welcome!                         

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Flopped 5 exists to provide an uncompensated and independent view of the First 5 Commissions, also known as the California Children and Families Program.

Don't get us wrong: we believe in funding children's programs; however, if asked to make a choice, we believe California's need to fund Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, and other truly necessary programs fully eclipses any argument for the funding of Jelly Belly factory tours and other questionably run and/or non-essential programs.

Flopped 5 is driven by published documents. As our goal is primarily to inform, we make no attempt to appease anyone, so there is no intended preferential treatment towards any First 5 commissions, tobacco companies, or California's state officials. We believe that no one associated with First 5 is above being evaluated with regard to their motive for involvement.

While we cannot always be certain of everything that is going on in their organization, we are committed to focusing on published information to provide what we believe is a well reasoned but alternative perspective, one that can be used to more fairly assess what we feel is an onslaught of overly positive, expensive, and high gloss messaging produced by First 5.



Funding and Rationale

Should there be any question about how we are funded, as most people know, it costs far less than $100 a year to put up a website and we were able to collect that much just from our coin jars; also, we found all of our artwork free on the net, so there were no expenses there. As a result, we believe our views do not carry the bias of those who receive or who are influenced by First 5 funds.

Instead, this site is about documented fiscal, evaluation, and legal information and our opinions about that information.

And... based on wide and deep reviews of the available information, it is our opinion that the California First 5 Commission is a ballot initiative experiment that has flopped, contrary to the 100% taxpayer paid marketing that attempts to convince voters otherwise.

After over a decade in existence, it is our opinion that the Proposition 10 commissions have offered little to no evidence that they have "made a difference" to improve the lives of children up to age 5. Moreover, we feel it is a law that is structurally flawed and contains improper incentives for public employees, public officials, and others who both serve on the boards and receive funds.

As a result, while we are individuals with different political views on a range of issues, we have come to the shared perspective that American citizens should know a lot more about the First 5 Commissions and the problems that have repeatedly surfaced.


                           
Questionable Activities & Expenditures

There are many more problems than those listed below, but over time, both blogs and the press have brought to light that funds have been spent on the following improper, questionable, and/or potentially illegal expenses (See hot off the press for the most current stories):

  • First 5 spends ad money on "Words with Friends" phone game, 08/31/12 - Gilroy Dispatch reports that First 5 is now spending money advertising on telephone games. We quote: " As a taxpayer, I gagged when I saw that a government funded program, First 5 California, is buying ads that pop up on  Words with Friends. It’s unbelievable how government can bastardize and freely spend tax money." See our media page for an example of a "Social Marketing Plan" for a county's local First 5 Commission.
  • Grand Jury report critical of First 5 Riverside, 04/24/12 - New report exposes that not much seems to have improved since Riverside was converted to a county department: sworn allegations of document tampering, conflicts of interest by Commissioners, management that does not know employment policies, and so forth.
  • With the help of a First 5 loan, ABC Kids day care center to open in Fillmore, 04/15/12   Sounds good right? However, we are wondering how it is that a First 5 loan was used to fund a private business, one that openly serves not only kids through age 5, but also kids up through 12. As such, while it is not clear if all of the $175,000 came from First 5, this seems like another probable violation in the use of First 5 funds.
  • First 5 Media Dollars - the Univision Partnership, 03/12/12 Through a goal to "Establish a partnership with Univision Television Network"  it seems they have been very successful, as "through the partnership, 163 segments have been produced" (emphases ours). 163? Product placement, anyone? In response to this disturbing admission, we have launched a new page devoted to a discussion of the media's dependence on First 5 and the millions of dollars involved annually.
  1. How much lead? (answer: up to 3.5 times the federal limit at the time of the testing - note that the federal limit at the time was 600 ppm, now it is just 100 ppm, so these products are contaminated at up to 21 times the current federal limit).
  2. How many were distributed? (answer: 6500, widely across their county)
  3. How many are still out there?  (answer: 5,000+)
  4. Did they notify their county lead control office? (unconfirmed; required by law?)
  5. Did they notify the State of California Department of Public Health or the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission who issues these sorts of warnings so that parents can protect their kids? (answer: no, which may have violated federal law)
  6. Any widely distributed press release on the crisis? (answer: no)
  7. Did their local newspaper cover the story in a manner equal to the level of crisis and, if not, why not (it is a dangerous health issue)? (answer: no; follow the money(?!))
  
  • San Diego's 211 infoline received $700,000 (14.3% of its total budget) from their First 5 commission yet sent only 2,681 referrals (1.2% of all calls) to First 5 programs. The Proposition 10 law requires funds be spent only on kids 0 to 5, but with gaps in the numbers like these, we feel that not all funds could have possibly been spent just on kids. Why? In part, because if revenues to referrals were a 1:1 match, that implies it cost $261 per phone referral... really? really? (San Diego, though it appears that other First 5 county commissions have been funding the 211 programs too.)
  
  • Similarly, and we did not write the Prop 10 law, so don't kill the messengers, but the law requires funds to only be spent on kids up to age 5, and we have found documents that suggest that at least four First 5 counties (Los Angeles, San Bernadino, Contra Costa and Sacramento) may have funded homeless shelter operations on a more general basis than allowed for by law.

