Los Angeles County Department of Children & Family Services v. Juan G.

Siblings Yolanda L. and Javier L. were declared dependent children pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 300, subdivision (b), removed from appellant Juan G. (father) and placed with the mother (mother). 1 Father contends (1) the jurisdiction order was not supported by sufficient evidence and (2) the removal order was “not authorized by statute.” We affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In September 2015, four-year-old Yolanda and six-month-old Javier lived with mother and father in Montebello. Mother worked as a teacher in the Montebello school district. Father was a licensed security guard and had a permit to carry an exposed firearm, but he had been unemployed for several years and was the children’s primary caretaker. Unbeknownst to the family, father was the subject of a narcotics investigation by a multi-agency task force including the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). That investigation brought the family to the attention of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) on September 29, 2015. That morning, the family home was under surveillance by a task force team with a search warrant already in their possession. The team…