‘Kidnapper’s dream come true’: A California pastor is warning that residents should ‘grab your kid and leave the state’ if bill passes

A California pastor is urging families to consider leaving the state if a controversial bill, which would change the criteria for who can claim caregiver rights over a child, is signed into law. The pastor, Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, described the proposed legislation as potentially the most perilous ever to come from the state. He argues that if the bill, known as the Family Preparedness Plan Act (AB 495), becomes law, families would need to move away for the protection of their children.

Pastor Hibbs is leading a rally at the Sacramento Capitol on a Tuesday afternoon, asking Governor Gavin Newsom to veto the bill. The legislation is meant to provide a safety net for immigrant children who are at risk of being separated from their families because of immigration enforcement. The bill’s wording would allow a caregiver who is either a relative or has an established family or mentoring relationship with a child to sign a caregiver’s authorization affidavit.

This affidavit would give them the legal power to enroll the child in school and give consent for school-related medical care for the child. Fox reported that critics like Pastor Hibbs and several parental rights advocacy groups argue that the bill is too broad in its current form. They fear it could weaken a parent’s authority to make educational and medical decisions for their own children.

California Pastor claims new bill will help kidnappers

The proposed legislation states that schools are not required to conduct extra inquiries or investigations. Hibbs points out that the bill does not require parental consent, photo identification checks, or background checks on the people who complete the affidavit. While the affidavit does ask for a driver’s license number, it also allows for providing a Social Security number or a Medi Cal number instead.

Hibbs has said that legal experts he has consulted have called the bill a “human trafficker, pedophile, and kidnapper’s dream come true.” He warned that if this law is passed, similar laws could be introduced in other liberal states around the country. Hibbs also noted that California’s Education Code 234.7 already provides protections for immigrant students in school settings during immigration enforcement actions. He said, “If this bill passes, you have to grab your kid and leave the state for your child’s protection.”

He hopes his efforts will bring enough public attention to the bill to not only warn families but also to hold Governor Newsom accountable if he signs it into law. Referring to Newsom’s rumored future political goals, Hibbs stated that this is a moment where the governor must be challenged. He said, “This is where Newsom must be stopped. Let’s make him own this bill. Let’s tie it around his neck and let it be a letter that he wears that he has no regard for parental rights and no regard for federal law.”

However, a sponsor of AB 495, Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez, has issued a document clarifying that the bill does not create any form of legal or physical custody under California law. Attempts to get comments from Rodriguez and Newsom’s office have been unsuccessful. The debate over the bill continues to heat up, highlighting the ongoing tensions between immigrant protections and parental rights within the state.