Los Angeles County Department of Children & Family Services v. John D.

I. Introduction

John D. (the father) challenges juvenile court jurisdictional and dispositional orders finding his children, James C. (bom July 1995) and S.D. (bom *474 May 1997), dependents of the court pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code 1 section 300, subdivisions (b) and (g). The father contends the jurisdictional order should be reversed. The father argues the allegations of the petition were insufficient to support a jurisdictional determination based on his incarceration and there is no substantial evidence to support the findings. We conclude that the father has waived the right to challenge the sufficiency of the juvenile court petition allegations; nonetheless, the allegations were sufficient to confer jurisdiction on the juvenile court; and substantial evidence supports the jurisdictional and dispositional findings. Accordingly, the juvenile court orders are affirmed.

II. Background

James and S.D., along with their half siblings, Angel A. (bom September 1999) and Victoria A. (bom November 2000), came to the court’s attention on June 20, 2001, when the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (the department) filed a section 300…