Journalist Dan Hart reports that some legal experts and parental rights advocates say that California Assembly Bill 495, authored by San Fernando’s new Democrat Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez, could ironically threaten parental rights and become a legal pathway for sexual groomers and predators.
Named the “Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025,” Assemblywoman Rodriguez’s pending AB 495 is presented as a solution for minor children of illegal immigrants and mixed-status families, whose parents are detained in immigration enforcement actions, to live with a benevolent, legal “caregiver.”
However, Hart says the California Assembly bill is worded so loosely that traffickers could easily abuse it, since it seems to allow almost any unrelated and unvetted adult the right to receive custody-like control over a minor without their parents’ knowledge or consent. Anyone over the age of 18 merely files a “caregiver’s authorization affidavit, under penalty of perjury.” It requires the listing of the caregiver’s California driver license number or identification card number, and birth date. That’s about it!
Regardless, the poorly drafted bill is a dangerous precedent for all parents. Since it is not narrowly defined for temporary family emergencies of illegal immigrants or the rescue of multiplied thousands of “unaccompanied minors” now lost to our immigration system, AB 495 could be manipulated to allow anyone a legal caregiver role over any teenager under 18, without a parent’s permission.
AB 495 does not require the prospective “caregiver” to verify their identity beyond a government-issued ID number, undergo a personal background check, or allow a welfare check of their home. Yet, these largely unvetted caregivers can oversee the youth’s immature social choices and medical decisions.
Let’s assume Rodriguez’s intentions were positive and the loosely worded legislation is related to her inexperience. The Democrat-dominated, anti-parent and leftist state Legislature seems collectively culpable and frequently hosts the law of unintended consequences.
Rodriguez’s AB 495 requires no court oversight and is vulnerable to abuse by sexual predators, traffickers and kidnappers. It could be voted on by the end of August. Please share your concerns with your state Assembly member (www.assembly.ca.gov › assemblymembers) as soon as possible!
Gary Curtis
Newhall
