Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday signed a bill that has garnered national attention since it “revise the definition of a relative” to allow more people beyond immediate family members to qualify as a caretaker.
The new law, known as the Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025, amends portions of the state’s Education, Family and Probate codes. It would expand the use of caregiver authorization affidavits and create a joint guardianship option that allows parents to retain their rights while planning for long-term absences.
Supporters have said the bill is needed to make sure children are not left without care if federal immigration officials detain a parent. Opponents counter that expanding who can authorize care could put children’s safety at risk.
“Families are enduring the unthinkable right now – separation from their children,” Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez (D-San Fernando) said in a statement. “AB 495 empowers parents to make arrangements and preserve their parental rights, so that California’s kids are not left with strangers and instead will be cared for by people they already know and love.”
Rodriguez’s press office also shared a fact sheet of what the bill will and won’t do if enacted.
However, opponents of the bill say it will do more harm than good.
Rick Ingram, who traveled from Southern California to oppose AB 495 at a rally in Sacramento in August, told KCRA that he worries the bill could allow ill-intentioned adults to make decisions about children’s education and healthcare without parents’ knowledge.
“When you see a crowd like this, you understand right away. This is not a small issue. This is a big issue,” he said
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