Unconstitutional - it's always the opposite of what they name it.
NEW: Gavin Newsom officially signs AB 495 into law. The Legalized Child Kidnapping Bill
This bill DESTROYS parents rights and allows non-relatives to fill out a 1 page form to pick up your kid without your consent
Here’s the breakdown
(Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025)
- Erodes parental rights by expanding non-parental authority: The bill broadens the Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit to allow non-relatives (e.g., distant extended family or others) to make critical decisions on a child’s education, medical, dental, and mental health care without requiring parental knowledge, consent, or signature in some cases, potentially handing over “care, custody, and control” to unqualified individuals.
- Creates loopholes for child exploitation and kidnapping: It enables bad actors, such as predators or traffickers, to easily assume control of children with minimal verification—just a form and ID—bypassing court oversight, background checks, or parental involvement, described as a “child trafficker’s dream bill.”
- Limits immigration enforcement and data collection: Prohibits schools, daycares, and preschools from gathering immigration status info
- Vague definitions and lack of safeguards: Terms like “nonrelative extended family member” and “unable to contact” a parent are undefined or overly broad, allowing quick power transfers even for short parental delays (e.g., a brief unavailability), inviting overreach by hostile relatives, confusion, or misuse by courts/agencies without adequate vetting.
- Universal application beyond immigrants: Though framed for immigrant family separations due to detention/deportation, the provisions apply to all California children, l affecting every family and creating risks unrelated to its intended purpose
- Bypasses existing legal protections: It circumvents established court-based temporary guardianship processes with built-in safeguards, reducing oversight and verification, which could lead to children entering foster care unnecessarily or facing instability.
- Joint guardianship without full parental relinquishment: Allows courts to appoint a custodial parent and nominated non-parent as joint guardians for temporary separations, which opponents say could enable non-parents to override parental decisions remotely (e.g., from abroad) without sufficient checks.
- Recent changes (e.g., removing explicit “no parent signature needed” language) fail to resolve fundamental flaws, ignoring widespread protests from parents, faith groups, and advocates who view it as government overreach.
AB 495 allows an adult to use a 1-page form to get guardianship-like powers over someone else’s minor child, including living arrangements, school enrollment, and medical and mental health decisions
No parental signature required, no vetting, fingerprinting, or background checks of the adult, and no oversight or follow-up to make sure the child is safe with the adult