Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, released the following statement from Executive Director Tony Hoang following Governor Gavin Newsom signing SB 339 into law — a bill authored by Senator Scott Wiener which further expands access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent HIV, specifically the ability of pharmacists to furnish these medications without a doctor’s prescription:
“We thank Governor Newsom for signing this critical healthcare legislation. PrEP and PEP prevent thousands of new HIV infections every year, but they are still far too difficult for many Californians to access. SB 339 will make it easier for California pharmacists to provide these important medications without a doctor’s prescription and bring the state one step closer to ending the HIV epidemic. We were proud to partner with the California Pharmacists Association and San Francisco AIDS Foundation on this important bill, and we are grateful to Senator Wiener for his ongoing leadership on this issue.“
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
The California Department of Aging (CDA) and a statewide coalition of LGBTQIA+ community-based organizations and research partners are launching a groundbreaking, statewide online survey of LGBTQIA+ older adults.
“This is an opportunity for LGBTQIA+ older adults to share their perspectives, experiences, needs, and priorities to help inform state policies and programs for older adults,” said CDA Director Susan DeMarois. “There’s no baseline data on the aging experiences and needs of older LGBTQIA+ Californians, so survey responses will help paint a current and comprehensive portrait of this community.”
“Studies have shown that LGBTQIA+ individuals face significant barriers to access health care, for example,” said Kathleen Sullivan, Ph.D., executive director of study partner Openhouse. “We’re coordinating with a statewide coalition of organizations to reach as many survey respondents as possible and we encourage all LGBTQIA+ adults aged 50 and older to share their experiences.”
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: Despite playing a proud and central role in the history of California and communities across the state, the LGBTQIA+ population has faced stigma and barriers to opportunity, support, and services available to them. Information and insights from the survey, gathered in support of the California Master Plan on Aging’s (MPA) equity and inclusion goals, will enable more responsive and accessible services addressing health, mental health, housing, income, caregiving, food assistance, and more.
KEY PARTNERS: Openhouse is a trusted voice in service provision to mid-life and older adults. Other partners are the Sexual and Gender Minority Health Equity Lab at the University of California, San Francisco; the Center for the Advanced Study of Aging Services at the University of California (UC) Berkeley; and the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) at UC Berkeley.
he leader of the California Senate on Friday said she would run for governor in 2026, entering a campaign that is far from the minds of voters but is quickly filling with candidates in a state that requires frequent fundraising to compete in some of the nation’s most expensive media markets.
Toni Atkins, a Democrat from San Diego, made history as only the third person and the first woman to hold both of the state Legislature’s top jobs — speaker of the Assembly and president pro tempore of the Senate.
Atkins is still in the latter role, but plans to step down early next month as she enters the final year of her term and cannot seek reelection because of term limits.
California, despite its progressive reputation, has never had a woman or an openly LGBTQ governor. Atkins, who is a lesbian, could be both. But she’ll have to compete against a strong field of Democrats, including Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former Controller Betty Yee and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis. Attorney General Rob Bonta is also considering a run to succeed current Gov. Gavin Newsom, who cannot seek a third term.
Kounalakis, Thurmond, Yee and Bonta have the benefit of appearing — and winning — in a statewide election, meaning voters will be familiar them. Atkins has only ever been elected by voters in San Diego.
But she is well-versed in the inner workings of the Capitol and policymaking. She has negotiated multibillion-dollar budgets and major legislation with two governors. And she has a compelling personal story — growing up in a house with no running water in rural Virginia before making her way out West and becoming one of the most powerful elected officials in the state.
“I certainly don’t fit the mold of past governors or even some of the candidates that will be in this race,” Atkins said. “I’m going to lean on my story, because I think Californians are going to want someone more like them.”
Atkins came to California in 1985 to help care for her sister’s young son. She later worked at a women’s health clinic that performed abortions before getting elected to the San Diego City Council. She had a brief stint as mayor before getting elected to the state Assembly in 2010 and the state Senate in 2016.
In the Legislature she worked with former Gov. Jerry Brown and Newsom to craft a series of budgets marked by multibillion-dollar surpluses. That ended last year when the state had a multibillion-dollar deficit.
