Michael Tubbs

Tubbs was born in south Stockton and grew up in poverty.{{cite news | last =McPhate | first = Mike| title =California Today: Meet the New Mayor, Age 26 | newspaper =The New York Times | date = November 18, 2016}} His mother, Racole Dixon, was a teenager at the time of his birth, and his father, also named Michael Tubbs, is serving a third-strike life sentence in prison for kidnapping, drug possession, and robbery.{{cite news | last =Hubert | first =Cynthia | title =Michael Tubbs, one of America's youngest mayors, aims to lift his hometown of Stockton | newspaper =The Sacramento Bee | date =April 12, 2017 | url =http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article144077954.html | access-date =May 9, 2017}} Tubbs has a younger brother named Drevonte.

Tubbs attended Hamilton Middle School. In 2007, while a student at Franklin High School, he won an essay contest sponsored by Alice Walker. His essay about overcoming the mistakes his parents made was published in the San Francisco Chronicle. He criticized his father's "scapegoat mentality" and praised his mother for overcoming adversity.{{cite news | last =Tubbs | first =Michael | title =Parents' mistakes made me succeed: My father is in prison with a scapegoat mentality, my mother became a model for overcoming obstacles – and I learned about life from both of them | newspaper =San Francisco Chronicle | date =November 11, 2007 | url =http://www.sfgate.com/education/article/Parents-mistakes-made-me-succeed-3236270.php | access-date =May 9, 2017}}

Tubbs graduated with an International Baccalaureate from Franklin High School in 2008. That July, he was a member of a team of three San Joaquin County teenagers who won a national debate competition in Cincinnati sponsored by the NAACP. They advocated for universal health care, and the debate was followed by a speech by presidential candidate Barack Obama.{{cite news | last =Reid | first =Keith | title =S.J. team wins in NAACP debate | newspaper =The Record | location=Stockton, California |date =July 15, 2008 | url =http://www.recordnet.com/article/20080715/A_NEWS/807150334 | access-date =May 9, 2017}}

He then attended Stanford University on a need-based scholarship, graduating in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and a Master of Arts in Policy, Leadership and Organization Studies. As an undergraduate, he received a Truman Scholarship, and was the joint winner of the university's Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel award for "distinctive and exceptional contributions to . . . the quality of student life."{{cite web | url =https://registrar.stanford.edu/everyone/university-awards/lloyd-w-dinkelspiel-awards | title =Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Awards: For Outstanding Service to Undergraduate Education | date =2017 | website =Registrar's Office: Student Affairs | publisher =Stanford University | access-date =May 7, 2017 | quote =2011–2012 ... Michael Tubbs, Senior in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity}} During his time at Stanford, he also served as President of the school's NAACP chapter,{{Cite web|url=http://www.stocktongov.com/government/council/mayor.html|title=Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs|publisher= City of Stockton, California|website=www.stocktongov.com|access-date=January 4, 2020}} and interned at the White House.{{cite news | title =Michael Tubbs Lands President Obama's Endorsement in Stockton Mayor's Race | newspaper =CaliforniaCityNews.org | date =November 3, 2016 | url =https://www.californiacitynews.org/2016/11/michael-tubbs-lands-president-obama%E2%80%99s-endorsement-stockton-mayors-race.html | access-date =May 7, 2017}} As a low-income college student, Tubbs was the first in his family to attend college and is a first-generation college student.{{Cite web |date=2021-11-16 |title=Born Black and poor in Stockton, he was mayor by 26. Michael Tubbs' memoir tells the tale |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-11-16/how-a-young-black-man-in-stockton-overcame-the-odds-to-become-the-countrys-youngest-mayor |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}

File:MIchael Tubbs and Kamala Harris.jpg in 2020]]

Tubbs ran against incumbent Dale Fritchen for Stockton Council District 6 in the November 6, 2012 general election. He won the primary{{cite news |url=http://archive.peninsulapress.com/2012/11/07/michael-tubbs-city-council-results/ |title=22-year-old Stanford graduate Tubbs wins race for Stockton City Council |date=November 7, 2012 |work=Peninsula Press |access-date=November 19, 2016}} and received a $10,000 campaign donation from Oprah Winfrey after meeting her while she toured the Stanford campus.{{cite news |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/06/oprah-gives-to-young-stockton-campaign/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120706231220/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/06/oprah-gives-to-young-stockton-campaign/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 6, 2012 |title=Oprah gives to young Stockton campaign |date=July 6, 2012 |work=CNN |access-date=November 19, 2016}}

