Gov. Gavin Newsom was joined by other state officials in San Francisco’s Exploratorium museum on Friday to announce a partnership with the nonprofit Baby2Baby on a new statewide program that will distribute diapers to the families of all newborns in California.
The Golden Gate Start program, set to begin this year at hospitals with large numbers of Medi-Cal patients, will provide 400 free diapers to all newborns at select centers before expanding to all medical and birthing centers across the state.
Newsom said the state will be the “first in the nation” to provide a free diaper program — something he believes will help reduce the financial strain families face and encourage more people to have children. He said the average cost of diapers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic has risen by 45%, and when coupled with other rising costs can put families in difficult financial situations.
“This is what affordability looks like. It’s not a slogan, it’s a box of diapers.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom
“The biggest problem, defined universally in our city, our state and our nation, is the issue of affordability,” said Newsom. “This is what affordability looks like. It’s not a slogan, it’s a box of diapers.”
Newsom said over $12.5 million was allocated to the program in the governor’s budget proposal in January, with the next step before expansion being the approval of the state Legislature. He said the state will distribute over 40 million diapers in the program’s first year before incrementally increasing to a goal of 160 million over the next few years.
400,000 needy bottoms
Data from the California Department of Public Health shows just over 400,000 babies were born in the state in 2024, the most recent year with data. Of those, 40% came from families who were covered under the state’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal.
The nonprofit chosen to help with the manufacturing, distribution, and awareness campaign is California-based Baby2Baby. Co-CEOs Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof said the organization provides basic necessities to families who may struggle procuring supplies for their babies.
“For low-income families, diapers are the fourth-highest expenditure after rent, food, and utilities,” said Sawyer Patricof. “In response to this, Baby2Baby built our own diaper manufacturing system, which allows us to produce diapers for 80% less than the retail price and distribute five times more.”
Baby2Baby will be tasked with diaper procurement, warehousing, and hospital distribution on behalf of the state with assistance through California’s Department of Health Care Access and Information.
State Assemblymember Liz Ortega, D-Hayward, said she worked with the governor and nonprofit on this program because of her own experience raising a family. Ortega said she was a single mother at 21 and faced challenges many other Californians continue to face.
“I remember working full-time, going to school and really struggling with my finances, having to make difficult choices about food, gas, bills and diapers,” said Ortega. “This issue is more than just diapers, it’s a public health and an affordability issue. I don’t want any other family in the state of California, the fourth-largest economy in the world, to have to make those difficult choices.”
Newsom said California is looking into using the state program CalRx to produce necessities, like diapers, at a cheaper price that would then be passed down to the consumer. Currently CalRx only partners with drug manufacturers to produce pharmaceuticals at a lower cost and it remains unclear how the entity would be utilized for other applications.