Newsom has steadfastly refused sweeping tax increases to balance the budget — something Atkins, too, said she would try to stay away from if she were elected governor.
“We want to preserve what we’ve done. It took a lot of work,” Atkins said. “I would not gravitate toward raising taxes in this moment. I don’t think it’s called for yet.”
Major retailers in California are now required to have gender-neutral toy aisles under a new state law.
The law, which went into effect Monday, stems from a 2021 bill in the California legislature requiring toy retailers with a physical location in the state and at least 500 employees “to maintain a gender-neutral section or area to be labeled at the discretion of the retailer.”
California Assemblymember Evan Low said he was inspired to introduce this bill by an 8-year-old girl who asked, “Why should a store tell me what a girl’s shirt or toy is?”
“Her bill will help children express themselves freely and without bias. We need to let kids be kids,” Low said.
Stores failing to comply with the new law could be subjected to a $250 penalty for the first violation, and up to $500 for subsequent infractions, the bill text outlined.
“We should all have compassion for individuals experiencing gender dysphoria,” said California Family Council President Jonathan Keller at the time. “But activists and state legislators have no right to force retailers to espouse government-approved messages about sexuality and gender. It’s a violation of free speech and it’s just plain wrong.”
The bill passed in a 49-16 vote in September 2021 and was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom the following month.
The Spahr Center has moved to:1575 Francisco Blvd. East, San Rafael 94901The building is just before the turnoff to Target and Home Depot. Our phone number continues to be 415/457-2487.
Our staff will be working remotely and online until January 8 when the new location opens for limited services. We will be fully operational in our new home by January 15. More details here. LGBT+ Senior Programswill be fully operational starting January 4 with our Topical Thursday zoom group. January 8 will bring our Monday Living Room Conversation on zoom and we’ll be back to our Second Tuesday in-person group at Mgt. Todd Senior Center on January 9.
UPCOMING EVENTSall events are free unless otherwise noted January 4Topical ThursdaysListening to Each Other12:30 to 2 pmon zoom January 8Living Room Conversation7 to 8 pm on zoom January 9Second Tuesdayat Mgt. Todd Senior Center Topic: Doing Things Differently1560 Hill Road, Novato in the Hill Community Room behind the main building12:30 to 2:30 January 10LGBT+ Senior Monthly Mixer **at San Rafael Joe’s -from 4th Street entrance4:30 to 6 pm January 16Games Day *at Sam’s Place, Novato 1545 S. Novato Blvd.meal at 2 pm, games at 3 pm January 18Senior Breakfast Club *at Sam’s Place, Novato 9:30 am January 23Fourth TuesdayWest Marin LGBT+ Senior GatheringSan Geronimo Valley Community Center 6350 Sir Francis Drake Blvd12:30 to 1 brown bag/1-2:30 discussion January 26Men’s Brown Bag Lunchlast Friday of every monthAT OUR NEW OFFICES1575 Francisco Blvd. East, San Rafael 94901PLEASE CONSIDER CARPOOLING! noon to 1:30 pm January 30Women’s Coffee *at Sam’s Place, Novato 10 am
*Social Committee event, must RSVP, at least 8 participants required;to RSVP or get on their email list, write to them at socialcommittee@comcast.net ** See flyer below
To join the Spahr Senior Groupon ZoomMondays, 7 to 8 pm, &Thursdays, 12:30 to 2 pm,click the purple button below the Butterfly Heart or here:
New participants are warmly welcomed!If you’re zoom-challenged, let me know and I’ll work with you!
Topical Thursdays12:30 to 2 pm January 4Topic: Listening to Each OtherIs there a difference between hearing people speak and truly listening to each other? In the Heart Circle practice that is part of another community that I am part of, we pass a talisman/talking stick and each take a turn speaking from the heart. When someone else is speaking, the rest of us, as we say, listen from the heart; in other words, we let go of our thoughts and judgments and give the person speaking our full, witnessing attention. This practice gives our time together a profoundly different quality. Let’s talk!
Living Room Conversation Mondays7 to 8 pm We share with each other about how we’re doing and have unstructured conversations focused on listening from our hearts and deepening community.
