Road to California tax checkoff paved by legislative connections
In March 2010, then-state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier was invited by a constituent to help assemble bags of school supplies and dental kits for low-income students. It was at this early volunteer event for the nonprofit K to College that the Concord Democrat met its founder and executive director, Benito Delgado-Olson, a recent graduate of UC Berkeley working to turn his university group into a full-time charity.
Within two years, DeSaulnier was carrying a bill for Delgado-Olson to create the School Supplies for Homeless Children Fund, elevating K to College’s mission to one of a precious few voluntary contribution slots on the state tax form.
“Every year he had some idea and we worked on it,” said DeSaulnier, who now serves the region in Congress. “He’s a really bright guy, the embodiment of what you want in a nonprofit.”
As Californians finish their state taxes each spring, they can choose to make donations to nearly 20 causes – ranging from protection of endangered species to arts education to maintenance for police officer and firefighter memorials near the Capitol – that are then deductible the following year.
But rather than any broader assessment of the state’s most worthwhile and needy charities, the funds, which can generate several hundred thousand dollars per year, are created through a piecemeal approach that has benefited a handful of philanthropic groups favored by California lawmakers. Read more >>>