# Alameda's $4.6 Million Cash Pilot Is Over as Federal Covid Money Runs Out, and the Mayor Still Calls It a Win

Rise Up Alameda paid 150 low-income households $1,000 a month for two years. The city has no plan or budget to continue it. Supporters say cities are looking for permanent funding.

- Section: [Economy](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/economy/)
- Published: 2026-10-21
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/alameda-guaranteed-income-pilot-ends-arpa-funds-mayor-ashcraft/

A California city has finished its guaranteed income experiment, and its mayor says it worked. The money that paid for it is gone.

Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft told Fox News Digital that "guaranteed income programs like our Rise Up Alameda (RUA) pilot program are a valuable and effective tool to address the affordability crisis." The program gave 150 low-income households $1,000 a month in no-strings cash for two years. City staff presented the final evaluation to the City Council on October 6.

The cost and the funding. The City Council set aside $4.6 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, the one-time Covid-era relief law, to pay for it. Fox reports city notices confirm the pilot has ended and the city has no plans or budget to continue it. Asked whether she would make it permanent, the mayor said her job is to advance "practical, compassionate and evidence-informed policies."

Who was in it. Ashcraft said the average participant was 49, 26% were 62 or older, and most were working or retired. She pointed to residents who used the money for medical bills, rent, gas, bridge tolls, credit card debt and emergency savings. She also conceded that cash payments are "not a stand-alone solution" and that longer-term answers have to address housing, health care and transportation costs.

The wider picture. Fox says many local pilots were funded with the same temporary federal money, and federal deadlines now force cities to spend what is left. The Economic Security Project, a group that has backed more than 100 pilots nationwide, including more than 60 in California, says several municipalities are working on legislative proposals but would not name them. One pilot became permanent: Cook County, Illinois, approved $7.5 million in its budget.

The other side. Republican state officials and conservative policy groups have sought to block guaranteed income programs. Critics argue unconditional payments discourage work, increase dependence on government and misuse taxpayer money. Mayors for Guaranteed Income founder Michael Tubbs told Fox that banning such programs is "undemocratic" and "counterproductive."

What the report does not say. It does not give the evaluation's findings on employment or spending, only the mayor's description of participants' experiences. We have not seen the city's report.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/media/california-mayor-insists-cash-handout-program-solve-affordability-challenges-critics-question-cost)