Second Tuesday 1560 Hill Road, NovatoMgt. Todd Senior Center’sHill Community Roombehind the main buildingsee site map below new people warmly welcomed! 12:30 to 2:30 pm potluck & discussion Topic: Doing Things Differently If you had your life to live over again, what would you do differently? Given your present understanding and perspective, what changes would you make in the life you have lived? I don’t have a lot of regrets in my life but one is that I let a stepmother get in the way of my relationship with my dad in the last years of his life. It wasn’t entirely my actions – he was a participant in this, too – yet I allowed my stepmother to dominate our conversations and stifle deeper connection. What would you do differently were you able to do it all over again. And could that awareness possibly affect how you live the life you still have ahead?
New Covid Protocols: The Spahr Center provides critical, life-saving services to some immunocompromised communities. Therefore, we require program participants to be fully vaccinated, including a bivalent booster. Otherwise, community members are required to wear a mask. And please stay home if you’re experiencing any possible covid symptoms! The purple arrow points to our meeting room behind the main building at the Mgt. Todd Senior Center:
The Northbay LGBT+ Senior Social Committeehas been consistently offering meaningful, fun events for the senior community. Everyone born in any month will be celebrated in that month’s calendar – including your birthday if you’ll let them know when it rolls around! To sign up for their emails or register for events, clickhere. You can find their January birthdays and calendarhere.
Coronavirus Updates A recent covid vaccination is available if you had your last injection at least 6 months ago. Check with your care provider. Flu and RSV vaccine shots are also available. Covid Test Expiration Dates Extended:When the tests were created, a conservative date was assigned because authorities didn’t know how long they would be effective. They are working beyond their original expiration date and have been assigned new ones. You can check on your kits’ expiration date and learn more by clicking here.IF your kit is made by Quickvue, you can search for the updated expiration date here. In order to keep track of new infections, the County asks that we report self-test resultshere. To see Marin County’s latest pandemic information, click here. May we all be safe and well!
Vivalon Resources for Seniors Vivalon has moved to its new Healthy Aging Campus at 999 3rd Street, San Rafael, next to the Kaiser Building. Their phone number is 415/456-9062 The agency offers many resources for us seniors. You can learn more here. You can see their schedule of classes, some in person and some on zoom, here. The Vivalon Cafe has great daily specials, a spacious dining room, small tables and big round tables for groups. Open 11:30 to 1:45 weekdays; $8 for members, $15 for guests, with takeout readily available. You can find their daily changing menu and more information here.
Building Community from the Comfort of Your Home!See old friends and make new ones! Join us! The Spahr Center’s LGBT Senior Discussion Groupscontinue everyMonday, 7 to 8 pm& Thursday, 12:30 to 2 pm on zoom
To Join Group by Video using Computer, Smart Phone or TabletJust click this button at the start time, 6:55 pm Mondays / 12:25 pm Thursdays:Join GroupAlways the same link! Try it, it’s easy!
To Join Group by Phone CallIf you don’t have internet connections or prefer joining by phone,call the following number at the start time,6:55 pm Mondays / 12:25 pm Thursdays:1-669-900-6833The Meeting id is 820 7368 6606#(no participant id required)The password, if requested, is 135296#If you want to be called into the group by phone, notify Bill Blackburn at 415/450-5339
California Department of Aging ResourcesThe CDA has a website that is packed with information and resources relevant to the lives of seniors in our state. From Covid-19 updates to more general care for age-related health issues, access to legal assistance to getting home-delivered meals to help with housing, you may well find answers to your questions by clicking: here.
Adult and Aging Service’s Information and Assistance Line, providing information and referrals to the full range of services available to older adults, adults with disabilities and their family caregivers, has a new phone number and email address: 415/473-INFO (4636) 8:30 am to 4:30 pm weekdays473INFO@marincounty.org
Love Song for Humanity Cellist Jamie Sieber’s Love Song for Humanity is here if you would like to hear a piece of her beautiful instrumental work.
Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, announced the endorsements of 16 pro-equality candidates, including three out LGBTQ+ candidates, running for election at the federal, state, and local level in 2024 — the organization’s latest round of endorsements in its largest electoral effort in history.
