Critics call new California bill a ‘kidnapper’s dream’ 

A new California bill on parental authority and guardianship is facing backlash, with critics calling it a “kidnapper’s dream” and warning it could have serious consequences for parental rights.

Assembly Bill 495, titled the Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025, was introduced by Assemblywoman Celeste Rodríguez, D-Los Angeles, with the stated intention of safeguarding children in the event of family separation due to immigration enforcement, incarceration or military deployment.

“If a family is separated … AB 495 protects children by ensuring emergency contact information and plans for family safety are up-to-date at schools and licensed childcare facilities,” her website states.

The vagueness of the bill, however, has many parents outraged.

The legislation expands who is eligible to fill out a Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit, a legal document signed by a nonparent caregiver to determine where a minor child attends school or receives medical care. Currently, the form limits the signature to verified “relatives.” The bill, however, redefines the category to include terms such as “nonrelative extended family member.” The updated affidavit also states that a “parent’s signature or signature of the court is not required.”

This week, parents opposed to AB 495 rallied together in protest.

“It doesn’t matter what the author intends, it matters what’s inside the bill,” said Jonathan Keller, president of California Family Council. “AB 495 is poisonous. It will destroy families and children. We will not back down, we will not shut up, and we will not stand aside.”

“With just one sheet of paper from the internet, California wants to let someone who is not related to your child remove her from school, enroll her in any other school in the state and authorize any medical treatment without the parent’s knowledge or consent,” said attorney Nicole Pearson, who helps immigrants and fights human trafficking, at a July hearing on the bill. “This is not fearmongering. I am not being hyperbolic. It’s stated right here in the caretaker’s affidavit pulled directly from the bill.”

The legislation is moving through the Democrat-controlled California State Assembly and is expected to be heard in committee in the coming weeks. Supporters say it provides needed protections for children in vulnerable situations, while opponents argue it undermines parental rights and could increase the risk of child trafficking.

The California Family Council says Rodriguez’s office “is misleading the public.”

“AB 495 threatens the rights of parents and the safety of children,” is says on its website. “This bill empowers strangers, silences parents, and weakens the sacred trust between mother, father, and child.”