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Kidjacked | Jacked Up
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From 1972 - 1997, over 46 million child maltreatment allegations have been made. Only 30-40% were substantiated. California CPS News Archive
The California news section is your source for the latest in family rights news items,
CPS reform efforts, open court demands, abolition of confidentiality laws that judges
hide behind, foster care deaths and issues, legal cases and more... Please
Email Kidjacked
with news and information from the state of California and I will include it here in our
coverage.
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[National & International News]
California News Coverage
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Why Does California Want Fire Inspections for Homeschools?
by Home School Legal Defense Association
Assembly Bill 2756 mandates warrantless entry by officials into your home-this is a clear violation of your constitutional rights.
The authors of Assembly Bill 2756 assert that the proposed law is intended to protect children by mandating annual fire inspections of all institutions that file an annual private school affidavit. This would include private schools with fewer than six students-which are currently exempt from fire code inspections. Why are they exempt? Because these are private homes where children are homeschooled, and private homes should not be subject to fire inspections. AB 2756 removes this exemption, in an attempt to give raw power to state officials to enter private homes of homeschoolers to "look around" to make sure the children are safe from abuse and neglect. In reality, this bill is not about fire inspections; it is a misguided reaction to the Turpin child abuse case in Perris, California.
hslda.org
February 28, 2018
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California Presumes Homeschooling Parents Are Child Abusers, Seeks Invasive New Restrictions
by Becky Loggia
As California lawmakers continue their track-record of controversial decisions, one announcement in particular has caused an outcry for its overreaching presumption: that all homeschoolers must also be child abusers.
According to The Washington Examiner, the plan set out by lawmakers would be to force parents into proving to the government that they are, in fact, fit to be a parent. The homeschooling parent - per legal requirement - would have to meet the government's required checklist via home visits, interviews, and other oversights, effectively increasing the burden on the parent to prove themselves parentally fit.
westernjournal.com
February 1, 2018
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Autism rates in California public schools jumped 7 percent in 2016
by Phillip Reese
More than 97,000 California public school students have been diagnosed as autistic, a number that has risen seven-fold since 2001, according to the latest special education data from the California Department of Education.
The figure represent a jump of about 6,500, or 7 percent, from 2014-15 to 2015-16. The increase was especially sharp among kindergartners, where autism cases grew by 17 percent last year. More than one of every 65 kindergartners in California public schools is classified as autistic. Since 2006, the number of autistic students statewide has risen by between 5,000 and 7,000 every year, state figures show.
sacbee.com
August 29, 2017
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Sacramento country ordered to close illegal shelter for foster children
by Ellen Garrison and Anita Chabria
More than a year after telling Sacramento County Child Protective Services to stop using a clerical office as a makeshift youth shelter, state officials have ordered the agency to end the illegal practice by a September deadline.
The California Department of Social Services wrote in a July letter to Sacramento County Child Protective Services that it must stop letting kids sleep at the county office on Auburn Boulevard near Watt Avenue.
sacbee.com
August 22, 2017
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Seven children in protective custody in Santa Cruz County child-sex case with neurosurgeon, nurses
by Michael Todd
The relationship between former Santa Cruz neurosurgeon James Kohut, and nurses Emily Stephens and Rashel Brandon is becoming clear: the trio allegedly worked together to force children into sexual acts, such as sodomy, oral copulation and intercourse.
On May 9, a Watsonville resident gave police a video, shot in March, of the two nurses having sex with children as young as 3 years old in a Scotts Valley motel. The evidence triggered allegations that Kohut also had forced girls and boys to have sex with him multiple times since Jan. 1, 2016, according to court documents.
mercurynews.com
May 22, 2017
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Doctor, nurses charged in California with child sexual abuse
California authorities say a brain surgeon and two nurses have been charged in a child sex abuse ring involving seven victims under 13.
