WASHINGTON, D.C. (NEXSTAR) – “They’re spending money on transportation. They’re spending -most of the money, forty percent, has been spent on food,” Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs said.
Stockton, California is getting national attention for its ongoing experiment with Universal Basic Income.
It’s just one of the ideas that Mayor Michael Tubbs and hundreds of other mayors will discuss and sharing at this weeks’ US Conference of Mayors.
“Connecting with mayors and other folks who are solving a lot of the issues we’re trying to solve,” Tubbs said.
While they’re here, they also plan to make direct appeals to lawmakers and the White House.
“I reached out when the President started tweeting about homelessness, saying hey, welcome to the struggle,” Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti said.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti says his office is now working with the White House on homelessness.
This week, he says he’ll also address climate change and immigration.
“We can figure out a way forward to invite those immigrants in, to make sure they become citizens and integrate them into the life of our country,” Garcetti said.
The Golden State’s well represented, 45 mayors from California registered for the event, all of them bringing different challenges and experiences to Washington.
“Democrat and Republican Mayors often have the same agendas,” Mayor of Oakland Libby Schaff said.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff says building bipartisan relationships in Washington is crucial to solving problems.
“Affordable Housing is part of infrastructure. This federal government needs to restore those funding levels,” Schaff said.
The conference wraps up with a visit to the White House.