Tubbs went on to win the election, receiving 61.7% of the vote, and took office in January 2013 at the age of 22, making him the youngest council member in Stockton history and one of the youngest elected officials in the United States. His candidacy was also the subject of a documentary, True Son,{{cite news | last = Rechtshaffen | first =Michael | title =Review: 'True Son' follows power of youthful conviction in politics | newspaper =Los Angeles Times |date =November 6, 2014 | url =http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-true-son-movie-review-20141107-story.html | access-date =May 9, 2017}} which premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

Tubbs announced his candidacy for mayor of Stockton on September 2, 2015, running against incumbent Mayor Anthony Silva in the 2016 general election.{{cite news |url=http://www.recordnet.com/article/20150902/NEWS/150909961 |title=Tubbs to run for Stockton mayor in 2016 |date=September 2, 2015 |work=The Record |access-date=November 19, 2016}} He was endorsed by President Barack Obama on November 2, 2016, less than a week before the election.[http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2016/11/02/tubbs-snags-big-endorsement-in-stockton-mayors-race/ Tubbs Snags Big Endorsement In Stockton Mayor's Race, CBS Sacramento (November 2, 2016)] Retrieved September 21, 2017. He went on to win the election, receiving 70.6% of the vote and becoming both the city's first black mayor and at 26 the youngest person to hold that office.{{cite news |url=http://www.recordnet.com/news/20161108/this-is-history-now-michael-tubbs-becomes-citys-first-black-mayor |title='This is history now': Michael Tubbs becomes city's first black mayor|date=November 8, 2016 |work=The Record |access-date=November 19, 2016}} His term in office began on January 1, 2017.

Tubbs is a proponent of a universal basic income (UBI). As part of the privately funded Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) pilot project, the city provided a $500 monthly stipend to 125 selected residents for an 18-month period with no strings attached beginning in February 2019. The project was sponsored by the Economic Security Project, an advocacy group chaired by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, which provided the first $1 million for the program, and a dozen other Silicon Valley organizations and private donors who funded the rest of its $3 million budget.{{Cite news|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/Can-500-a-month-change-a-city-Stockton-tests-14943872.php|title=Can $500 a month change a city? Stockton tests universal basic income|date=January 2, 2020|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=December 23, 2020}}{{cite news |title=California city fights poverty with guaranteed income |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-income/california-city-fights-poverty-with-guaranteed-income-idUSKCN1J015D |work=Reuters |date=June 4, 2018 |access-date=April 4, 2019}} Tubbs helped assemble a national coalition of mayors who support UBI,{{cite web | title=California Program Giving $500 No-Strings-Attached Stipends Pays Off, Study Finds | website=NPR.org | date=March 4, 2021 | url=https://www.npr.org/2021/03/04/973653719/california-program-giving-500-no-strings-attached-stipends-pays-off-study-finds | access-date=February 8, 2022}} Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, which had more than 60 participating cities by 2022.{{cite news | newspaper=Verve Times | last=Richard | first=Ev | date=February 7, 2022 | title=New Guaranteed Income Experiments Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. | url=https://vervetimes.com/new-guaranteed-income-experiments-inspired-by-martin-luther-king-jr/ | access-date=February 8, 2022}}

During his term, Tubbs also established an intervention program to reduce gun violence, programs to reduce homelessness, and mentorships for at-risk students.

In December 2019, Tubbs endorsed the Democratic presidential campaign of Michael Bloomberg.{{cite news | last =Mascareñas| first =Xavier | title =Watch Mike Bloomberg receive endorsement of Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs| newspaper =The Sacramento Bee | date =December 11, 2019 | url =https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article238280838.html | access-date = December 11, 2019}}

