The Alliance for Children Concerned About Move-Aways (ACCAMA) believes that children’s need for frequent and meaningful contact with both parents after a divorce is paramount.
ACCAMA was organized on July 11, 2004 for the purpose of defeating SB 730, which would have abrogated the California Supreme Court’s decision in In re Marriage of LaMusga (2004). Under SB 730, it would be very difficult for a non-custodial parent to prevent his or her children from being moved hundreds or thousands of miles away. ACCAMA's campaign was successful, and SB 730 was withdrawn on August 16, 2004. The campaign also drew wide media coverage. In 2006 ACCAMA opposed SB 1482, a similar bill which would have made it difficult for children of divorce to retain the loving bonds they share with both parents. ACCAMA's campaign generated over 4,000 opposition calls, letters and faxes to Sacramento, and on May 9 SB 1482's author pulled the bill.
ACCAMA recognizes that there are some situations where custodial parents should be allowed to move, particularly in cases of dire economic need or domestic violence, or when noncustodial parents show little interest in their children or do not avail themselves of their visitation time. What ACCAMA opposes are frivolous, selfish, vindictive, or bad faith moves which tear children away from loving noncustodial parents.
The Alliance for Children Concerned About Move-Aways (ACCAMA) believes that children’s need for frequent and meaningful contact with both parents after a divorce is paramount. ACCAMA was organized on July 11, 2004 for the purpose of defeating SB 730, which would have abrogated the California Supreme Court’s decision in In re Marriage of LaMusga (2004). Under SB 730, it would be very difficult for a non-custodial parent to prevent his or her children from being moved hundreds or thousands of miles away. ACCAMA's campaign was successful, and SB 730 was withdrawn on August 16, 2004. The campaign also drew wide media coverage. ACCAMA's current campaign is in opposition to SB 1482, a new bill that has been introduced into the California Senate which will make it more difficult for children of divorce to retain the loving bonds they share with both parents.
ACCAMA recognizes that there are some situations where custodial parents should be allowed to move, particularly in cases of dire economic need or domestic violence, or when noncustodial parents show little interest in their children or do not avail themselves of their visitation time. What ACCAMA opposes are frivolous, selfish, vindictive, or bad faith moves which tear children away from loving noncustodial parents.
ACCAMA urges all those concerned about the welfare of children to take action to oppose SB 1482.
In addition to ACCAMA, numerous other organizations are opposed to SB 1482. They include:
In re Marriage of LaMusga (2004), a custodial mother sought to move two young boys 2,400 miles away from their father. In a wise, moderate, and eminently sensible decision, the Supreme Court ruled for the father, stating “the likely impact of the proposed move on the noncustodial parent's relationship with the children is a relevant factor [among others] in determining whether the move would cause detriment to the children…”
The Alliance for Children Concerned About Move-Aways seeks to defeat SB 730, which would abrogate LaMusga and make it difficult for a non-custodial parent to prevent his or her children from being moved hundreds or thousands of miles away.
In addition to ACCAMA, numerous other organizations are opposed to SB 730. They include:
California Judges Association
Divorced Dads and Fairness (Los Angeles Times, 8/8/04) by ABC Producer John Eisendrath, an endorser of ACCAMA
Is a Pool More Important than a Dad? (San Francisco Chronicle, 5/4/04) by family law attorney Jeff Leving and columnist/talkshow host Glenn Sacks
The California Supreme Court's LaMusga opinion
Summary of the Case by Sacramento Bee Reporter Claire Cooper
Mental Health Professionals Condemn SB 730
Relocation of children after parents' divorce may lead to long-term problems, study suggests American Psychological Association
Relocation of children after divorce and children’s best interests: New evidence and legal considerations Braver, S.L., Ellman, I.M. & Fabricius, W.V. (2003) Journal of Family Psychology, 17(2), 206-219.
Brief filed on behalf of LaMusga children written by Richard Warshak, Ph.D. and signed by 50+ mental health professionals
The Burgess Decision
Chronology of Important Move-Away Cases by Steven Carlson, Child Custody Coach
Dr. Laura on the Burgess Decision and Move-Aways
A new bill has been introduced into the California Senate which will make it more difficult for children of divorce to retain the loving bonds they share with both parents.
Under SB 1482, which will be voted on by the California Senate Judiciary Committee next Tuesday (April 25), a parent seeking to block a move is specifically prohibited from citing most of the evidence that could provide a basis for restraining the move. Nonmoving parents are prevented from citing the move's impact on their children's relationships with them or the effects of the children losing their schools and friends. This directly abrogates current California case law which says that the children's relationship with their nonmoving parent must be considered when deciding a relocation case. SB 1482 is an attempt by the extremist Coalition for Family Equity and misguided feminists to reverse the progress made on behalf of California's children of divorce over the past two years. From 1996 to 2004 move-away determinations were based on the Burgess decision, which was interpreted by California courts as conferring unlimited move-away privileges. Under Burgess the bonds between tens of thousands of children and their noncustodial parents were needlessly ruptured.
