By Edward Henderson

California Black Media

As a former mayor of Stockton and a nationally recognized advocate for economic equity, Michael Tubbs has built his political career on challenging the status quo and advancing bold, people-centered policy solutions.

Rising from a childhood marked by housing insecurity to becoming one of California’s most prominent young leaders, Tubbs gained national attention for launching one of the first guaranteed income programs in the country.

Now running for lieutenant governor, Tubbs is positioning himself as a champion for affordability, opportunity, and systemic reform. In a recent conversation with California Black Media (CBM), Tubbs discussed how his lived experience shapes his policy agenda, his plans to tackle homelessness and economic inequality, and his vision for a more inclusive and functional California.

You’ve spoken about your upbringing in South Stockton and how it shaped your path to public service. How does that experience inform your priorities as a candidate, particularly for Black Californians facing systemic barriers?

I tell people all the time—my lived experience is my first bridge to other experiences I may not have had. It also gives me a clearer perspective and a greater willingness to bet on people.

 I didn’t learn about poverty from Stanford or from being mayor. I learned from being housing insecure, from sleeping in shelters and motel rooms. Those are things I lived.

That gives me empathy as a policymaker and urgency to fight for a California where everyone has the basics—where people can afford to live and where government works for us, not against us.

It also shapes my belief in people’s ability to rise despite circumstances—if government gives them the tools and opportunities.

As mayor of Stockton, you launched a guaranteed basic income program that gained national attention. What lessons did you take from that, and how would you apply them at the state level?

The biggest lesson is that things always seem impossible until they’re done.

 When we launched it, people said we were crazy. Now there are over 100 pilots across the country, and over $300 million has been distributed. What started in Stockton is now part of a global conversation about affordability and AI.

It taught me you have to be bold. You can’t just accept the status quo—it exists because no one has challenged it.

As lieutenant governor, I’d push for a California that builds enough housing, ends homelessness, and explores guaranteed income. To do that, you have to take risks, build coalitions, and be willing to go first.

Speaking of homelessness and poverty, what specific policies would you prioritize in your first year as Lieutenant Governor and how do you propose funding them with current budget constraints?

First, we must raise revenue. I support Prop 13 split-roll reform, extending Prop 55, and implementing a data dividend—because data powers AI and tech profits.

 As Lieutenant Governor, one major role is serving on higher education boards. My top priority would be building student and workforce housing across UC, CSU, and community colleges.

We can fund that through housing bonds and new revenue streams.

I would also work with the legislature on guaranteed income programs focused on people exiting homelessness, as well as eviction prevention efforts.

In Stockton, you saw reductions in violence and improvements in economic conditions. What strategies drove that change, and how can they scale to Black communities across the state?

We used data and avoided simplistic explanations.

 We found that about 80% of violent crime was driven by less than 1% of the population—mostly young men dealing with poverty, homelessness, and repeated incarceration.

Lieutenant Governor is the second-highest office in the largest state economy in the country—and when elected, I would be the highest-ranking Black elected official.

Instead of just locking people up again, we focused on creating opportunities for change. That led to reductions in violence.

We need to move away from being “tough and dumb” on crime and toward being smart on crime. That includes prevention—like youth jobs—and targeted interventions that actually work.

The Lieutenant Governor role is often seen as limited. How would you use that office’s authority to deliver measurable results for Black Californians?

Being Lieutenant Governor in California comes with responsibility.

 I’d work with the Legislative Black Caucus to advance policies that improve quality of life. I’d also use my role on education boards to ensure Black-owned businesses have access to procurement opportunities.

And just as important, I’d use the platform to make sure Black Californians are not an afterthought—but central to what makes California thrive.