Mayor Eric Garcetti Floats $1,000 Universal Basic Income, Making L.A. the 12th U.S. Location to Try On 4/20/21 at 12:12 AM EDT Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has proposed giving a "universal basic income" of $1000 a month to 2,000 poor local families for one year. Similar proposals have been tried in at least 12 U.S. regions since 1968 and are also gaining interest among other U.S. mayors. Garcetti's proposal would allocate $24 million of the city's budget towards a program called BIG LEAP, an acronym for Basic Income Guaranteed: L.A. Economic Assistance Pilot. The program would give 2,000 families below the federal poverty line monthly $1,000 checks for 12 months. The families could then spend the money however they please.