Staff Reports
A recent investigative report pulled back the curtain on a jaw‑dropping mismatch: California listed an $18.2 million child‑care grant to the William Law Foundation, yet the foundation runs one tiny Bakersfield daycare with a handful of kids. Taxpayers deserve answers. Instead, they got stock photos, AI videos, and a nonprofit tax return that shows large government grants and a six‑figure executive payday.
Big award, tiny operation: what the records show
The California Department of Social Services put the William Law Foundation on a proposed awards list for the General Child Care and Development program with a proposed amount of $18,216,131. That’s the headline number — big enough to build real capacity across counties. But on the ground? The foundation operates one licensed facility in Bakersfield, Willverines Childcare Center, with just a few children in care during an unannounced visit. The foundation’s own Form 990 for 2024 shows roughly $1.05 million in government grant revenue and reports the executive director’s compensation at about $540,000. For anyone keeping score: massive proposed grant, tiny footprint, and hefty paychecks funded by taxpayers.
Oversight failure, or paperwork theater?
State officials told reporters that applications were reviewed and that startup payments of roughly $2.2 million went to the nonprofit — but so far CDSS has not explained why an organization with no operating history qualified for such a large award or how much of the full $18.2 million was actually contracted and paid. Experts who reviewed the tax filings say this should trigger alarm bells about monitoring and accountability. If the state’s review process was thorough, it didn’t show. If it wasn’t, taxpayers are right to be angry that millions were handed to an organization that couldn’t yet open a second location.
Smoke, mirrors, and AI marketing
The foundation’s public materials promise “over 40 locations” and programs from robotics to gardening. But the website uses stock photos and AI‑generated videos of an imagined staff pitching programs that simply don’t exist at the site. Licensing records show a capacity of up to 60 children at the Bakersfield center, but past inspections listed zero enrolled children during pre‑licensing checks and the reported on‑site count was tiny. Property records also show the building moved between related nonprofit entities tied to the founder. Meanwhile, tax filings list thousands in repairs and large occupancy costs — all paid from government grants. It’s marketing theater with taxpayer backing, and that’s not charity; it’s budget mismanagement.
Time for real accountability
This isn’t about one man’s dream to expand a childcare program. It’s about how public dollars were awarded and spent. California must release the contract execution and payment records, audit any disbursements, and demand full accounting of how grant money was used. Recover funds if they were misspent, tighten eligibility checks, and stop treating proposed award lists as blank checks. If fraud is found, prosecutors should act. And taxpayers need a simple promise: no more $18 million grants that buy nothing more than an AI spokesperson and a cartoon mascot. Until then, Californians will rightly ask whether their government is funding daycare — or daydreams.