Tubbs ran for re-election to a second term as mayor in 2020, losing to Republican Kevin Lincoln. In the first round of mayoral voting, held in June 2020, Tubbs came in first in a field of eight candidates, with 41.5% of the vote (with Lincoln coming in with 22%).{{cite web |title=Statement of Votes Cast |work=San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors |date=2020-04-05 |url=https://www.sjgov.org/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=32490}} In the runoff election, held on November 3, 2020, Tubbs lost to Lincoln 57% to 43%.{{cite news |date=November 17, 2020 |title=Stockton elects new mayor: Kevin Lincoln |url=https://www.kcra.com/article/stockton-elects-new-mayor-kevin-lincoln-ii/34706645 |work=KCRA|access-date=November 17, 2020}}{{cite news | last1=Beam | first1=Adam | title=Stockton mayor who pushed guaranteed income isn't reelected | url=https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-stockton-elections-michael-tubbs-campaigns-4c29a13c4a396db81fe844e707f153da | date=November 17, 2020 | work=Associated Press | access-date=November 18, 2020}} During the campaign, a social media page known as The 209 Times published numerous stories — many unfounded — accusing Tubbs of corruption. (The 209 Times is run by Motec Patrick Sanchez,{{cite web |title=Primary answers: Motec Patrick Sanchez, mayor of Stockton |date=February 25, 2020 |work=Recordnet.com |url=https://www.recordnet.com/opinion/20200225/primary-answers-motec-patrick-sanchez-mayor-of-stockton}} who came in fourth in the June primary election, with 10.5% of the vote.) Some attributed Tubbs's loss to the influence of The 209 Times stories, however, Tubbs was also opposed by police and firefighters' unions.

During his reelection campaign, Tubbs was featured in an HBO documentary, Stockton on My Mind.{{cite web | last=Siders | first=David | title=The Fall of Michael Tubbs | website=Politico| date=December 23, 2020 | url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/12/23/the-fall-of-michael-tubbs-449619 | access-date=December 23, 2020}}

On March 11, 2021, he was appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom as a special adviser for economic mobility and opportunity.{{Cite news|author=Jeong Park |title=Michael Tubbs, who championed guaranteed income in Stockton, to join Newsom administration|url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article249815398.html|date=March 11, 2021 |access-date=November 16, 2020|newspaper=The Sacramento Bee}} In June 2021, 11 U.S. mayors announced they had formed a coalition, called Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity, to enact reparations programs in their cities; Tubbs was named an emeritus member."[https://www.npr.org/2021/06/18/1008242159/11-u-s-mayors-commit-to-developing-pilot-projects-for-reparations 11 U.S. Mayors Commit To Developing Pilot Projects For Reparations]", Associated Press (June 18, 2021) In 2022, Tubbs founded a nonprofit organization to address wealth inequities — End Poverty in California (EPIC).{{cite web | last=Visram | first=Talib | title=Guaranteed income and baby bonds could be key to ending poverty in California | website=Fast Company | date=February 10, 2022 | url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90720270/guaranteed-income-and-baby-bonds-could-be-key-to-ending-poverty-in-california | access-date=February 10, 2022}} As part of his nonprofit work and his duties to the Governor, Tubbs toured California to interview people who are living in poverty.{{Cite news |last=Mays |first=MacKenzie |date=January 16, 2023 |title=On a poverty tour of California, an advisor to the governor chronicles agony, anger and hope |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-01-16/a-poverty-tour-across-california-with-michael-tubbs-newsoms-economic-mobility-expert |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116213321/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-01-16/a-poverty-tour-across-california-with-michael-tubbs-newsoms-economic-mobility-expert |archive-date=January 16, 2023 |access-date=January 18, 2023 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times }} Tubbs has continued to lead Mayors for Guaranteed Income and its expanded organization Counties for Guaranteed Income.{{cite news |last1=Quig |first1=A. D. |title=New guaranteed income coalition led by Toni Preckwinkle aims to take cash assistance national |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-guaranteed-income-cook-county-toni-preckwinkle-20230214-z7fzup4mnjf53gncjygntps63i-story.html |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |access-date=March 17, 2023 |date=February 14, 2023}}

In July 2024, Tubbs announced his intent to run for Lieutenant Governor of California in 2026.{{cite web | last=Beam | first=Adam | title=A progressive star known for guaranteed income program as young mayor runs for California office | website=ABC News | date=July 17, 2024 | url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/former-mayor-guaranteed-income-programs-launches-bid-california-112020657 | access-date=July 17, 2024}}

File:Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs with fiance Anna (34565011394) (1).jpg event]]

