{"id":635202,"date":"2026-07-14T11:38:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T11:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=635202"},"modified":"2026-07-14T11:38:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T11:38:59","slug":"ethics-watchdog-urges-state-to-audit-newsoms-stinky-free-diaper-deal-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=635202","title":{"rendered":"Ethics watchdog urges state to audit Newsom\u2019s stinky free diaper deal"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A nonprofit government ethics watchdog group is calling on the State of California\u2019s auditor to investigate Governor Gavin Newsom\u2019s deal to provide free diapers to new parents at participating hospitals.<\/p>\n

The outgoing governor and 2028 Democratic presidential hopeful rolled out the first-in-the-nation program just before Mother\u2019s Day, partnering with California-based nonprofit Baby2Baby to provide 400 diapers to families, an effort that Newsom touted as a solution to \u201caffordability\u201d during the rollout.<\/p>\n

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We\u2019re giving 400 diapers to new California families when they leave the hospital. And we\u2019re rolling out the program to those who need them the most first.<\/p>\n

As if the stresses of having a child weren\u2019t enough \u2014 the cost of diapers has gone up 45% since the pandemic. Families\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/nf7rAEjuoN<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) May 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cAhead of Mother\u2019s Day, Governor Gavin Newsom announced today that the state is partnering with Baby2Baby, a leading national nonprofit organization headquartered in California, to launch a first-in-the-nation program to provide free diapers to all new babies born in California,\u201d Newsom\u2019s office said in a May 8 press release<\/a>. \u201cLeveraging the bulk purchasing power of the state, this new effort known as Golden State Start will distribute high-quality, mass-produced diapers directly to families through participating hospitals statewide.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the program quickly drew scrutiny for what some suggested was cronyism, with the co-CEO of Baby2Baby, Norah Weinstein, sitting on the board of the California Partners Project, Jennifer Siebel Newsom\u2019s nonprofit organization.<\/p>\n

The potentially stinky deal has led to the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit,\u00a0reaching out to California State Auditor Grant Parks to look into the $6.2M no-bid contract, \u201calleging the state may have skirted a typical competitive bidding process and concealed records about the free diaper deal,\u201d the New York Post reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Questions mount over Gavin Newsom\u2019s $12M diaper deal as ethics watchdog demands state audit https:\/\/t.co\/SWLPnAQI8v<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/v6LhNrELJU<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 California Post (@californiapost) July 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cImmediately after the contract was announced, there were public concerns over whether the contract was awarded in a fair and impartial manner and whether the state was overpaying for the diapers and the program was operated at an unreasonable cost,\u201d FACT Executive Director Kendra Arnold wrote in a letter to the Golden State\u2019s auditor, according to the paper.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe facts relating to both of these issues should have been publicly available, but the Newsom administration has been misleading about whether the contract was awarded in a competitive process and has mired the entire situation with a complete lack of transparency,\u201d Arnold said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalifornia families deserve to feel supported during one of life\u2019s more exciting, yet vulnerable transitions. Golden State Start will deliver immediate relief, allowing parents to focus on what matters most \u2013 caring for their newborn. Together with Baby2Baby, we can ease the financial burden on California parents while supporting healthier outcomes for babies and their mothers,\u201d Mrs. Newsom said in a statement announcing the new program.<\/p>\n

The Newsom administration is stonewalling media requests for documentation on the diaper deal and was blasted by GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton over the lack of transparency.<\/p>\n

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Gavin Newsom\u2019s corrupt machine is in full cover-up mode.<\/p>\n

He awarded a taxpayer-funded \u201cfree diapers\u201d contract to the Baby2Baby NGO and is now illegally stonewalling CBS LA\u2019s public records request for 56 days\u2014past every legal deadline\u2014refusing to release the executed contract,\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/vf8Ox0FRWF<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Steve Hilton For Governor (@TeamSteveHilton) July 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cGavin Newsom\u2019s corrupt machine is in full cover-up mode,\u201d Hilton wrote in a post to X. \u201cHe awarded a taxpayer-funded \u201cfree diapers\u201d contract to the Baby2Baby NGO and is now illegally stonewalling CBS LA\u2019s public records request for 56 days\u2014past every legal deadline\u2014refusing to release the executed contract, bids, scoring sheets, or anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t transparency. It\u2019s deliberate obstruction to hide fraud, cronyism, and money laundering by Sacramento insiders,\u201d he added. \u201cCalifornians are sick of Newsom\u2019s elite grift while the state burns.\u201d<\/p>\n

FACT\u00a0states<\/a> that it\u2019s \u201cdedicated to promoting accountability, ethics, and transparency in government and civic arenas by hanging a lantern over public officials who put their own interests over the interests of the public good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are dedicated to exposing unethical behavior and making sure it receives the attention it deserves. From completing a thorough investigation to employing an aggressive television, print, and social media strategy, FACT will not simply hope the truth comes out\u2014we will ensure it does,\u201d according to the watchdog\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will say the optics of this vendor is not good at all,\u201d Democrat California State Sen. Caroline Menjivar said of the diaper program at a hearing last month. \u201cThe administration and the governor are going to be gone, and we\u2019re going to continue to get hit on this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Republican California State Sen. Tony Strickland suggested that the state is paying too much for the diapers.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can go to Target and find diapers for 16 cents apiece,\u201d he told The Post in June. \u201cThat just shows the waste and inefficiency of government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diapers and Newsom couldn\u2019t be a more perfect match: both are full of crap.<\/p>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A nonprofit government ethics watchdog group is calling on the State of California\u2019s auditor to investigate Governor Gavin Newsom\u2019s deal to provide free diapers to new parents at participating hospitals. The outgoing governor and 2028 Democratic presidential hopeful rolled out the first-in-the-nation program just before Mother\u2019s Day, partnering with California-based nonprofit Baby2Baby to provide 400… Continue reading Ethics watchdog urges state to audit Newsom\u2019s stinky free diaper deal<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":635190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-635202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economic-empowerment","category-national-security","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=635202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/635190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=635202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=635202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=635202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}