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Wait Until California Taxpayers Hear About yet Another Newsom Spending Debacle

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  May 15, 2026 4:00 PM

It's a day ending in -y, which means California Governor Gavin Newsom is embroiled in yet another scandal involving the wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. This time, it involves hearing aids for children.

Here's more:

Child advocates and lawmakers are furious with Gov. Gavin Newsom as California’s pediatric hearing aid program has spent tens of millions of dollars on administrative fees while delivering only a few hundred hearing aids.

Nearly five years after Newsom pushed lawmakers toward a state-run alternative instead of requiring private insurers to cover pediatric hearing aids, California’s Hearing Aid Coverage for Children Program had around 300 active enrolled members despite spending almost $23 million, according to a report delivered last month to a state Senate budget committee. That works out to about $76,000 per person.

Michelle Marciniak, founder of Let California Kids Hear, told The Post that the governor’s office has dropped the ball.

Newsom vetoed a bill that would have required insurance to cover hearing aids.

The average cost for hearing aids is about $2,000-$6,000 per pair, depending on technology. That means, with the $23 million spent, Newsom should have been able to provide hearing aids to at least 3,800 children. 

While there's no apparent connection between the hearing aid nonprofits on Newsom's wife this time, it would not surprise us. Jennifer Siebel Newsom has ties to Baby2Baby, the nonprofit that will be paid millions to distribute 'free' diapers to 100,000 newborns. That's about $0.50 per diaper, far above the normal retail price.

However many it is, it's going to make Minnesota's fraud look like child's play.

And the list keeps growing.