Golden State Start - 400 free diapers for new babies born in California

Newsom’s newest freebie comes with a big bill

Gov. Gavin Newsom is rolling out another taxpayer-funded program and calling it a win for families. His new plan, “Golden State Start,” promises 400 free diapers to every baby born in California through participating hospitals, starting this summer.

The state will work with the nonprofit Baby2Baby to hand out the diapers when parents leave the hospital. Newsom says every baby deserves a healthy start, which is a nice line, even if California taxpayers keep getting the invoice. The program will begin at about 65 to 75 hospitals, mostly ones that serve low-income families on Medi-Cal, before expanding statewide.

The state says families need help, but the math still matters.

This is the latest in Newsom’s growing list of family-focused spending plans, which already includes free school meals and universal preschool for 4-year-olds. Supporters will say diapers are expensive, and that is true. Many families do struggle with the cost of infant supplies. But California is also running into a hard fiscal wall, and that matters too.

The Associated Press reported that the state set aside $7.4 million in last year’s budget for the diaper rollout and wants another $12.5 million to carry it through June 2027. That may sound small in Sacramento terms, where “small” often means the size of a bridge loan, but every new program adds to the pile.

Read about this freebie for new borns  And illegals have lots of children and diapers are just another expense that will be paid by the taxpayer of California. People continue to have children who can't afford them. But the state picks up part of the tab with Medicaid, so what the hell.

According to Baby2Baby, diapers cost $80 to $100 per month per baby, and the average low-income family pays nearly $1000 a year for diapers.