Councilmember Omar Din first suggested the program two years ago and said it would benefit the city's most vulnerable residents. He said a guaranteed basic income program bypasses some problems with other forms of government assistance - for example, monitoring or limiting how recipients spend their money, which can create hurdles. "The goal for this program is to lead to the best outcome," Din told San José Spotlight. "If you can free (recipients) up to make the best decisions for their specific context, then the best outcomes will come out."
Sunnyvale is far from the first jurisdiction to consider a basic income program, even locally. Right next door, Mountain View is operating a two-year pilot program providing $500 monthly checks to 166 families, caregivers or pregnant women who earn 30% or less than the area median income. In Santa Clara County, 30% of the area median income for a family of four in 2023 was $54,390.
Councilmembers initially envisioned the program to serve low-income families with children, but a report from Dalberg, who the city hired to develop recommendations for the program, found it would be best implemented with a broad audience.
The report found about 8,000 Sunnyvale residents living below the federal poverty line, which is $31,200 for a family of four. Because of Silicon Valley's high cost of living, the report suggested including households living above the poverty line but still struggling financially.
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