“We are thrilled to endorse these pro-equality candidates running for elected offices at all levels of government across California,” said Executive Director Tony Hoang. “The challenges we continue to face in creating a world that is just and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people demand that we elect pro-equality lawmakers and leaders that will work to defend our community’s hard-fought gains, as well as continue to pave new ground in the ongoing fight for full, lived equality.”
The full list of new endorsements can be found below:
U.S. House of Representatives:
Congressional District 3: Jessica Morse
Congressional District 12: Lateefah Simon
Congressional District 31: Susan Rubio
Congressional District 45: Kim Nguyen-Penaloza
California State Assembly:
Assembly District 5: Neva Parker
Assembly District 15: Monica Wilson
Assembly District 22: Jessica Self
Assembly District 34: Ricardo Ortega
Assembly District 47: Christy Holstege
Assembly District 59: Dave Obrand
Assembly District 74: Chris Duncan
Assembly District 75: Kevin Juza
California State Senate:
Senate District 9: Tim Grayson
Senate District 35: Michelle Chambers
Local Offices:
San Bernardino City Council, District 3: Christian Shaughnessy
San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, District 3: Graham Smith
Bold names indicate out LGBTQ+ candidates.
For a complete list of Equality California’s endorsements, please visit eqca.org/elections.
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
Effective January 1, 2024, this move increases the Center’s physical space by approximately 30%, allowing for designated program areas for the food pantry, community support gatherings, case management, harm reduction, and mental health services.
Located in the heart of San Rafael’s Canal District, the new building positions the Center to better serve the priority population of LGBTQ+ Latinx youth and families. “The Spahr Center is prioritizing mental and behavioral health support for LGBTQ+ LatinX youth and families,” said Renato Talhadas (he/him), Chief Programs Officer. “Similarly, we are increasing our efforts around HIV prevention and education in the Canal District because the LatinX community has the greatest need for these services in Marin. We have a lot to accomplish, and moving to this new building in San Rafael will effectively increase the work we do for this community.”
The Center will be closed and all programs cancelled from December 25-January 1 in observance of Christmas and New Year’s. The Center will be physically closed from January 2-January 5 and the entire staff working online as they prepare the new space. The Center will open at the new space on January 8 with limited programs. The Center will be fully open at the new space and all programs on normal schedule beginning January 15. Community members can learn more about the schedule at TheSpahrCenter.org.
“This move is a part of our strategic plan,” said Joe Tuohy (he/him), Executive Director. “Our center is expanding and so we need more space and more staff. We are thrilled for this move and we look forward to sharing our new and improved space with our community.”
The Spahr Center’s new address effective January 1, 2024 is 1575 Francisco Blvd E, San Rafael, 94901.
The Spahr CenterThe Spahr Center is a 501c3 nonprofit organization in Marin County which celebrates and supports the LGBTQ+ and HIV communities of Marin. The center provides direct services for People Living With HIV, health and community programs, mental health services, harm reduction, trainings, and youth, family, and senior programs.
Today LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, the only national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ+ leaders to public office, endorsed nine more out candidates for federal, state and local office around the country. Among the candidates is Evan Low, who is running for Congress in California’s 16th District and would be the first out LGBTQ+ person to represent the Bay Area. LGBTQ+ Victory Fund has endorsed 69 candidates for the 2024 election cycle.
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund endorses the following candidates:
Lorena Austin (she/they) Arizona House of Representatives, District 9 Primary: 8/6/2024 General: 11/5/2024
Imani Barnes (she/her) Georgia House of Representatives, District 86 Primary: 5/21/2024 General: 11/5/2024
Kyra DeGruy Kennedy (she/her) Colorado House of Representatives, District 30 Primary: 6/25/2024 General: 11/5/2024
Karla Drenner (she/her) Georgia House of Representatives, District 85 Primary: 5/21/2024 General: 11/5/2024
Dallas Harris (she/her) Nevada State Senate, District 11 Primary: 6/11/2024 General: 11/5/2024
Evan Low (he/him) U.S. House of Representatives, CA-16 Primary: 3/5/2024 General: 11/5/2024
Devin Murphy (he/him) City Council Pinole, California General: 11/5/2024
Adrian Tam (he/him) Hawaii House of Representatives, District 24 Primary: 8/10/2024 General: 11/5/2024
Ritchie Torres (he/him) U.S. House of Representatives, NY-15 Primary: 6/25/2024 General: 11/5/2024
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of out LGBTQ+ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve. Since 1991, Victory Fund has helped thousands of LGBTQ+ candidates win local, state and federal elections.
