In re E.M. CA6

I. BACKGROUND

A. The Initial Dependency Proceedings2 In February 2019, mother, who was intoxicated, ran a red light with her van while her twin daughters, G.M. and E.M. (both born in 2014), were unsecured in the backseat of the vehicle. At the time, mother was on active parole for a different alcohol-related child endangerment offense. Mother and the twins had been living in the van, and the children were placed in protective custody. Mother was in a relationship with her boyfriend, who had perpetrated multiple acts of domestic violence against her in the past and was a registered sex offender. Mother and her boyfriend had an infant daughter together (G.M. and E.M.’s half-sibling). A social worker interviewed the twins and found that neither of the girls, who were four years old at the time, were potty trained. The Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children’s Services (Department) filed petitions under section 300, subdivisions (b)(1) (failure to protect), (c) (serious emotional damage), (g) (no provision for support), and (j) (abuse of a sibling)

2 G.M.’s and E.M.’s father was not involved in the twins’ lives and largely did not participate in the dependency…