InterActions LA 2021
Guaranteed Income and Paths to Prosperity
Friday, May 7
Economic relief to individuals is playing a major role in helping people in LA make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic. Expanded unemployment payments and sporadic federal relief checks provided cash to people struggling to make rent and buy food. These pandemic-related cash supports are drawing attention to the role that guaranteed income programs can play in helping individuals get out of poverty.
A growing number of places in California, across the country, and the world are piloting programs and approaches to get money to the people who need it most. From Black and Pacific Islander mothers to low-income older adults to citywide programs in Stockton and Compton, guaranteed and universal basic income programs are gaining traction. Each program is demonstrating this concept on different populations and outcomes. In South Korea, basic income recipients were restricted to spending their dollars only in their local neighborhood. In San Francisco, the program seeks to improve maternal and child outcomes by providing cash support before the child is even born. All of these programs try to address deep economic concerns that low- and middle-income households face in high-cost regions.
How can these local issues be addressed through a federal program that potentially provides cash support? What have cities learned about their role in providing cash relief through these pilots and pandemic relief? If a federal basic income program existed, what role could local and state governments play? This spring, InterActions LA will bring together the latest thinking and action on the opportunities and applications around moving toward a guaranteed income for people who could benefit in the Los Angeles region.
Speakers
Nika Soon-Shiong
Keynote SpeakerExecutive Director of the Fund for Guaranteed Income, Nika Soon-Shiong has led international and local initiatives to support cash transfers. She is a Board Member of One Fair Wage and the Compton Community Development Corporation. After establishing the World Bank Group’s strategy for managing partnerships with global technology companies, she leads a World Bank innovation challenge to develop a social insurance platform for informal sector workers in West Africa. Previously, she developed political education materials, research campaigns, and community organizing efforts at a grassroots activist movement in South Africa. Nika is a doctoral candidate at Oxford University’s Department of International Development. She holds a MA in African Studies as well as a BA in International Relations from Stanford University.
Heather Hay
PanelistHeather Hay RN, M.A., MSC (A). is the COO of Foundations for Social Change. Heather is a health care executive with extensive senior leadership experience across the health care system in Canada. She has vast experience in innovative program planning, evaluation and development. Heather has a passion for working with marginalized client populations and adapting systems to meet their needs. For example, in her role as VCH Regional Director for the Complex Mental Health and Addiction programs she led the development and implementation of innovative harm reduction programs such as North America’s first Supervised Injection Site, Canada’s only Community Court and British Columbia’s first Drug Treatment Court. As part of the Olympic legacy projects she developed and implemented a strategy to support complex homeless mental health and addiction clients and implemented an innovative 100-bed treatment center (Burnaby Centre for Mental Health and Addiction)
Heather is the recipient of the National Deloitte Public Service Award and twice awarded the Premiers Public Service award for Innovation and Collaboration. An identified innovator she has been recognized by the BC Business Association and is the recipient of Innovator of the Year Award. She is an implementer of system change and a strong advocate for the work of the non-profit sector. Heather holds a Masters in Science (Applied) from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec and a Masters in Leadership from Royal Roads University, British Columbia.
Alice Hopkins
PanelistAlice Hopkins is the Program Manager at Foundations for Social Change and is passionate about using qualitative research to tell bold and compelling stories about complex social issues. Alice has worked in a range of roles in the charity and non-profit sector, both in the UK and internationally, and holds a Master’s with Distinction in Social and Cultural Anthropology from University College London.
Prior to joining Foundations for Social Change, Alice worked with a leading social research agency in London, specializing in qualitative research and engaging marginalized populations. As Project Manager and Researcher, she helped deliver bold and honest insights to public sector organizations on topics including long-term health conditions, physical impairments, gambling and homelessness. Alice also gained expertise in the charity fundraising sector, working as a Development Associate for an innovative UK fundraising consultancy that specialized in helping organizations to diversify their funding bases and improve financial resilience.
Deborah Karasek
PanelistDeborah Karasek is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and researcher with the California Preterm Birth Initiative at UCSF. Her work investigates how structural contexts shape perinatal health and how to target policy solutions to improve health equity. She serves as the Co-PI of the evaluation of a novel guaranteed pilot program for Black and Pacific Islander birthing people in San Francisco, called the Abundant Birth Project.
Latriece Love-Goodlett
PanelistLatriece Love-Goodlett is a facilitator, certified mediator, anti-racism, pro-Black equity-focused consultant, musician, poet, mother, and award-winning public speaker. She is the associate director at Expecting Justice San Francisco. Latriece has intimate knowledge of preterm birth having been born at 28 weeks and having her own preterm scare as a first-time mother. Navigating racism with each pregnancy and knowing first-hand the difference culturally competent care can make, Latriece cherishes community and values that we each have an opportunity daily to honor our ancestors and practice Kuumba. Latriece is a graduate of Sonoma State University (Hutchins Program) and has experience in the private sector, local and federal government, health care, and the nonprofit sector.
Breezy Powell
PanelistBreezy Powell is a soft-hearted yet strong-minded moma of a beautiful baby boy, leader and visionary. She is a certified massage therapist, doula, and dance instructor based in the Bay Area. Her nurturing and vibrant energy inspires and opens people up to experience their own self-love, joy, and healing. She is a community researcher for The Abundant Birth Project, a pilot program that will give $1,000/month to Black and Pacific Islander birthing people. She is also an administrative assistant at Expecting Justice, a Black-led collaborative, mobilizing leaders from and across San Francisco to act for healthy Black and Pacific Islander births.
Sarah Stripp
PanelistSarah Stripp is the Program Manager for Springboard To Opportunities. She is an experienced strategist and program coordinator and has worked for the past eight years in the non-profit sector taking on a variety of roles from providing direct services to coordinating and building local and national partnerships. She has been at Springboard To Opportunities since the beginning of 2016, and currently manages organization-wide initiatives and programs, such as The Magnolia Mother’s Trust.
Lisa Varon
ModeratorLisa Varon is the Los Angeles Vice President at BAE Urban Economics, an award-winning urban economics and public-benefit real estate development consulting practice. Prior to BAE, Lisa was on the team spearheading the City of Santa Monica’s Preserving Our Dignity (POD), a first-of-its-kind cash-based assistance program aimed at preventing senior residential displacement.
For three decades, Lisa has developed and implemented high-quality affordable housing, human services, and arts initiatives throughout Los Angeles County. Her experience with local government and nonprofit organizations includes working for the City of Santa Monica, Abode Communities, St. Joseph Center, UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, and the Los Angeles Free Clinic.
Lisa earned a Bachelor’ Degree in English Literature and a Master’s in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles.
About the Conference
InterActions LA is an annual conference dedicated to advancing regional growth and equity in Greater Los Angeles. Bringing together a diverse community from multiple sectors, this half-day event provides an opportunity to discuss and engage in the most pressing regional issues today. InterActions LA seeks to ignite conversation, exchange ideas, and provide knowledge on topics at the intersection of how people live, move, and work in the Los Angeles region.