In re A.P. CA1/2

BACKGROUND

A. Overview These proceedings were initiated on August 23, 2019, when the Sonoma County Human Services Agency (the agency) filed a petition under Welfare

1 and Institutions Code section 3001 on behalf of A.P., who was then 14 months old, and her older sister, based on allegations of domestic violence between mother and her live-in boyfriend, S.P., and allegations concerning mother’s serious medical issues that left her unable to safely care for her children. A.P.’s sister turned 18 during the course of these proceedings below, and her case is not at issue here. Subsequently, at the jurisdiction/disposition hearing held on January 9, 2020, the court found that S.P. is A.P.’s presumed father, and that mother’s estranged husband, Paul C., who was living in Oregon, is S.P.’s “legal” father. Mother’s reunification services were terminated after six months at a contested review hearing held on August 4, 2020, and the court terminated her parental rights after a contested hearing held on December 11, 2020. This timely appeal followed. B. Relevant Facts The issues in this appeal solely concern the Indian ancestry of A.P.’s presumed father, S.P., who disclosed to the…