Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez, Child Advocates, And Immigrant Rights Leaders Urge Governor Newsom To Sign AB 495: The Family Preparedness Plan Act Of 2025

LOS ANGELES — In the face of rising immigration enforcement and the painful family separations it leaves behind, Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez (D–43rd District) joined with a broad coalition of more than 50 organizations today to urge Governor Gavin Newsom to sign Assembly Bill 495, the Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025. The bill strengthens family stability, safeguards children’s well-being, and protects parental rights when families face the unimaginable.

The bill, co-sponsored by the Alliance for Children’s Rights, Public Counsel, and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Los Angeles (CHIRLA), was strongly endorsed at a Los Angeles press conference on October 2, so children are not left behind, but cared for by those who know and love them.

AB 495 ensures that families, particularly immigrant and mixed-status families, have the tools to prepare for potential separations, reducing the trauma and instability children experience when a parent is suddenly detained or deported. The bill:

• Requires schoolsto implement the Attorney General’s updated immigration-related policies to ensure family preparedness.
• Directs the Attorney General to extend protections to daycares and preschools to limit harmful immigration enforcement actions.
• Creates a new Joint Guardianship option, allowing parents facing long-term separation to designate a trusted guardian without forfeiting parental rights.

“AB 495 centers children and families. We should all be able to go home to our children,” said Assemblywoman Rodriguez. “If the unthinkable happens, and we are separated, all parents should have the ability to choose someone their children love and trust to care for them until they can be reunited. This is the reality of families across our state. AB 495 is necessary today so childcare workers and parents don’t have to wonder what will happen if ICE shows up at their daycare. Bottom line, this bill protects parents’ rights. We’re all here to meet the urgency of this moment and we ask the Governor to stand with us and sign AB 495.”

Advocates underscored that the legislation is about choice, preparedness, and stability for families.

Building on that urgency, Public Counsel emphasized how critical it is to strengthen legal protections for parents. “Family separations are happening again, with children coming home from school to find their parents gone,” said Sharon Balmer Cartagena, Directing Attorney, Child, Youth & Family Advocacy, Public Counsel. “Now more than ever, California needs to improve the legal tools families can use to plan for these separations and ensure they are not permanent. We urge Governor Newsom to sign AB 495 and stand firmly against family separation.”

CHIRLA spoke directly to the human cost of current immigration enforcement, underscoring the chaos that follows when families are torn apart. “This bill is about preventing more untold tragedies which are a direct result of the current hardline approach to immigration enforcement by the Trump Administration. As heads of household are uprooted, often while they are at work or on their way to work, children are left behind to fend for themselves,” said Angelica Salas, Executive Director, CHIRLA. “This type of cruelty has no place in America. AB 495 offers a glimmer of hope—parents will not lose their rights, and they will know someone of their choosing is caring for their children. California must stand for these families by signing this bill today.”

The Alliance for Children’s Rights brought the focus back to children, centering the bill’s impact on stability and love. “At the heart of AB 495 is a simple truth: children deserve stability and care from the people who know and love them most,” said Kristin Power, Vice President, Policy and Advocacy, Alliance for Children’s Rights. “We are proud to stand with Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez and our co-sponsors in supporting California families in times of crisis. This bill strengthens parental rights and ensures families—not strangers—make critical decisions during times of uncertainty. We urge Governor Newsom to sign AB 495 and protect the well-being of California’s children.”

Supporters of AB 495 emphasized that the bill does not change immigration law or enforcement practices. Instead, it gives parents—regardless of immigration status—the legal tools to protect their children, maintain custody, and reduce the trauma of forced separations. By prioritizing family preparedness, parental choice, and child well-being, AB 495 strengthens communities while safeguarding California’s most vulnerable residents.