The California Migration Museum recently launched a free, immersive audio tourwhich explores how an era of migration to the Castro transformed a sleepy Irish Catholic enclave into a queer homeland. We interviewed Gabby Santas from the project to learn more about the process of creating the tour, and how our archives played a pivotal role in shaping the content.
Tell us a bit about the Castro tour.
Gabby Santas:At Home in the Castro – our audio tour of San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood – departs from 1957, when Mike, or “Maurice” Gerry opens a hair salon on Castro Street, becoming the first openly gay business owner on the strip. Mike watched the neighborhood transform around him, as a series of migrations throughout the 1960s and 70s transformed the Castro into a gay “homeland” with a rainbow-flag stake in the ground. The tour also documents Mike’s own transformation into “Michelle,” a drag queen celebrity in the 1960s.
What surprised you as you started your research?
GS: What surprised me when I started digging into San Francisco’s queer history is how drag has actually always been at the forefront of the fight for LGBTQ liberation. In the 1950s, the Black Cat Cafe in North Beach became famous for its drag shows starring José Sarria. In 1961, using the Black Cat as a political headquarters, Sarria ran for San Francisco’s City Supervisor—the first known openly gay candidate anywhere in the world to run for public office. He shocked supporters by winning 6,000 votes, setting in motion the idea that a gay voting bloc could wield real power in city politics nearly two decades before Harvey Milk’s successful election.
How did our archives help in your project?
GS: The GLBT Historical Society has a really awesome, extensive archival collection. My favorite is listening to oral histories, because you get to learn about the past first-hand from the people who were living it. It makes you realize there is no single story, because each interviewee experienced and interprets the events of the time differently.
One that stuck out was Craig Richmond’s interview. He was among thousands of gay men who migrated to San Francisco in the 1960s, and spoke emotionally about finding a feeling of “home” when he crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. His testimony was an important reminder that the story of the Castro wasn’t just automatic inclusion for everyone: Craig performed as a drag queen, and he said that the mustachioed men clad white T-shirts, Levi’s jeans and hiking boots (what became the classic “Castro Clone” look) were “the most narrow-minded group of people in the world.”
Why is it important to tell this story?
GS: When we first started researching our Castro tour we knew it was important to recognize how gay migration has helped shape California, but we had no idea the extent to which questions about drag were about to take center stage in US politics. In the last year there has been a drastic proliferation of anti-drag bills introduced by lawmakers across the country, restricting or banning drag shows and performers.
Today, the Castro may not be the first neighborhood in San Francisco that most people think about when they hear the word “migration.” But the LGBTQ+ migration into the Castro in the 1960s and 1970s changed the world and was as much a cry for freedom as that made by any of the other groups of “immigrants and revolutionaries” that have shaped the US.
At the start of the neighborhood’s transformation, the Castro’s new residents were predominantly white and overwhelmingly male. Effeminate men, trans men and women, or people dressed up in drag routinely faced discrimination in bars and on the streets. Queer people of color staked out their own small havens, like the Pendulum bar, but they were few and far between. Most lesbians didn’t feel welcomed.
I think that’s one thing IDHAZ (an electronic musician who narrates the tour) brings that’s really valuable. As a trans man, he finds resonances in Mike’s story: while the neighborhood is often framed as a queer Mecca, there are many ways IDHAZ feels the Castro isn’t really “for” him.
What’s next for the project?
GS: The idea is for “Migrant Footsteps” to eventually expand from San Francisco stories to a state-wide collection of California’s migration history. We have a new tour that just came out in Japantown (on Japanese Americans’ return to the city after incarceration during WWII), and another coming out in downtown Los Angeles (on Depression-era Mexican American “repatriation”) towards the end of the year. You can stay up to date on the progress and new tours coming out by signing up for our newsletter via our website calmigration.org.
