albuquerque's guaranteed income program.

Y'all, I've been following the rollout of Albuquerque, New Mexico's new Guaranteed Income Program. Coming in from Atlanta, Georgia, it is a very big change to see things go from like a political debate or an experiment to something that is here and funded and impacting families here in the International District in the West Side. If you are a person who runs a business near any of those neighborhoods, or if you're really interested in the broader shape of economic justice in Albuquerque, this story is really worth paying attention to for just a few minutes.

There are 80 households starting this spring that are receiving $750 a month for three years without strings attached. And this is part of a pilot that is funded through the Cannabis Equity and Community Reinvestment Fund. It specifically targets families impacted by cannabis criminalization, black, Native American, AAPI groups, women, youth, low-income households, and these payments are being paired with financial counseling. So instead of it just being a survival program, they want to see if they can grow this into something that brings stability and growth and long-term sufficiency.

And this is not exactly a UBI program. If you think of the Andrew Yang UBI program that was meant to cover rent and food and things like this, Guaranteed Basic Income, like this pilot, is much more targeted and narrow. It is more about equity than universality. And what's more interesting is that this is not an abstract idea. We're going to really be seeing the results in the local economy. And if you're listening to this, you are probably a part of the local economy. If you own a restaurant or a shop or a salon or a studio in the International District, there are going to be eyes on you from across the country starting right now, and this is going to have a direct impact on you.

You can expect more reliable customers. We're not really talking about things in the luxury industry. Groceries, repairs, school supplies, basics may be a treat once in a while. I think this is a great opportunity to think relationship first. If you are somebody who's been looking to deepen your business's local ties, consider ways to hire a local, host pop-ups, offer loyalty discounts, and really take this thing that is happening in your direct neighborhood and think of ways to channel it as a business.

For me as a business owner, I try to look for opportunities where there is an organic energy that's already going, and I look for ways to tap in and take advantage of that. And there are economic opportunities, yeah, but there's also opportunities in visibility. This is a program that's going to get national attention over the next three years. I went across the country myself from Atlanta. There was a list of reasons why I did it. This is one of them. The city that you're in is being watched right now, and this is a chance to see, at least for me, who's going to be in the middle of the arena on that story, who is the headline of that story.

And that person, whoever it is, they might not have declared that yet, but are just looking for the right sign to put a closer look on this. I know I am putting a closer look on this, so I'll help you. I'm not just a person that likes to think about political policy, I'm somebody who believes in grounded economics, and guaranteed income might potentially, if there's engagement here, be something that helps create space for people who have been impacted by these laws in the past, and the local businesses here will hopefully create an ecosystem that can make this space thrive.

So I want to see how this works, and how it does, and how y'all all engage with it in the future.