Watsonville police Capt. Jorge Zamora said Thursday that Dr. James Kohut, Emily Stephens and Rashel Brandon have been arrested and charged with sex crimes with children. Zamora said the children have been placed in protective custody. It was unclear if the suspects are represented by lawyers.
santamariatimes.com
May 22, 2017
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Head of L.A. County's child protective services agency to retire in early 2017
by Richard Winton, Matt Hamilton
Philip L. Browning, the director of Los Angeles County's child protective services agency and a veteran of county government, announced Wednesday that he is retiring early next year.
Browning, 70, said he recently came to the decision to retire and noted that he is the second-longest serving director for the Department of Children and Family Services. On a trip to Cuba last month with friends, he said he realized that he was the sole person in the group still in the workforce.
latimes.com
December 17, 2016
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Child Protective Services Steps in After Homeless Woman Gives Birth in Golden Gate Park
by Mark Matthews
A homeless woman who gave birth in Golden Gate Park says Child Protective Services is stepping in to take her baby.
Berman and her boyfriend, Jack Stroube, both said they planned to get a home in Santa Cruz. The couple planned to pay for it relying on donations from strangers. "Based on what I've heard from the people who are interested in the fundraising that flipping burgers is not going to be a requirement," Stroube said.
nbcbayarea.com
December 17, 2016
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California approves tax increase on cigarettes
by Jilian Mincer
California voters on Tuesday approved significant tax increases on cigarettes and vaping devices, but similar measures fell short in Colorado, North Dakota and Missouri.
California's Proposition 56 will increase taxes on a pack of cigarettes from 87 cents to $2.87, bringing it more in line with other states. The measure also sets a tax on electronic cigarettes. "This is a huge victory for tobacco prevention efforts," said John Schachter, director of state communications for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. He said that California, which recently raised the smoking age to 21, could inspire other states to pass similar laws.
reuters.com
November 9, 2016
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Sonoma County Voters Pass 18 Of 23 Measures, Including Ban On GMO's
SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) - Voters in Sonoma County passed 18 of 23 measures in Tuesday's election. Four measures failed and one measure is still too close to call.
Measure M, a ban on genetically engineered organisms in the unincorporated area of the county, passed with 56 percent. It needed majority approval.
sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com
November 9, 2016
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Did Angelina Jolie Really Fear That Joint Custody With Brad Pitt Would Put Her Kids In Foster Care?
by Daryl Deino
Angelina Jolie did not file for joint custody of her children because she feared they would end up with relatives or in foster care.
"A so-called 'source' tells the tabloid when the Los Angeles County's Department of Children and Family Services began investigating the incident aboard a private plane with Pitt, Jolie and their kids in mid-September, 'Social workers told Angie if there was cause to believe the kids were in danger under the same roof as Brad, the kids could be placed with relatives or even in foster care.'"
inquisitr.com
November 6, 2016
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Caged Child Abuse Survivor Speaks Out
by Tracy Lehr
CAMARILLO, Calif. - A child kept in a cage by the foster mother who adopted her more than a decade ago is now in a unique position to help other children like her.
Cynthia Vasquez,19, works at Casa Pacifica in Camarillo, the same center that helped her when she was an abused and neglected 9-year-old. Casa Pacific CEO Steve Elson said she was one of the worst cases they've seen. " It was horrendous what she and her sister went through," Elson said. Cynthia still remembers what it was like when she first arrived at the shelter. She remembers being asked if she was hungry and getting something sweet to eat.
keyt.com
September 23, 2016
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County lays out staffing plans for child welfare agency in response to grand jury report
by Shea Johnson
Laying out its plans to keep Children and Family Services staffing levels strong and defending the agency's law enforcement relationship, county officials authorized a formal defense this week to a critical grand jury report.
Authorized by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, the formal response comes as CFS deals with a series of offensives. Two weeks before the grand jury report in early July found the agency marred by significant under-staffing and a disconnect with law enforcement, the state Department of Justice announced it was reviewing the agency's "compliance with California laws intended to ensure the safety and well-being of children, including children in the dependency system."
desertdispatch.com
September 16, 2016
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Ventura County Child Protective Service Tearing Families Apart
Weeks after CPS of Ventura County unlawfully removed a child from an Oxnard residence; things are only getting worse. Fostercare, termination of rights and adoption is the only thing CPS is looking too. What happen to the welfare of the children?