How can people experience the tour?
GS: The tours are free to download! Our app, Migrant Footsteps, is on the App Store or Google Play, and it hosts a series of immersive, digital walking tours exploring migrant stories in neighborhoods across California. The idea is that migration isn’t something you can put away in a locked display case: these are living histories, often hidden in the spaces we encounter in our day-to-day lives.
Gabby Santas is a Project Manager with the California Migration Museum. Guided by the strong belief in the power of innovative storytelling to change minds, her work with the museum brings together stories not only of arrival and welcome but also exclusion, displacement, and resistance, exploring how California was—and continues to be—profoundly shaped by migration. Gabby graduated from Brown University in 2020 with a B.A. in Socio-Cultural Anthropology. She is currently based in Berkeley, CA.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Photo Credits: The Castro Theatre on Castro Street in San Francisco, ca. 1983; Disco singer Sylvester performs at the 1980 Castro Street Fair; Women posing in San Francisco’s Castro district, ca. 1978; Two couples on the steps of a building on Castro Street in San Francisco. Sylvester photo by Robert Pruzan, Robert Pruzan Collection (1998-36), GLBT Historical Society; All others are by Crawford Wayne Barton, Crawford Wayne Barton Photographs (1993-11), GLBT Historical Society. Gabby Santas photo courtesy of same.
“Through the Parentage Opportunity Program, millions of parents have voluntarily established legal parentage for their children, giving them access to the benefits that they deserve,” said Michelle Santiago, Program Manager, California Parentage Opportunity Program. “Now, with the expanded services to parents within the LGBTQ+ community, families of all shapes and sizes have access to our free services.”
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: The Parentage Opportunity Program honors the validity and value of LGBTQ+ parenting with more supportive services and accessibility to parents of all sexual orientation and gender identities who wish to take responsibility for their children. Legal parentage benefits children throughout their lives in many ways, including confirming eligibility for military benefits, life and medical insurance benefits, social security benefits, and inheritance rights.
HOW WE GOT HERE: Authored by former California Legislator, Richard Bloom, AB 2684 (2018), known as the Uniform Parentage Act, made significant revisions to the process of establishing legal parentage, expanding eligibility from unmarried birth parents and biological non-birth parents to include married or unmarried same-sex birth parents and parents who have children using assisted reproductive technology, with some exceptions.
At the time of the legislation change, Legislator Bloom stated, “although California has already taken many steps to amend the Family Code to ensure its equal application to same-sex couples, there are still gaps in protection for families.” With the implementation of AB 2684, some of those gaps were reduced to allow same-sex couples meeting specific criteria to establish legal parentage through the Parentage Opportunity Program rather than going through the complicated and costly process of adoption. Eligible couples can sign and have witnessed a “Voluntary Declaration of Parentage,” offered through hospitals, birthing centers, and Vital Records offices throughout the state. The process is completely free of charge and establishes legal parentage with the force of a court order.
Since its inception, the Parentage Opportunity Program has taken great strides to be more inclusive of families of all shapes and sizes. To support LGBTQ+ parents and those that identify as non-binary or transgender, the Voluntary Declaration of Parentage now includes expanded categories of parents and lists “parentage” instead of “paternity”; “birth parent” instead of “mother”; “other parent” instead of “father”; and updated pronouns to support gender inclusiveness.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: In 2021, nearly 40% of babies born in California were born to unmarried mothers, out of a total of approximately 420,000 births. Contrary to standard belief, a birth certificate does not establish a legal parent-child relationship. In order to establish legal parentage in California, parents must complete a Voluntary Declaration of Parentage with the Parentage Opportunity Program or obtain a judgement in Court. Since the formation of the Parentage Opportunity Program, over 4,000,000 parents in California have voluntarily established legal parentage for free, without going to court, saving time and money.
BACKGROUND: Begun in 1995 as a path to legal paternity through the federal Administration for Children and Families, the establishment of legal parentage is administered in California under the auspices of the Department of Child Support Services by the Parentage Opportunity Program.
Topic: Doing Things Differently1560 Hill Road, Novato in the Hill Community Room behind the main building12:30 to 2:30
Love Song for Humanity