With Gov. Gavin Newsom weighing signature for Assembly Bill 495, Santa Barbara County lawmakers and local educators are considering the measure’s potential to offer safeguards for families facing sudden crises.
State Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), a co-author of the Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025, said the legislation is designed to strengthen parental rights and keep children out of the foster system when parents are detained, deported or otherwise unavailable.
“I have seen firsthand the impact immigration raids are having not only on our communities but on our immigrant families,” Limón said, pointing to a June case in which a 12-year-old boy in Santa Barbara County was left without care after his parents were taken by immigration agents at work. “One million children in California schools have at least one parent who is undocumented. It is critical for the safety and well-being of California children that their parents have a say in who will care for their children.”…