(The Center Square) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 495 into law, enabling an individual to care for children of deported parents, despite claims that it poses a legal loophole for kidnapping children, says the California Family Council.
Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 495, also known as the “Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025,” this past week despite heavy opposition from parental advocacy groups.
Authored by Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez, D-San Fernando, the bill claims to give immigrant families facing deportation solutions in taking care of their children and ensures that they are not left vulnerable if a parent is unexpectedly detained by immigration officials.
“Our children deserve to feel safe at home, in school and in the community,” Newsom said in a press release. “We are putting on record that we stand by our families and their right to keep their private information safe, maintain parental rights and help families prepare in case of emergencies.”
According to the bill, a “nonrelative extended family member” could authorize school-related medical care and enrollment in school for a minor by filling out a one-page affidavit.
“I am grateful that the Governor has signed AB 495, the Family Preparedness Plan Act, into law today. This is a crucial step toward protecting children and families at a time when they are facing the terror of separation,” Assemblymember Rodriguez said in Newsom’s news release.
Newsom’s press release clarifies that the bill does not alter a child’s caregiver, legal custodian, or guardian without a court order despite opponents’ claims that it erodes parental authority and child safety.
The California Family Council and other parental advocacy groups have been in huge opposition to this bill, as it claims the bill is a child trafficker’s dream bill.
“Governor Newsom deceptively describes AB 495 as a caregiver planning tool for undocumented immigrant parents. It’s more accurately described as a child trafficker’s and child predator’s dream bill,” Dean Broyles, president and chief counsel of the National Center for Law & Policy, said in a statement. “Its sweeping application is not limited to immigrant families, does not require any parental notice or consent, and lacks even the most basic safeguards to protect children.”
CFC claims that this bill is unconstitutional and that there are not enough safeguards in place to protect children.
“Governor Newsom is deliberately trying to deceive parents by claiming this bill protects them, when in fact it does the opposite,” Jonathan Keller, president of California Family Council, said in a press release. “AB 495 strips parents of their constitutional rights and hands them over to unverified strangers.
Yet the author of the bill states it is all about unity for the family.
“AB 495 is about one thing: keeping families together,” said Rodriguez. “It strengthens the ability of parents to make decisions for their children, empowers them to prepare for the unthinkable, and ensures kids are cared for by people they know and love.
Keller disagreed.
“It is unconstitutional, it is illegal, and no school or medical facility should recognize or accept the authority of a Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit without a verified signature from a parent or legal guardian. Newsom knows exactly what this bill does, but he’s hoping the press and the public won’t read it for themselves,” Keller added.
