As Los Angeles begins to recover from the devastation of the pandemic, Mayor Eric Garcetti took time out of his very busy schedule to sit down with the Los Angeles Sentinel to directly address those issues which are impacting the lives of African Americans, communities of color, and those most severely affected by COVID-19.

To say that the past 15 months have been a roller coaster ride for Mayor Garcetti and his office would be an understatement. For the mayor of California’s largest and most populated city, every decision is picked apart, criticized, and no matter what decision he makes, there surely will be someone or some group that will disagree with that decision. But Garcetti has weathered this storm as he has done so many times before by staying focused and following his commitment to make the decisions, he believes are in the best interest of all of Los Angeles, and not just attempting to subdue the loudest naysayers in the room. As Los Angeles begins to re-open and we return back to some level of “normalcy,” the mayor finds himself rising in popularity throughout the city. A recent poll shows Mayor Garcetti’s approval ratings are hovering somewhere between 65% and 69%, primarily due to his guidance of Los Angeles through a horrific pandemic.

BASIC INCOME PROGRAM

While Garcetti’s approval ratings are high, he continues working to envision an even better L.A. He recently launched a guaranteed basic income program which will provide some of Los Angeles’ poorest neighborhoods and families with a guaranteed income for at least the next 12 months.

While other cities, including Compton and Stockton, have launched similar programs, it is the Los Angeles program launch that will serve as the bench mark for all programs to follow throughout the nation. Los Angeles is by far the largest city to launch a program of this nature and obviously will also have the largest budget. The mayor believes that launching the Basic Income Program will have a dramatic effect on the lives of its participants. “This launch will be the biggest program launch in America. Three-thousand households and 10,000 Angelenos will get a $1,000 basic income.” He says the idea, which comes right from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision that the poor in America should receive a guaranteed basic income, will empower and inspire communities. “You will see graduation rates go up, salaries and wages will go up. You’re going to see housing stability be better and were going to see that small investments have big payoffs,” stated Mayor Garcetti.