actors who can spend all their time manipulating Facebook and Google algorithms to stoke racism , the biases that people have , to paint a false narrative .”
Sanchez pushes back on the perception his site engages in misinformation . “ I would say we ’ re a voice of the community , a grassroots newscast ,” Sanchez says . “ The notion that we somehow tricked the public is not gaining an understanding of what happened and why Michael Tubbs failed at getting reelected .”
Sanchez sees his outlet going where other media outlets will not . “ We were consistently showing what his ( Tubbs ) real character was , which was not being reflected by mainstream media ,” Sanchez says .
Most observers have a more generous and optimistic outlook for Tubbs ’ future . Many point to the man in the White House now , noting how many elections President Joe Biden lost along the way . Longtime California political analyst Dan Morain sees Tubbs ’ loss as barely a bump in the road . “ He ’ s clearly got a future in politics if he wants that ,” Morain says . “ He could make $ 1 million too . He ’ s a very smart guy , but I think his passion is public service .” Morain ’ s new book , “ Kamala ’ s Way ,” about the political rise of Vice President Kamala Harris , notes her friendship with Tubbs . Morain says he thinks Harris would “ be delighted ” to find Tubbs an appointment in the administration . “ He could certainly get a job in the new Biden-Harris administration , and not an insignificant job ,” Morain says . “ He could get a job in either Sacramento or Washington ( D . C .) if that ’ s his desire . He ’ s got a huge future , I think , in Democratic politics if he wants to run again .”
Building a national reputation
Most of what Tubbs accomplished as mayor comes with documentation . “ In a lot of ways , it ’ s been one of the most consequential terms of any mayor in the times that I ’ ve lived in Stockton ,” says Brian Klunk , a longtime Stockton resident who teaches political science and international relations at the University of the Pacific .
Tubbs is nationally known for his guaranteed basic income experiment . “ I think the biggest challenge facing cities is absolutely poverty and scarcity ,” Tubbs says . “ That inequity , structural violence and racism — how they manifest themselves in poverty , the lack of security — are the biggest issues in our country .”
In February 2019 , Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration began giving 125 Stockton residents a guaranteed income of $ 500 per month for 18 months . The program was funded by a $ 1 million grant from the Economic Security Project , a basic-income advocacy group started by Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes . Natalie Foster , co-chair of the Economic Security Project , and Tubbs raised an additional $ 2 million from organizations and individuals to originally sustain the project . In May 2020 , Tubbs announced the program was extended until January 2021 through a private donation because of the economic strain COVID-19 had put on recipients .
Tubbs says he came to the idea through Martin Luther King Jr .’ s 1967 book , “ Where Do We Go From Here : Chaos or Community ?” King wrote , “ the solution to poverty is to abolish it directly by a now widely discussed measure : the guaranteed income .”
Mayors around the country took notice , seeking Tubbs ’ advice on implementing similar programs . Tubbs founded and leads Mayors for a Guaranteed Income , a group of more than 30 mayors advocating for universal basic income , and Los Angeles , Oakland , Seattle , Philadelphia and Atlanta are among the cities working on variations of the plan . The idea received a national boost from presidential candidate An-
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