Michael Tubbs, who served as the mayor of Stockton, California from 2017 to 2021, is still neck-deep in politics working as Special Advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom for economic mobility and running for California Lieutenant Governor on a platform that addresses rising housing costs, creating guaranteed income programs, and responding to community needs.
As the founder of End Poverty for California (EPIC), Tubbs wants to empower people who’ve lived with poverty to raise awareness and promote helping other disadvantaged folks via data-backed methods. That role had him speak at the 2025 Anti-Poverty Summit in Irvine, where he promoted guaranteed income as a new way for communities to fight poverty.
He exemplified responding to community needs after the Eaton Fire disaster in Altadena. Tubbs teamed up with Compton mayor, Aja Brown, to raise more than $1 million for the Dena Care Collective, which gave financial aid to 500 displaced families. They also developed a recovery framework to assist local organizations in coordinating even more support. Political by trade, Worthy by action.
