In re J.B. CA4/2

FACTS

The subjects of this appeal are mother’s two sons, J-R (who was born in January

2017) and Carlitos (who was born during this dependency proceeding, in October 2020).

The juvenile court took jurisdiction of J-R in April 2019 when he was two years old and

removed him from mother’s care based on safety concerns over her unaddressed mental

health issues, history of substance abuse, and history of domestic violence with J-R’s

father, Ross.

Mother was in jail at the time of the hearing. Months earlier, she had beaten the

maternal grandmother (with whom she lived), giving her a black eye and leaving bruises

and bite marks on her body. Mother had also been placed on a psychiatric hold for

locking herself inside her house with a homeless man she had just met, leaving J-R and

his four-year-old stepsister Jessica outside, crying and unattended. The maternal

2 grandmother told a social worker from San Bernardino County Children and Family

Services (the department) that mother was mentally unstable and not a safe parent.

Mother herself expressed a similar sentiment when the social worker interviewed her in

jail, saying she could not care for her children because she was…