In December 2017 Tubbs married Anna Malaika Nti-Asare, whom he had met at Stanford University. After graduating from Stanford with a Bachelor of Arts in medical anthropology in 2014 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa and from King's College, Cambridge with a Master of Philosophy in multidisciplinary gender studies in 2015, Nti-Asare spent two years teaching at Aspire Langston Hughes Academy in Stockton. She is now a Gates Cambridge Scholar and a doctoral student in education at King's College, Cambridge.{{Cite news|url= http://news.stanford.edu/2017/02/13/two-stanford-alumni-awarded-2017-gates-cambridge-scholarships/|title=Two Stanford alumni awarded 2017 Gates Cambridge Scholarships |date=February 13, 2017|work=Stanford News|access-date=September 21, 2017}}{{cite news | title =Making her own mark: Tubbs' fiancee is world traveler, scholar, mentor | newspaper=The Record |date =January 21, 2017 | url =http://www.recordnet.com/news/20170121/making-her-own-mark-tubbs-fiancee-is-world-traveler-scholar-mentor | access-date =May 9, 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.gatescambridge.org/biography/|title=Biography|website=Gates Cambridge|date=April 6, 2020 |access-date=December 23, 2020}}

Tubbs was arrested for driving under the influence in 2014. He apologized for what he called a "poor decision to drive when I should not have."{{cite news |url=http://www.abc10.com/news/local/stockton/stockton-councilman-arrested-for-dui-with-137-alcohol-level-1/310128452 |title=Stockton councilman arrested for DUI with .137 alcohol |date=October 20, 2014 |work=KXTV |access-date=November 19, 2016}}{{cite news |url=http://fox40.com/2014/10/21/tubbs-returns-to-stockton-city-council-after-dui-arrest/ |title=Tubbs Returns to Stockton City Council after DUI Arrest |date=October 21, 2014 |work=KTXL |access-date=November 19, 2016}} He pled no contest to misdemeanor charges.{{cite news |url=http://www.recordnet.com/article/20141215/news/141219731 |title=Councilman Tubbs pleads 'no contest' to DUI charge |date=December 15, 2014 |newspaper=The Record |access-date=November 19, 2016}}

On October 19, 2019, he announced the birth of a son.{{Cite tweet |user=MichaelDTubbs |number=1185670821789851649 |date = October 19, 2019 |title=Est. October 19,2019. 9:04 am. Michael Malakai Tubbs Jr. Mom @annas_tea_ and baby are doing well.}} Their second child, a daughter, was born on August 30, 2021.{{Cite tweet |user=MichaelDTubbs |number=1432437251623964673|date = 30 August 2021 |title=God is great! We are pleased to announce the birth today of our little girl Nehemiah! @annas_tea_ is doing great and baby girl is beautiful and brilliant. Who runs the world? Girls! Fisted hand}}

In 2022, Tubbs published his memoir, The Deeper the Roots: A Memoir of Hope and Home.{{cite web | last=Wilson | first=Emily | title=How This Man Flipped the Foreclosure Capital of America | website=The Daily Beast | date=February 14, 2022 | url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-michael-tubbs-flipped-the-foreclosure-capital-of-america | access-date=February 15, 2022}} Tubbs provides featured commentary in the documentary It's Basic, directed by Marc Levin, which will premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.{{cite web | last=Ramachandran | first=Naman | title=Tribeca-Bound Guaranteed Basic Income Doc 'It's Basic' by Cannes and Emmy Winner Marc Levin Unveils First Trailer | website=Yahoo Entertainment | date=June 1, 2023 | url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tribeca-bound-guaranteed-basic-income-172855864.html | access-date=June 1, 2023}}

• List of first African-American mayors
• African American mayors in California

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://www.stocktongov.com/government/council/mayor.html Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs - City of Stockton, CA]
• [https://ww2.kqed.org/forum/2017/05/04/stocktons-fast-rising-mayor-michael-tubbs/ KQED radio interview: Stockton's Fast-Rising Mayor Michael Tubbs]
• [https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_tubbs_the_political_power_of_being_a_good_neighbor Michael Tubbs: The political power of being a good neighbor, TED 2019]

{{s-start}}

{{s-off}}

{{s-bef|before=Anthony Silva}}

{{s-ttl|title=Mayor of Stockton|years=2017–2021}}

{{s-aft|after=Kevin Lincoln}}

{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tubbs, Michael}}

Category:1990 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century African-American politicians

Category:21st-century American memoirists

Category:21st-century mayors of places in California

Category:African-American city council members in California

Category:African-American mayors in California

Category:African-American memoirists

Category:Democratic Party mayors in California

Category:Mayors of Stockton, California

Category:Memoirists from California

Category:Stanford University alumni

Category:Writers from Stockton, California