Merced rally calls for spending federal COVID funds on youth jobs, universal basic income
Merced youth organizers rallied outside city hall Monday, calling on local leaders to dedicate a portion of federal COVID-19 dollars toward creating jobs for high school students and other key priorities.
Monday’s “Fund Our Futures” rally pushed for $3 million from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds to be dedicated to underfunded needs in south Merced in particular.
The gathering was spearheaded by several nonprofit groups, including Power California, 99Rootz and We‘Ced Youth Media, among others.
The federal government recently allocated $27 million in ARPA funds to Merced. Rally organizers want $2.5 million of that money to go toward ensuring universal basic income for Merced youth, while $500,000 would be allotted for the creation of jobs for 100 local high school students.
Universal basic income programs are one of the tools some cities like Stockton have tried as a potential way to address wealth inequality and reimagine government benefits.
In 2019, Stockton sent debit cards loaded with $500 to a select group of residents as part of a closely watched experiment in universal basic income. Recipients can generally use the money with no strings attached, whether its paying bills, saving for the the future or addressing medical needs.
Other priorities outlined by the rally organizers include building more affordable housing in Merced. “Now, we have federal dollars that can and should be used on affordable housing. It would be really hypocritical of our city and our mayor if a significant portion of that money is not appropriated to affordable housing,” said Fue Xiong, an activist who spoke at the rally.
Xiong pressed for more funding for affordable housing than some at the rally, saying the city needs at least $5 million for affordable housing development and $3 million dedicated to jobs for Merced’s youth and a youth universal basic income program.
Premium hazard pay for essential workers, regardless of age, was also a top priority for the community activists.
The rally called for people in low-wage industries, like farm workers, to get premium pay — which is defined under state law as one additional hour of pay at the employee’s regular rate for each day a meal or rest period is not provided for the worker.
“The people who do the hardest work, back-breaking work, it’s not fair that they aren’t getting the money they truly deserve,” said Astrid Morales, a resistance organizer for Power California.
“I went canvassing last weekend, and let me tell you, the difference between District 2 and District 6 is huge,” Morales said. “I asked them, ‘What community issues do you have?’ People in District 2 talked about infrastructure and safety. District 6? Nope, they had no issues. They said everything’s great here. ‘We’re good here.’”
Morales added, “It’s not fair when you have people in District 2 who are struggling, and people in District 6 who are just living life. It’s not fair.”
District 2 encompasses much of southwest Merced, from 4th Street on the northeast side to Dickinson Ferry Road on the south side and Martin Luther King Way on the east side to just past Thornton Road.
District 6, on the north side of the city, spans territory north of Yosemite Avenue all the way up to a stretch of land just parallel to Old Lake Road. Gardner Avenue is on the district’s east side and goes all the way to Highway 59 on the east side.
It is unclear as of yet when the City Council will decide whether to allocate ARPA money to fund the priorities outlined by the youth activists.
Although it remains to be seen whether city officials will consider those priorities, at least one City Council member has voiced his support.
“We’ve been saying the same thing for 10 years now,” Merced City Council member Jesse Ornelas, who represents District 1, told the crowd Monday. “It’s not rocket science. Y’all want the simple things. A lot of what y’all are asking for with the ARPA funds are really addressing root causes of all the violence that’s out there.”
Issues not just specific to Merced County
The rally to demand federal money for youth and essential worker relief programs comes just days after a law that mandated paid COVID sick leave expired, putting many farm workers in the Central Valley in a vulnerable position.
The Fund Our Futures rally is a local part of a larger effort to launch a basic universal income program for farm workers that would regularly provide some amount of government financial support to every adult.
In August, Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, wrote to Gov. Gavin Newsom urging consideration of a universal income pilot program — which already seemed to be in line with the Democratic governor’s priorities, considering the revised budget he proposed this summer allocated $35 million for such programs.
These programs would be administered by local governments and require a local-match commitment and be targeted for the most low-paid Californians.
“Young people want to make sure that federal relief dollars go towards youth investment, housing and essential workers,” Crissy Gallardo, senior organizer for 99Rootz, said. “We want the city to invest in an affordable housing trust fund and give the seed funding for that.”
Other Valley cities have previously designated money to a universal basic income for low-income residents.
Stockton was one such city that launched just such a program, Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration, which provided $500 a month for two years for city residents selected at random.
That program was launched two years ago by the former mayor of Stockton, Michael Tubbs, and was funded by donating organizations.
This story was originally published October 19, 2021 at 3:35 PM.