Staff Reports
Governor Gavin Newsom rolled out a flashy program this week called Golden State Start, promising 400 free diapers for newborns through a partnership with the nonprofit Baby2Baby. On paper that sounds kind and helpful. In practice, reporters and critics quickly started doing the math and asking why roughly $7.4 million in budgeted money plus a $12.5 million proposal got lumped together into what people call a $20 million price tag. Now the state is pushing back with a different accounting, and the whole thing smells like the sort of inside deal that makes taxpayers roll their eyes.
The diaper math that lit the fuse
Critics took the advertised numbers — 100,000 newborns times 400 diapers each — and arrived at about 40 million diapers in year one. Divide that into roughly $20 million and you get about fifty cents per diaper. Folks compared that to warehouse-store prices of a dime or two per diaper and called it wasteful. The governor’s office replied that the actual contract is smaller, saying about $6.2 million for diapers which would bring the cost down to roughly 15 cents each. Both sides can toss numbers around. The real question is simple: show the contract and the line-item invoice so we can stop arguing and actually see what Californians are paying for.
Cronyism and the appearance of a sweetheart deal
What fuels anger isn’t only the per-diaper math. It’s the optics. Baby2Baby’s co‑CEO, Norah Weinstein, sits on the board of a nonprofit the First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom helped found. That overlap raises a plain and proper question about whether friends and allies are getting favorable treatment. Even if everything was above board, appearances matter. Taxpayers deserve a straight answer about how the vendor was chosen, whether the procurement was competitive, and what administrative fees are being charged.
Better ways to help struggling parents — and what transparency looks like
Conservatives and common-sense voters can agree that supporting new parents is a worthy goal. But there are easier and less bureaucratic ways to do it — like direct cash assistance or vouchers that let families buy what they need. If the state insists on distributing supplies through a nonprofit, then it should publish the procurement record, the contract, and a detailed cost breakdown. Baby2Baby says its model produces diapers far cheaper than retail and that hospitals will hand them out at discharge. Fine. Prove it with the invoices and procurement memos, not with political spin and staged ribbon-cuttings.
What should happen next
Governor Gavin Newsom should either release the contract and the accounting or stop acting surprised when people suspect a grift. An independent ethics review or a clear procurement audit would calm the waters and restore some trust. If Golden State Start is really about helping babies, make the math public so taxpayers can see it. If it’s about optics, galas and photo ops — then at least admit it and stop pretending this is the best way to spend hard-earned money.