On Friday, August 19, 2016, according to family members, Patricia Macias lifelong resident of Ventura County was heard crying hysterically. "Why? I do not understand why you are taking her if the judge granted me temporary guardianship." Sobbed Patricia. Witnesses allegedly overheard Monica Arevalo, a social worker for Ventura County Child Protective Service, reply, "You will never be able to care for her again; we will never give her back to you! We have the authority to overrule the judge's decision," before disconnecting the call.
digitaljournal.com
September 9, 2016
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The Drug Docs: State's top foster care prescribers fueling medication of vulnerable kids
by Karen de Sa
For years, few questioned how doctors treated the emotional trauma of California's abused and neglected children - and nobody monitored how often they handed out psychiatric drugs that can turn fragile childhoods into battles with obesity...
Now, a Bay Area News Group investigation into the prescribing habits of the state's foster care doctors reveals for the first time how a fraction of those physicians has been fueling the medicating of California's most vulnerable kids. A mere 10 percent of the state's highest prescribers were responsible about 50 percent of the time when a foster child received an antipsychotic, the riskiest class of what are known as psychotropic drugs - with some of the most harmful side effects.
dailydemocrat.com
August 19, 2016
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Hundreds Of Students Without Vaccine Documents Sent Home
by Gary Barnes
Hundreds of students who were unable to show proof of immunizations were sent home from school. A spokesperson for the Folsom-Cordova School District said that at least 145 students were sent away.
Elk Grove school district listed their number of students sent home for failing to show vaccination papers at 133. As of July 1, parents can no longer use personal or religious belief exemptions to opt their kids out of vaccinations. The spokesperson for Folsom-Cordova told krem.com, "We're working under a different game plan now," Thigpen said.
truthkings.com
August 15, 2016
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Bill would end criminalizing children for prostitution
by Melody Gutierrez
California would no longer prosecute minors for prostitution under a bill in the state Legislature, a move law enforcement agencies say would make it more difficult to prosecute pimps.
Supporters of SB1322 say many children caught selling sex are the victims of human traffickers and that prosecuting them for prostitution is not the appropriate or ethical response. The bill could come up for a vote this week in the Assembly after having already passed the state Senate.
sfgate.com
August 7, 2016
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Yolo County's Child Welfare system under microscope
by Lauren King
Yolo County's Child Welfare Services system may go through substantial changes in the coming months as county supervisors take a deeper look at its operations.
The agency, which falls under Yolo County's Health and Human Services Department, came under fire earlier this year after Supervisor Matt Rexroad made an impassioned speech pointing out the agency's defects.
dailydemocrat.com
August 6, 2016
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CA district says homeschooling not lawful
A high school district in Northern California has sent a notification to parents telling them that their homeschooled children are not lawfully being educated.
When the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) received word that all of its member families in the San Benito High School District (SBHSD) received a letter from state authorities declaring that they were illegally educating their children, attorneys from the nonprofit group were perplexed.
onenewsnow.com
August 2, 2016
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Homeschooling is VERY MUCH LEGAL in California, Despite Internet Rumors...
by Karri Lewis
I began fielding questions about the legality of homeschooling in California early last week. At first, I did not think much of it because it was just one high profile Canary Party vaccine activist from another state that had heard a rumor.
It was in regards to an assembly bill that was rumored to be recently resurrected here in California. I promptly looked up that assembly bill and found that it ended up being a bill from last year's legislative session that was about funding for charter schools.
bolenreport.com
August 2, 2016
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Court Delivers Blow to California Concealed Weapons Advocates
A federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that there is no Second Amendment protection for concealed weapons - allowing states to prohibit or restrict the public from carrying concealed firearms.
