Valley families protest proposed state assembly bill, saying it endangers children

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A crowd of what appeared to be about 1,000 people rallied outside the state capital on Tuesday.

Many of them drove up from the Central Valley.

“We have to stand up for the children. We have to be their voice,” protestor Evelyn Galvan said.

Galvan led a group from Legacy Church in Visalia to join others from across the state to protest a proposed state assembly bill.

“We have to stop it here in California,” Galvan said. “So I’m praying that we will be an example in California to say ‘we will not put up with this kind of behavior from our legislators.’”

The controversy surrounds AB 495: The Family Preparedness Plan Act 2025.

The bill expands the definition of who can become a child’s caregiver.

Current law states that only an adult who lives with the child can fill out a Caregiver Authorization Affidavit to make medical decisions for them or pick them up from school.

AB 495 expands it to distant, even fifth-degree relatives and nonrelatives who know the child, such as a neighbor, teacher, or family friend.

The bill’s author, Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez, spoke to the Senate Human Services Committee on its behalf on July 7.

She said the legislation is necessary amidst current immigration law enforcement policies.

“Just last month, a mother of three was detained by ICE at her own immigration court hearing. Instead of receiving an update on her case, she was handcuffed and deported to Mexico. Her oldest daughter was left to care for her two younger siblings,” Rodriguez said.

If her bill becomes law, an adult would be able to print off the one-page affidavit online, fill out the child’s name and birthday as well as their own name, address and ID number and then be authorized to make school medical decisions on the child’s behalf.

They would also be able to pick up the child from school.

Kristin Power with the Alliance for Children’s Rights has been an outspoken supporter of the bill.

At the most recent hearing on Monday, she pleaded with the Senate to pass it, listing many other groups that also back the bill.

She listed the Fresno Unified School District.

YourCentralValley.com reached out to the district, and they confirmed they support the bill as it was written on June 10.

“AB 495 supports family agency and decision making, prevents unnecessary trauma for children, strengthens family stability and ensures that schools and agencies are equipped to support families in times of crisis,” Power said during the July 7 hearing.

The bill’s challengers argue the legislation could lead to children being kidnapped or trafficked, though.

Swarms of protestors shouted that the bill is “dangerous for children” outside the Capital on Tuesday.

“A lot of people say we’re overreacting. We’re not overreacting,” Galvan said. “If you had common sense, you would not be doing this to the children!”

AB 495 passed the State Assembly in a landslide 62-7 vote on June 3.

On Monday, the Senate Appropriations Committee referred it to a suspense file hearing, which will group AB 495 with other bills for combined approval or denial.

YourCentralValley.com reached out to Rodriguez, as well as many other bill sponsors, for comment on Tuesday’s rally, but did not hear back.