. 'The work around guaranteed income is moving from cities and counties to states,' he said. 'We're going to be organizing state officials across the country who see what we all see: that affordability is an issue, that the Trump tariffs and gross mismanagement of the economy has made the problem even worse.' While the concept has gained traction across the country, Republican state lawmakers have pushed bills to ban basic income programs, arguing they disincentivize work. Last year, then-state Sen. John Wiik sponsored successful legislation banning South Dakota localities from launching basic income programs. At the time, the Republican said he was worried about people growing dependent upon the government. 'So, if you get people addicted to just getting a check from the government, it's going to be really hard to take that away,' he told Stateline. Legislators for a Guaranteed Income says its 23 members have so far introduced 25 bills across 11 states. The work around guaranteed income is moving from cities and counties to states. – Michael Tubbs, executive chairman of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income Those include Cortese's proposed legislation in California to create a new program to help homeless youth transition out of high school. Eligible students would receive four monthly payments of $1,000 each beginning in May. That bill, expected to cost $40 million to $50 million, has passed through two state Senate committees. Cortese previously advocated for a 2023 California program that was the nation's first state-funded pilot of a basic income program targeting former foster youth. He pointed to research showing basic income programs supplement, rather than replace, the need for work. And he said growing these programs can eventually reduce costs for other social safety net programs. 'I'm so pleased to see the proliferation that we've seen so far,' he said. 'I think that it will become ubiquitous as a way of doing things and that's going to outlast me and my career.' Child tax credits, long a liberal priority, find favor in Republican states In Pennsylvania, Democratic state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta said he's still exploring details on legislation for a basic income program there. He said pilot projects across the country have proven that people pay rent, buy groceries and invest in small businesses when they have more financial freedom. 'So, this isn't really some big experiment,' he said. 'It is a proven way to reduce poverty, improve health care, boost our local economies and really get a real return on that investment.' Kenyatta said so-called trickle-down policies that aim to boost business interests and high earners have failed many ordinary people. 'But basic income really flips that equation on its head,' he said. 'It's not about charity. It's about power, and about giving people the power and the resources to breathe.' Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at khardy@ SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
