S.J.

San Francisco Human Services Agency v. S.J.

Good Law
104 Cal. Rptr. 3d 247·181 Cal. App. 4th 282·2009 Cal. App. LEXIS 2137
Court of Appeal of CaliforniaDecember 29, 2009No. A124843California6,278 words

Opinion

lead Opinion

Lambden, J.

—S.J. (mother) appeals from orders terminating her parental rights over seven-year-old twins Z.N. and Za.N., and selecting adoption as their permanent plan after a hearing under Welfare and Institutions Code section 366.26. 1 She does not challenge the merits of the rulings but claims reversible error in (1) denials of motions, late in the hearing, to relieve and substitute counsel, and (2) failure to comply with notice mandates of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) ( 25 U.S.C. § 1901 et seq.). We. affirm the orders.

Background

Mother has five children: the twins (bom in Apr. 2002), their half siblings L. and Dexter M. (bom in 1995 and 1992), and another half sibling, Benjamin J. (bom in 1994). All but Benjamin were in mother’s custody when *286 removed and detained in November 2006 on information that she was incarcerated and, during months of being homeless before then, had left them in the care of others.

The San Francisco Human Services Agency (HSA) filed an original petition that same month, and the twins were eventually declared wards (§ 300, subds. (b) [failure to protect], (g) [no provision for support] & (j) [abuse of sibling]) on amended allegations…

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