Why the Next Phase of GI Requires Statewide Action
Guaranteed Income has proven its power to create stability, dignity, and opportunity for families across California. But as budget pressures grow, the future of GI, and the broader social safety net, faces new challenges.
Over the last several years, Guaranteed Income pilots across California have demonstrated powerful results. Families experience greater stability. Parents are able to focus on their children. Women gain breathing room to pursue education, work, and long-term goals. But as successful as these pilots have been, a critical question remains: What comes next?
In 2025, NCJW|LA launched the Guaranteed Income Deep Dive series to build shared understanding, shift narratives, and advance the policy change needed to move GI from pilot programs into permanent systems. That work continues in 2026 with the next GI Deep Dive session: What Comes Next for Guaranteed Income?, on Thursday, February 26, from 5:30–7:00 PM.
This session comes at a pivotal moment. Growing budget pressures at the state level threaten funding not only for Guaranteed Income, but for the broader social safety net. At the same time, momentum for GI has never been stronger. Advocates, policymakers, and people with lived experience are pushing forward, determined to protect and expand programs that have proven impact.
During this Deep Dive, we will:
- Explore strategies to advance Guaranteed Income as a sustainably funded statewide program
- Reflect on recent legislative victories and setbacks
- Discuss the critical role advocates and people with lived experience play in turning pilots into permanent policy
This conversation is about more than policy. It’s about dignity, stability, and opportunity—and about ensuring that the progress made through Guaranteed Income is not lost, but expanded.