By: Ginger Conejero Saab
The city of Mountain View on Thursday was set to launch a basic income pilot program to help “extremely low-income” residents.
Part of research from the University of Pennsylvania and a national study, the program, called Elevate MV, chooses 166 people from Mountain View to receive $500 a month. The city kicks off the program at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Civic Center Plaza, with Mayor Lucas Ramirez and state Sen. Josh Becker making an official announcement.
To be eligible for the pilot program, recipients must live in Mountain View and must qualify under the extremely low-income bracket — 30% of area’s median income.
Some families with children under 18 also are eligible.
The median income requirement factors in household size as follows: A household of three would need to make less than $45,500 a year; a household of four, under $50,550; and so on.
The selection process is random and will be done by researchers, not the city. Those chosen will receive $500 a month for 24 months, the duration of the pilot program. There are no provisions on how the money is spent.
The pilot program isn’t the first of its kind. Stockton and Oakland have launched similar programs in recent years.