    We have much empathy for the pressures on funding homeless services, and if those funds have been used only for kids 0 to 5, there is no violation in terms of the law, but there is nothing in the documents we've identified indicating that First 5 funds are only being spent on kids 0 to 5, particularly when families are included in "numbers served" counts. Further, when they state that shelters provide "job training", we do not feel you can believe they mean that children 0 to 5 are being job trained. The point of course is that whenever funds are spent on direct services for adults, like job training, we feel that First 5 commissions are spending the funds unlawfully. Parenthetically, some say homeless funding is a good argument for directing First 5 funds to CA's General Fund.
   
  • CA State Controller's Office charged First 5 California $250,000 to review audits (not to do audits, just to review them), found many audit findings and over 100 violations, yet still did not recommend that the state First 5 withhold funds from any counties, July 2011, page 11. Note that would be about 43 hours of work per audit if they charged $100 per hour; all citizens got for that was a short report with some pie charts - cost shifting anyone?
 
ALSO:
  • $1.3 million for breastfeeding assistance (Riverside FY 09/10) - most moms just read a pamphlet & they are good to go because babies basically know what to do - but as we read it, they spent over $70 per mother, and we don't dare ask on what.
  • $100,000 per construction grant for privately owned child care centers (Alameda, FY 11/12)
  • Over $250,000 in questionable community grants, including $40,000 to pay adults to drive around and give away used baby clothes, Alameda, FY 11/12)
  • About $140,000 per year in questionable Parent Action grants including "Learning the ropes of Kindergarten recess" (San Francisco, FY 10/11) Lists: Starter Year, Year One, Year Two

PLUS:

  • Jelly Belly Factory tours
  • Camping lessons and overnight trips to Big Sur
  • Overnight stays at the Four Points Sheraton in Pleasanton, CA where couples from San Francisco took marriage workshops
  • $250 in Target gift cards to spend on whatever
  • Holiday party space rental and the purchase of a costume
  • Monterey Bay Aquarium field trips
  • Halloween party supplies
  • A play area at a foreign government's consulate
  • Ice-skating lessons
  • Belly Dancing classes for expectant teenage moms.
  • $200 per hour to pay a consultant to listen to the radio
  • $4 million was spent on a national cartoon show (KCRA broadcast 11-18-08); funds are only supposed to be spent to support services in California.
  • Large comp packages for people who mainly give away public funds and go to meetings for a living (this is just salary so does not include pension/benefits; thus add $50K+) the top 5:
            - First 5 LA: $248,178
            - Children & Families Commission of Orange County: $247,227
            - First 5 Alameda – Every Child Counts: $181,310
            - First 5 Santa Clara County: $162,289
            - First 5 San Bernardino: $154,714            - paid $17,000 for a consultant's new convertible
  • Plus Kern First 5 evaluation funds appear to have not been monitored at all and were spent by evaluators on:             
  1. More than $15,000 paid for Morro Bay retreats for Cal State researchers and First 5 executive directors.
  2. A $1,800 charter flight for Inyo Co.’s First 5 chief to go to seaside event.
  3. More than $155,000 for consultants, at least two of them spouses of research-center staffers.
  4. More than $100,000 for travel, including trips not directly about First 5 but rather for researchers’ “professional development.”


This site is a living work in progress; please check back for updates and/or clarifications. See Fair Use Notice & Disclaimer should you wish additional information. Disclaimer: This site contains information, speculation, rumors, assumptions, reprinted material, original content and opinions. Comments are opinions as expressions of freedom of speech and should be interpreted as such.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

If, after you have read the information on this site, you agree with our view that something else should be done with First 5 funds, please vote.

The results of this informal poll are being sent to elected officials for the obvious reasons, but also to editors in the press.

Why? Because the mass media receives millions in First 5 dollars each year. We believe these dollars have had the effect being an improper influence on the coverage of First 5 activities

Distributed from the state "First 5 California" level agency's 20% holdback, 6% of all revenues are allocated to pay for mass media costs.
  

* First 5 CA's "First 5 Facts" website states that revenues are $590 million per year, but financial documents state that the number has dropped to ~$500 million per year in FY 10/11.
_That's $30 - 35* million each year designated for advertising and other media costs and we believe easily over $400 million since First 5's inception 14 years ago.  And the data supports this view: since FY 04/05, First 5 California's annual audits show they spent $237 million on media, an average of $34 million per year. Over 14 years that calculates as $473 million. They have another $31 million sitting in the bank as of FY 10/11, so that's over $500 million (yes sir, that is one-half billion for advertising) spent or in reserve to market themselves to unsuspecting voters. To see the summary data, check out the media page.

Further, the media can receive even more advertising dollars from the other 80% of revenues sent to the local county commissions - and they do. As such, it's no wonder editorials have so often been slanted in First 5's favor, even in the face of significant evidence that suggests both the presence of malfeasance and a pattern of mismanagement.
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there's more where this came from
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Check Back for additional documentation on how First 5 funds have been spent in ways we feel voters did not intend.

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continue to  First 5 History & Background Info
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_This site is a living work in progress; please check back for updates and/or clarifications. See Fair Use Notice & Disclaimer should you wish additional information. Definition of SATIRE