At issue was California's law on concealed weapons, which requires citizens to prove they have "good cause" to carry concealed firearms to get a license. Plaintiffs challenged guidelines in San Diego and Yolo counties that did not consider general self-defense to be enough to obtain a license.
ktla.com
June 17, 2016
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Murdered boy's father settles with Fresno County in CPS lawsuit
The Fresno father who sued the county after his son's death has now settled the case. Joseph Hudson claimed Child Protective Services mishandled the case and allowed his son to die.
It took seven years to get to this point, and Hudson said it's taken a toll on him beyond just what he suffered when his son was killed. Now, he intends to use the money he's getting to create a place where they'll train mandatory reporters to prevent child abuse.
abc30.com
May 7, 2016
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Federal Sex-Assault Investigation Leads To SD Unified Reform; Carlsbad Inquiry Ongoing
by Chris Young
The U.S. Department of Education has closed an investigation after more than 16 months into San Diego Unified School District's mishandling of a sexual assault at an elementary school.
According to documents obtained by inewsource through a Freedom of Information Act request, district officials acknowledged not following district policies and federal law while responding to a parent's complaint that his child was sexually assaulted by a student in a school restroom three years ago.
kpbs.org
May 6, 2016
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The Bear Valley Music Festival Returns For It's 48th Year
Now in its 48th year, the Bear Valley Music Festival begins on Friday, July 22 and runs through Sunday, August 7 with a total 15 concerts including a special free family matinee on Saturday, July 30.
The festival showcases a wide selection of artists and genres including rock, classical, bluegrass and jazz. A mere 3.5-hour drive from San Francisco, Bear Valley is known primarily as a ski resort.
thepinetree.net
April 24, 2016
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State officials blast Monterey County CPS handling of abuse case leading to two child deaths
by Matthias Gafni
SALINAS -- The tragic deaths of Shaun and Delylah Tara, whose bodies were found last December in a Northern California storage locker, again have thrust the state's Child Protective Services departments into a harsh spotlight, raising questions...
Despite high-profile child abuse and neglect cases, including many in the Bay Area, authorities have been slow to make substantive changes to the often underfunded and undermanned agencies, experts said. In the horrific case of Shaun, 6, Delylah, 3, and their 9-year-old half sister, 135 pages of Monterey CPS documents obtained by this newspaper -- and the state's highly critical review of the case -- found that social workers called repeatedly to the home in 2015 violated five state regulations and ignored best practices intended to keep children safe.
mercurynews.com
April 2, 2016
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Alert Kidjacked to California CPS news!
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Just Who's Abusing Whom?
by Annette M. Hall
Today in America, 935 children were forcibly removed from their home and entered the national foster care system.
Kidjacked
September 9, 2023
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Single Mother Gets Raw Deal
by Annette M. Hall
Sarah requested child care assistance to help her keep her job, which allows her to provide for her children alone, the State of California uses her request against her in court to remove her children.
Kidjacked
September 9, 2023
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Take the Child and Run: Tales From the Age of ASFA
by Annette M. Hall
ASFA was the culmination of an assault on safe, effective programs to keep families together that began in the 1990's. The law has caused untold misery for thousands of children. While supposedly intended to solve the problems of the foster care system, it has, in fact, worsened those problems.
Kidjacked
September 8, 2023
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Merced County Officials Involved in Murder Cover-Up
by Annette M. Hall
Our case involves C.P.S here in the County of Merced, California and how they have covered-up child abuses committed when C.P.S had placed my granddaughter in a household that had almost beaten her to death.
Kidjacked
September 8, 2023
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A Nation in Crisis
by Nancee Crowell
Nancee Crowell, California and Nevada State Director of 'National Foster Parent Coalition for Allegation Reform' responds to an article written by Craig Schneider regarding Georgia CPS, expressing her outrage at the treatment of parents by Child Protection Agencies
Kidjacked
September 8, 2023
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California Court of Appeals Opening Brief
by Annette M. Hall
Appellant, Diane Booth, hereby appeals the judgment of the lower court denying her request for modification without a hearing. Appellant respectfully requests the Court of Appeal to reverse the decision to deny the petition and remand the case to the Superior Court to conduct a hearing on appellant's modification petition and to hear evidence consistent with and as required by the law.
