Now that Eric Smith, (not real name) a 17-year-old foster child, has been declared a dependent of the court, he is on a mission to change the laws that regulate CPS. “No one should have to go through what I did,” he said, citing his nine months in CPS custody last year. “They treated me like I was a villain, instead of a victim. Why? Because they can.” Eric wants to see that stop. Just shy of 18, Eric is not yet able to fully tell his story. But that is not stopping him from writing letters to political officials and child welfare groups, recounting his experiences and proposing legislative changes. And what he can tell of his story, he does. On April 1 2011, an emergency CPS social work

Q. My stepdaughter just turned 18. We wanted to do a stepparent adoption, but her  father wouldn’t permit it. She doesn’t get along with her father (it’s a long story) and now that she’s 18, we heard that we can do an “adult adoption” without his permission. Can we do this? How would we do it? Fred A. Adult adoption is possible. In fact, it’s a pretty common question here at the law library—so much so that we created a step-by-step guide called “Adult Adoption in California” with instructions and sample forms. An adult adoption is when someone adopts a person who is 18 or over and not related to them. It changes the legal rights of both of you, and severs the existing relationship with

Sacramentans were expectedly divided following Wednesday’s ruling overturning Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Chief Judge Vaughn Walker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California determined Wednesday that the ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. “Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples,” according to the decision in the case, Perry v. Schwarzenegger. Vaughn also declared that Prop. 8 “prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on

Hina's Tea announced Monday that it will close soon. Owner Hina Soni, who has been in a legal dispute with her landlord, Gary Orr, since mid-2007, learned last week that Orr was entitled to repossess the property until litigation is complete. Soni and Orr declined to comment, saying to contact their lawyers. There are more than 100 court documents attached to the case, number 07AS02841 on the Sacramento County Superior Court's website, some reaching 330 pages. According to the most recent court order, there are several key disputes unresolved. "There is a triable issue of fact as to the amount of back rent, if any, owed," according to the document. "There also is a triable issue of fact

As a former victim of domestic violence I have experienced a bias within the juvenile court system. The victims are often penalized and have there families destroyed and children removed from their loving homes. To worsen the matter victims are then placed on the Central Index , which is national, making it impossible to work with children. Children ripped away from their homes are in my opinion, subjected to Radical Attachment Disorder as the bonds between siblings and other immediate family members are broken over the course of months or years making it much easier for them to be adopted out. Victims of domestic violence are ordered to go to classes and counseling that I feel are in con

Hundreds of gays, lesbians and supporters lined the south steps of the State Capitol to recommit to the cause of fighting for equality Wednesday at around 5 p.m. Organized by the nonprofit Equality Action NOW (which also helped organized the larger March 16 rally at the State Capitol), the people were there to tell the world that they want equality, and they want it now. On the eve of the California Supreme Court hearing arguments on the validity of Prop. 8, the state amendment to ban same-sex marriages, the hundreds marched from the State Capitol to the steps of the Stanley Mosk Library and Courts Building. The gathered held signs with slogans such as, “We are never going away,” "God d

Today on Ninth Street in front of the Gordon D. Schaber Courthouse, Assemblyman Dave Jones unveiled a new deal for Sacramento County to build a courthouse expected to cost $550 million. The new site of the building has not chosen yet but court officials would like it to be on the site of the two-story parking lot across Eight Street from the existing facility. It would house 35 to 49 new courtrooms for criminal proceedings. and funds to build the new court house will come out of the $5 billion lease revenue bond that was enacted buy the legislature last year. $550 million is alot of money…here's the costs of some other local State projects and what we got for the money. Federal Courthous