A controversial California bill that would allow nearly any adult to take custody of a child without alerting parents or the child’s guardian is moving forward despite protests from Evangelicals.
Assembly Bill 495, titled the Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025, would expand the definition of a “caregiver” to include “nonrelative extended family members,” defined as “any adult caregiver who has an established familial or mentoring relationship with the child, or who has an established familial relationship with a relative of the child.” In turn, any “caregiver” would be allowed to take custody of a child by merely handing over a signed “affidavit” to school or childcare staff.
Last week, the California Senate Appropriations Committee voted 5-2 to send AB 495 to the Senate floor for a vote. If passed, the bill would then head to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.
Parental rights group California Family Council (CFC) said the bill’s author, Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez, D-San Fernando, has amended the Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit form within the bill three separate times to include the phrase, “This form is not required to be notarized.”
“While current law does not mandate notarization, requiring it would provide an additional safeguard. A notarized affidavit would ensure accountability, that the individual claiming authority over a child is, in fact, who they say they are,” CFC said in a statement. “Many institutions already require notarization for security reasons, but AB 495 is designed to stop them from doing so.”
In addition to the notarization clause, AB 495 added more than a dozen co-authors, including several members of the California Latino Legislative Caucus.
Last month, Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills warned his congregation about AB 495 and rallied hundreds of supporters to Sacramento to protest the bill, which Hibbs’ Real Impact ministry called a “dangerous bill that puts every child at risk.”
While Hibbs was cautiously optimistic after AB 495 was initially placed in “suspense file” late last month, which means that it’s being held in committee until it passes a vote to be sent to the floor for debate and vote by all members of the chamber.
The Christian Post reached out to Hibbs for comment about his ongoing efforts to oppose the bill and will update this article once a response is received.
In her response to the CFC, Hibbs and others who oppose AB 495, Rodriguez appeared to endorse a San Francisco Chronicle article deriding their concerns about the bill as “Christian-right panic.”
In an Aug. 25 press release headlined “San Francisco Chronicle reporting dispels misinformation” on AB 495, Rodriguez called those concerns “simply false and dangerous.”
According to the lawmaker, AB 495 merely builds on “existing caregiver affidavits” in use in California for more than 30 years and ensures parents can designate trusted caregivers “if they are detained or deported.”
The bill also affirms that parents keep “full authority” involving their child and can “revoke these arrangements at any time,” according to Rodriguez.
“No family should ever be torn apart because of [illegal] immigration enforcement or misinformation,” she added.
Rodriguez noted the support AB 495 has received from more than two dozen child welfare and immigrant advocacy groups, including the Alliance for Children’s Rights, the Children’s Law Center of California, California State PTA, and First 5 California.
Last month, Hibbs told his congregation that the potential threat the bill would pose to child welfare is too serious to ignore.
“There’s no requirement in the bill for the school to ask you if it’s OK for them to take John out of school,” said Hibbs. “It allows an individual to obtain a new form that comes with the bill; they fill it out, and they can name a child. … The bill does not require a background check for this man, requires no ID, no driver’s license, no nothing. There’s no requirement in the bill for the school to call you, to ask you if it’s OK if John takes your daughter out of school.”
The pastor and founder of Real Impact said should the bill become law, he advises his church and Christians statewide to flee California.
“If this bill passes, I am going to ask you to leave the state of California,” said Hibbs. “You’re gonna need to pack up and get out; you gotta get out. You gotta run with your kids. You gotta go.”
