California Gov. Gavin Newsom is dealing with accusations of corruption for paying $20 million in taxpayer cash to a nonprofit led by an govt who additionally sits on the board of his spouse’s group that promotes gender fairness.
All of it comes right down to diapers — because the initiative, “Golden State Begin,” was rolled out forward of Mom’s Day, billed as a partnership between the state and Los Angeles-based Baby2Baby.
This system goals to offer free diapers to newborns by hospitals statewide, however the deal has triggered a wave of scrutiny over how the nonprofit was chosen, and its proximity to Newsom’s political and private community.
“For those who take the variety of diapers they’re planning to ship out and the amount of cash that he’s spending on it, it’s 50 cents for every one, which is like 100 occasions dearer when you simply purchased them in Costco,” Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton stated Saturday.
“However the place’s the cash coming from? Us.”
Siebel Newsom co-founded the California Companions Venture, which helped facilitate the partnership.
Her non-profit works to extend girls’s illustration in management, and Norah Weinstein sits on the board.
Weinstein can also be the co-CEO of Baby2Baby. She has run the group since 2011 alongside co-CEO Kelly Sawyer Patricof.
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That element is what critics level to as proof of overlapping affect between state-funded packages and affiliated nonprofit networks.
“As an alternative of taking our cash, placing into some scheme that advantages their mates and cronies,” Hilton stated, “why don’t they allow us to simply preserve extra of our cash within the first place so we are able to determine how you can spend our cash?”
Patricof’s household ties have additionally drawn consideration from critics, together with her marriage to movie producer Jamie Patricof, whose father, Alan Patricof, is a longtime Democratic donor with deep ties to the Clinton-era political community.
The state has dedicated roughly $20 million to this system, together with $7.4 million already accredited and one other $12.5 million proposed within the 2026–2027 finances cycle, positioning it as a significant growth of statewide diaper entry for newborns.
Backlash has been swift and extremely vital, with many questioning each the construction and price of the initiative.
Many questioned this system‘s scale, arguing that comparable bulk retail costs are considerably decrease.
One other individual pointed to Baby2Baby’s reported monetary place and political relationships, alleging the group operates extra like a politically linked community than a conventional charity. These claims weren’t independently verified.
The California Put up reached out to Newsom’s workplace and Baby2Baby for remark.
Regardless of the criticism, Newsom has promoted “Golden State Begin” as a flagship baby welfare initiative, calling it “a first-in-the-nation program to offer free diapers to all new infants born in California.”
