REDWOOD CITY — As inflation and the blow back from the coronavirus pandemic continue to put pressure on low-income people in one of the wealthiest regions in the country, San Mateo County is exploring expanded guaranteed income programs to help more families in need.
The idea of giving cash to low-income folks to help make ends meet has been gaining momentum in the U.S. in recent years. Less than a decade ago, there weren’t many programs handing out money with no strings attached, let alone anyone studying their effectiveness, according to Stanford’s Basic Income Lab.
But now this once-fanciful strategy is one of the new ways cities and counties across