Newsom’s office called our diaper contract reporting “demonstrably false.” State records show what happened

On July 17, CBS California published an investigation into a no-bid diaper contract awarded by the state to Baby2Baby, which prompted California to release requested records after a 66-day delay. Shortly after, the governor’s office sent an email challenging the report’s accuracy, particularly regarding the Golden State Start initiative. CBS reviewed the claims against official documents, including budget records and legislative analyses, and updated their story where necessary. The controversy centered on whether the diaper contract was competitively bid. The governor’s office claimed the process was competitive, citing 15 applicants evaluated on various factors. However, the state’s contract database labeled the deal as “NON-COMPETITIVELY BID,” and no formal competitive bidding process, as defined by state law, was followed. The budget exemption allowed the contract to bypass the usual competitive bidding requirements, which was the crux of CBS’s report. The governor’s office acknowledged that the term “bidding” was not used in its formal sense. The newly released records lacked evidence of a competitive evaluation process, such as scoring sheets or criteria. QUESTION: How might the lack of transparency in government contracts impact public trust in state leadership?