What is AB 495?
There comes a moment when the citizenry must pause and reckon with the forces shaping their future. For those who shy from politics, who find its clamor distant or distasteful, the time to turn away has passed—especially for those with children.
A storm brews in Sacramento, where the Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025, known as AB 495, has ignited a firestorm of outrage. Sounds great, and these titles usually do, but the devil lurks in the details. Its title, cloaked in the soothing language of care, belies what many call a dangerous overreach.
Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025, known as AB 495, amends California law to address family separations due to immigration enforcement. It permits non-relative extended family members to sign caregiver affidavits, granting them authority over school and medical decisions for minors.
The language of the bill is dense, its provisions tangled, and at times contradictory—a hallmark of legislation that invites skepticism. The public’s response has been swift and fierce. Why? The legislation, cloaked in benevolent intent, is seen by many as granting any individual the power to claim guardianship over a child not their own, absent any parental consent. This perilous overreach stirs deep unease. Here are some of the prominent voices on X:
Denise Aguilar (on X: @InformedMama209) wrote, “AB495 passed swiftly through committee and will be headed to the senate floor. The law would allow for a ‘non-family member adult’ to take guardian ship over a minor, parent signature not required.”
Sonja Shaw (on X: @realSonjaShaw) wrote, “They’re playing word games in Sacramento again, but parents aren’t stupid.”
Kristina Irwin (on X: @KristinairwinLA), who is running to take California Senate District 32, wrote, “THE most dangerous bill coming out of Sacramento! Pay attention!! AB 495 makes it super easy for kidnappers, pedophiles, and child traffickers to have easy access to your kids. This is pure evil coming from Sacramento and we must do everything we can to stop it.”
Jack Hibbs (on X: @RealJackHibbs) “🚨PARENTS, THIS IS YOUR WAKE-UP CALL🚨 Watch this urgent message and share it before it’s too late. California’s AB 495 is the most dangerous bill we’ve ever seen—and it’s being pushed right now by lawmakers in Sacramento.”
The urgency is palpable. On Tuesday, August 19th, Pastor Hibbs will lead a caravan of concerned citizens to Sacramento, their voices raised against a Democratic supermajority that, under Governor Newsom’s sway, wields near-unchecked power to pass such measures.
This is not an isolated battle. Consider AB 84, a recent assault on charter schools, which passed the Assembly 41-22 and now awaits the Senate’s judgment. Why such fervor against independent education? The answer, as so often in Sacramento, points to money—specifically, the influence of influential teachers’ unions, whose lobbying casts a long shadow over the Capitol.
A parallel fight unfolded with AB 379, where public outcry, amplified by voices like David Tangipa’s, forced Democrats to retreat. On April 28th, Tangipa posted on X, “How is child sex trafficing arguable in California? What ‘info hearings’ are needed to decide if trafficking a 16 or 17 year old should be a felony?” Thanks to such resistance, that bill was halted—a rare victory in a state where the tide of legislation often flows one way.
Yet the fight over AB 495 looms larger, its implications more profound. It is a moment that calls not for complacency but for action, for parents and citizens to stand as sentinels of their rights. Sacramento’s halls may echo with the confident strides of lawmakers, but it is the people’s voice—raised in unison—that can turn the tide. We cannot stop, nor should we wait, until the madness ceases.
The battle for our children’s future burns fiercely in Sacramento, where the ink of AB 495 threatens to rewrite the sacred bond between parent and child. The voices of the vigilant—parents, pastors, and citizens—must rise above the din of complacency, for silence in this hour is surrender.
My Quest
As a Professor for nearly ten years and a youth coach for twenty-plus, I have long urged my students and mentees to question everything, to probe beneath the surface of grand promises—and if they want something done right, they should do it themselves. Yet, in California, we have grown weary, perhaps lulled by sunlit skies or crushed beneath a deluge of regulations and taxes—I have mused, and I know I am not alone.
My own decision to run for the California State Assembly—a choice that stirred anger in some quarters—was born of policies like these, which have battered the spirit of our state for over a decade. I spent my own hard-earned, post-tax dollars to carry this fight to Sacramento, driven not by ambition but by a conviction that such madness must be met with resolve.
I’ll just say this right now: until this stops, I will not stop, and those who know me know I mean it. We cannot wait for the storm to break upon us; we need loud voices who can argue on our behalf—we need to go back to a time where our leaders fight for us as the Founding Fathers did (hence the name The New Founders). We can no longer wait to protest on the day a bill reaches the legislative floor; we must make our voices heard at the ballot box.
The numbers of that action tell a sobering tale: in the election I participated in, only 18.7% of eligible voters cast ballots. If we continue not to rise to defend our interests, the din of Sacramento’s decrees will only grow louder.
It is supposed to be “We, the People,” who must weave the threads of freedom—but it is not going to happen in elections where 18.7% of eligible voters show up. All parents lose, not just those who sit on the sidelines, hoping someone will lead the rallying cry to stop the madness of Sacramento.
VR