It’s another warm morning in Santa Clarita. The mountains stand tall, that familiar ridge separating us from “the other side of the hill.” Out here, neighborhoods are quiet, schools are busy with drop-offs, and families juggle soccer practices, commutes and grocery runs. Life feels normal — until you remember the real decisions about your future aren’t made here. They’re made over there, by people who may never set foot in your neighborhood but hold the pen that signs your freedoms away. Gerrymandered neighbors, at your service.

For years, you trusted that elected leaders — regardless of party — would show up when it mattered. Lately, it’s painfully obvious they don’t. The recent passage of Assembly Bill 495 proves it.

On paper, AB 495 is the Family Preparedness Plan Act. Sounds wholesome, right? Who wouldn’t want “preparedness” for their family?

In reality, it lets not just relatives but any “nonrelative extended family member” with a “mentoring or familial relationship” sign a Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit. That gives them the power to enroll your child in school, authorize medical or dental care, and even consent to mental health treatment — no court hearing, no background check, no requirement to tell you.

Picture this: You send your child to a sleepover. By Monday, someone you barely know has legal authority to make decisions for them.

This isn’t a........

© Santa Clarita Valley Signal