Kidjacked
September 8, 2023
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CA: AB 519 - Hope Legal Orphans and Their Families
by Annette M. Hall
AB 519, was signed into law on October 7th, 2005 and will go into effect on January 1, 2006. The bill was introduced to address the problem of legal orphans in the State of California and is a step in the right direction. 'Legal orphans' are dependent children who have been legally freed for adoption but never adopted...
Kidjacked
September 8, 2023
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Testimony of Diane Mary Booth
by Annette M. Hall
I am an American mother who cannot attend this hearing in person because I would be subject to unlawful arrest and sent back to prison for 'violation of probation' because of my testimony against criminal authorities in Santa Clara County, California. My true horror story is so unbelievable to the average citizen that it sounds like a George Orwell novel or an X-Files show.
Kidjacked
September 8, 2023
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Mother Fights For Son's Return
by Annette M. Hall
Let me begin by saying this is not a family law issue. This is a case of racial profiling and discrimination, police and government employee misconduct, conspiracy and corruption, extreme defamation and slander. Most importantly, this is a case of civil and constitutional rights being violated which subsequently led to the family courts involvement.
Kidjacked
September 8, 2023
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Booth Family
by Annette M. Hall
I am an American mother who cannot attend my hearings in person because I would be subject to unlawful arrest and sent back to prison for 'violation of probation' because of my testimony against criminal authorities in Santa Clara County, California. My true horror story is so unbelievable to the average citizen that it sounds like a George Orwell novel or an X-Files show.
Kidjacked
September 8, 2023
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Declaration in Support of Motion for Coordination
by Annette M. Hall
Two California False Claims Act suits have been filed two California counties, filing under the California False Claims Act, it was believed at that time that cases located in different counties required two separate claims.
Kidjacked
June 24, 2012
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Abuse: A Plea For Assistance
by Annette M. Hall
A terrible thing was done to my little 3 year old girl by a government agency. They stole my child from me on the false allegations of the mother who was trying to frame me to get a free green card (now being deported, verification of removal available).
Kidjacked
June 24, 2012
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Strategies For Winning Over A Dirty Social Worker
by Annette M. Hall
Don't let the introduction or the amateur nature of this video fool you. This video provides some of the best advice you can find. Do take the time to watch this video.
Kidjacked
June 24, 2012
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Family Plan of Action
by Annette M. Hall
Emergencies happen all the time, we do our best to prepare for them. While you may be prepared for the next hurricane, blizzard or flood have you made preparations to protect the most precious thing in your life... your children?
Kidjacked
June 24, 2012
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Iraq Vet Abused by California Court System
by Annette M. Hall
My Name is CPL. Witherspoon Julie and I am in the US Army. I am also a combat veteran I served 15 months in Iraq. CPS of Orange County California has stolen my two children Danny James Witherspoon born 6-17-96 and my daughter Julie Ann Witherspoon.
Kidjacked
June 24, 2012
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Jacked Up: Washington Rally
by Annette Hall
I come from a long line of military veterans. Each male member of my family has served in the military in one fashion or another. My father and husband both served in the Navy, my Uncle served as a Marine in South Korea.
Kidjacked
May 15, 2010
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Jacked Up: Good News for Reform?
by Annette Hall
Pacific Justice Institute issued a press release yesterday regarding a recent California Supreme Court ruling, which could have an unintended result...
Kidjacked
May 15, 2010
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Jacked Up: California Gold Rush
by Annette Hall
The history of California is a bloody one that explains the brutality of politics in California today.
Kidjacked
May 15, 2010
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Jacked Up: Vasquez From Jail
by Annette Hall
Last week I found out that Sylvia Jovanna Vasquez is back in jail, so I sat down and wrote her a letter of encouragement, letting her know that we are all behind her.
Kidjacked
May 15, 2010
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