Under the guise of “helping children,” California’s AB495 was proposed and it will be the single greatest pathway created by legislators that will assist those seeking to do real harm towards children.
Assembly Member Celeste Rodriguez (D-San Fernando) introduced the bill with the intent to address challenges for children whose parents are in detention, particularly in immigration enforcement. Critics of the legislation, ranging from activists to lawyers and churchmen, argue the bill’s nebulous wording has dangerous loopholes that would facilitate child trafficking, kidnappings, and abuse whilst undermining fundamental parental rights.
AB495 would require the state to redefine guardianship by allowing a “nonrelative extended family member,” any adult with a family or mentoring relationship to the child or relative of the child, to assume custody-like control of a child with a simple affidavit.
This affidavit that doesn’t require the parent’s signature, court oversight, notary verification, or notification to parents would grant the specified “caregiver” tremendous control over the child. This encompasses the capacity to place the child in school, sign for medical and dental treatment (such as vaccinations and mental health services), and even take the child out of school or daycare without the parents’ knowledge or consent.
The bill clearly lacks safeguards; such as background checks, ID verification, or parental notice requirements which Attorney and President of Our Duty-USA, Erin Friday renders a “child trafficker’s and kidnapper’s dream bill.”
Friday warned, “Presto, someone walks away with your child,” noting the ease at which a person would be able to use the affidavit process to obtain custody of a child.
Similarly, Nicole Pearson, Facts Law Truth Justice organizer, cautioned the State Senate of the bill’s “unintended consequences” and stated, “California wants to enable a non-relative who is not related to your child to remove her from school, put her in any other school in the state, authorize any medical treatment of her, including mental health services and medication, without notice and knowledge or permission of parents. This is not fear-mongering.”
“I’m not being hyperbolic,” she stated, “These unintended consequences are terrifying, and they are unavoidable.”
The bill’s proponents argue it is a compassionate measure to ensure children of detained parents, particularly in immigrant communities, are not left without care during sudden parental absences. The legislation references the “unique challenges faced by immigrant families” under policies like mass deportation efforts, which can separate parents from children abruptly.
However, critics like the California Family Council argue that “compassion without guardrails is not mercy, it is madness,” with the Council’s Vice President Greg Burt observing, “AB 495 is a grave threat to the God-given responsibility of parents to raise and protect their children.”
One of the most vocal critics, Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, has called AB 495 “the most dangerous bill we’ve ever seen,” urging parents to act swiftly to oppose it. Speaking to his flock of over 10,000, Hibbs declared, “I would not expose my child to one second of this public school system under this new law, AB 495.”
He continued, “If this bill passes into law, I am going to invite you to leave the state of California. You got to get out. You got to run with your kids.”. You got to go.”
“PARENTS, THIS IS YOUR WAKE-UP CALL California’s AB 495 is the most dangerous bill we’ve ever seen—and it’s being pushed right now by lawmakers in Sacramento. This bill would allow any non-related adult, a…” he posted on X.
Hibbs isn’t all talk and no action. Not only did he organize a rally and lobby day in Sacramento on Aug. 19, 2025, and is calling for at least 5,000 to walk on the Capitol to oppose the bill. “I’m going to tell everyone who will listen to drive, bus, fly, I don’t care how you get there,” he instructed his flock, defining the gravity of the issue. This is not the first time Hibbs has rallied big crowds; in 2022, he rallied close to 2,000 individuals at the Capitol to protest against a bill about infanticide. His direction of Real Impact, a culture and politics ministry, highlights his strength in mobilizing Christians and parents to fight for their rights.
The possibility of the bill undermining parental rights is a key issue. Critics argue that AB 495 effectively strips parents of their authority to make significant decisions about their children’s education, health, and safety. Hibbs penned in his X post, “We want to make a statement because AB 495, one hundred percent strips parents of their parental rights.”
Seconding him was Gina Gleason, executive director of Real Impact Ministry, warning, “We think it opens the doors to predators getting their hands on our children. What is to prevent a pedophile [or] child trafficker from completing this form and presenting it to our school authorities?”
Other concerns are the effect on medical personnel and schools, that would not be held accountable if a child is let go to someone who is not validated as a caregiver. Lack of accountability added to the lack of background checking or verification of identity adds to concerns that the bill would be misused.
The rapid passage of the bill in the California Assembly, which purportedly went “undetected” and “quietly,” has raised suspicions about its intentions and transparency.
The bill is now pending before the Senate Appropriations Committee, where it is waiting to be voted on the floor. Its portrayal as an assistance to immigrant families, according to critics, conceals its larger impact, which possibly could reach all Californians and not only those who have immigration status.
As 55% of California adults are Christian, according to an estimate by Pew Research Center, Hibbs and others produce a moral urgency around opposition to AB 495, appealing to people of faith to “defend those who cannot protect themselves.”.
Hibbs attributes the passage of the bill to civic disengagement, particularly by Christian voters saying, “AB 495 is a product of too many Californian Christians not voting.” This aligns with his overall appeal to activism, calling his congregation and base to “stand up for righteousness and do the right thing” by making their objections to the bill public and attending the August 19 protest rally.
As controversy about AB 495 escalates, the bill remains a flashpoint for battles over parental rights, child protection. Whilst supporters view the bill as a safety net for vulnerable children, critics warn that its vague language and absence of oversight could have catastrophic consequences and serve as cover for predators to exploit the system.
The outcome of the Senate review and public outcry in Sacramento will likely seal the destiny of this controversial bill.
Biblical Perspective
Scripture calls Christians to protect the vulnerable, especially children, and to uphold the sanctity of the family.
Psalm 82:3-4 commands, “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.” AB 495’s lack of safeguards, such as background checks or parental consent, risks enabling predators to exploit children, contradicting this mandate. Additionally, Proverbs 31:8-9 urges believers to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,” highlighting the duty to shield children from harm.
The Bible affirms parents’ God-given role to raise their children with Ephesians 6:4 instructing fathers to “bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord,” whilst Deuteronomy 6:6-7 emphasizes teaching children God’s ways. Clearly, AB 495 undermines these calls by allowing non-relatives to make decisions without parental consent, disrupting God’s family model.
As Christians, we must pursue justice and discernment, as Isaiah 1:17 exhorts, “Seek justice. Defend the oppressed.” AB 495’s loose framework could facilitate abuse which makes it all the more important for believers to be “shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16) when it comes to this, and any other, issue.
As Pastor Jack Hibbs warned: “ PARENTS, THIS IS YOUR WAKE-UP CALL California’s AB 495 is the most dangerous bill we’ve ever seen!”
Hibbs’ rally in Sacramento on August 19, 2025, and his call to “run with your kids” if the bill passes reflect the urgency of Matthew 2:13, where Joseph fled to protect Jesus. Psalm 127:3 says “Children are a heritage from the Lord,” and as such, if the Creator of all of life placed this high value on our children, then so too should Christians!
It is up to believers to ensure laws protect, and not endanger, the vulnerable.
