Program provides $725 per month to families with black or Native American children under 5.
Sacramento – The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to establish a new welfare program for families with non-white children at the end of September. The program, known as the “Family First Economic Support Pilot” is being touted as a pilot for universal basic income, or UBI.
According to the County Department of Child, Family and Adult Services, parents or legal guardians caring for “Black/African American, American Indian & Alaska Native (Native American) children ages 0-5” are eligible for up to $725 per month for 12 months, provided they are under 200% of the federal poverty line. For a family of four, this would mean an income of less than $62,400.
Families with white, Asian, or Hispanic children are explicitly not included in the program. Applications opened on September 30 and closed on October 13. Two hundred names will be selected at random from those who apply to receive UBI payments.
The County’s website includes further explanations of eligibility, which justifies the exclusion of most races because “Sacramento County data shows that Black/African American and American Indian/Alaska Native children 0-5 years of age experience higher rates of contact with the child welfare system as compared to other ethnicities due to historic and systemic practices.”
The specific disparity cited is that black and American Indian children are more likely than white children to have a Child Protective Services allegation and are more likely to be removed from their homes. No data is provided comparing these groups to Hispanic or Asian families, who are also excluded.
Applicants are required to provide proof of identity to receive funds, which may include a driver’s license. Because California issues driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, it is possible those who entered the United States unlawfully are eligible for this program.
FFESP is funded by a state block grant from the California Department of Social Services. CDSS had to approve each county’s plan to use the grant before disbursement, so state officials would have been aware of the eligibility requirements before the pilot was launched.
According to the Census Bureau, 79% of Sacramento County residents are white, Hispanic, and/or Asian. Black and American Indian residents account for 12.4% of the population. The Census Bureau also indicates that 12.2% of the population of Sacramento County lives below the federal poverty line. Unless every single one of these residents are either black or of American Indian origin, some residents living in poverty are excluded from the pilot.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws any racial discrimination in federal financial benefits: “No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Similarly, the California constitution has explicit prohibitions on racial preferences in public education, employment, and contracting, though not necessarily in public assistance payments. First added to the state constitution in 1996, this colorblind principle was upheld by California voters in 2020.
