Judicial Watch, a conservative legal activist group, filed the lawsuit against San Francisco Mayor London Breed and other city officials in January. It argues that the GIFT Program violates the equal protection clause of the California Constitution because it provides “preferential treatment” when choosing candidates for payment.
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There are numerous basic income programs across the country targeting specific low-income groups. Most offer no-strings-attached monthly cash payments between $500 and $1,000 or more. Studies have found recipients use the payments to catch up on bills, pay off debt, and pay for housing and food.
Yet some conservatives across the county are challenging the constitutionality of such basic income programs.
In Texas, a Republican state senator asked the state attorney general to declare a Houston-area basic income program unconstitutional in January.
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Judicial Watch’s attack on the GIFT program is only the latest attack from conservatives against San Francisco’s basic income programs. In November, the American Civil Rights Project, a conservative public interest law firm, sued the city over several guaranteed income plans.
That lawsuit argues the Abundant Birth Project, a basic income plan in the city that gives pregnant Black women $1,000 a month, is discriminatory because it uses taxpayer money to provide the payments based on unlawful classifications, such as race.
A representative for San Francisco city attorney David Chiu told The Bay Area Reporter that the city denies the GIFT program and Abundant Birth Project are unlawful.
“We look forward to discussing these matters further in court,” Chui’s office told the outlet.
* Original Article:
https://www.businessinsider.com/judicial-watch-sues-san-francisco-basic-income-program-trans-people-2024-4?amp