The California Supreme Court addressed the problem in the LaMusga decision in April, 2004 by making it clear that courts can prevent children from being moved when it is detrimental to their interests. Among the factors deemed important were the relationship between the child and the nonmoving parent.
In the summer of 2004 then Senate President John Burton, one of the most powerful people in California, introduced SB 730, a bill which would have granted custodial parents an almost unlimited right to move children far way from their noncustodial parents.
We organized opposition to SB 730, and thousands of you wrote and called Sacramento to oppose the bill. Our campaign gained widespread media attention and was endorsed by numerous mental health and family law professionals. Burton surprised Sacramento insiders by withdrawing the bill a few weeks later.
Today we must again fight to preserve the relationships children of divorce share with their mothers and fathers. To voice your opposition to SB 1482, click here. By filling in the form, you will be both faxing and emailing Sacramento. Also, we suggest you call the members of the committee--the phone numbers are here.
California family law has a huge influence on other states, and parents all over the United States have a large stake in what happens here. We hear every day from devastated parents who lost their children in the aftermath of the misguided Burgess decision. We often hear from parents whose relationships with their children were saved by the LaMusga decision.
The Alliance for Children Concerned About Move-Aways, which we originally formed to defeat SB 730, is working with the California Alliance for Families and Children to defeat SB 1482
Dear Senate Judiciary Committee Member,
I am writing to urge you to vote against SB 1482 in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on May 9, 2006.
SB 1482 will harm California's children of divorce by making it more difficult for them to retain the loving bonds they share with both parents.
Under SB 1482 parents seeking to prevent their children from being moved hundreds or thousands of miles away are specifically prevented from citing the move's impact on their children's relationships with them as a basis for restraining the move. Nor are they allowed to cite the effects of the children losing their schools and friends.
In 2004 the California Supreme Court acted to protect children of divorce with its LaMusga ruling. SB 1482 will instead return us to the days when custodial parents could move children whenever they wanted, wherever they wanted, often needlessly damaging the relationships between children and their noncustodial parents.
I urge you to stand up for children by voting against SB 1482.
The undersigned believe that children's need for frequent and meaningful contact with both parents after a divorce is paramount, and oppose attempts to weaken or abrogate the California Supreme Court’s decision in In re Marriage of LaMusga (2004).
Robert Adler
Attorney at Law
Calabasas, CA
Dana L. Blatt
Certified Family Law Specialist
Woodland Hills, CA
James W. Blackman Family Law Attorney San Francisco, California
Sanford L. Braver, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Arizona State University
Sidney J. Brown, Ph.D. Clinical and Forensic Psychology Encino, CA
Steven Carlson Child Custody Coach Orange County, CA
Ronald E. Champoux Family Law Attorney San Rafael, CA
Ken Cochrane Certified Family Law Specialist Modesto, CA
Jose David Cohen Doctor of Clinical Psychology North Hollywood, CA
Victor Clark Cohen Attorney, Divorce Mediator Board Member, Breakthrough Parenting Services, Inc. Los Angeles, CA
Garrett C. Dailey Family Law Attorney Oakland, CA
Tracy Duell-Cazes Certified Family Law Specialist San Jose, CA
John Eisendrath Executive Producer, ABC Los Angeles, CA
Michael Friedman, M.D. Board Member and Chair, Legislative Committee Association of Family and Conciliation Courts-California
Tammy-lyn Gallerani Certified Family Law Specialist Walnut Creek, CA
Lorraine C. Gollub Certified Family Law Specialist Culver City, CA
Frieda Gordon Family Law Attorney Santa Monica, CA
Dianna Gould-Saltman Certified Family Law Specialist Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Los Angeles, CA
Suzanne Harris Certified Family Law Specialist Los Angeles, CA
Mark Hamilton Family Law Attorney Orange, CA
Marilyn Hawkins-Walls, B.S.H.S. Child Visitation Monitor Venice, California
Steven G. Hittelman Certified Family Law Specialist Orange, CA
David J. Holcomb Attorney and Counselor at Law Walnut Creek, CA
Vivian L. Holley Certified Family Law Specialist San Francisco, California
Jennifer Jackson Certified Family Law Specialist San Francisco, CA
Dr. Stephen Johnson Marriage & Family Therapist Beverly Hills, CA
Michael Kennedy, JD Los Angeles, CA
Richard L. Kotler Certified Family Law Specialist Santa Clarita, CA
Matthew M. Kremer Certified Family Law Specialist San Diego, CA
Kathryn Lamat, JD Attorney and Counselor at Law Solvang, CA
David R. Lane Certified Family Law Specialist Marysville, CA
Edward H. Lee, Esq Attorney-at-Law Springfield, NJ
Robert Leverant Marriage & Family Therapist Sebastopol, CA
Alan J. Lewis, Ph.D. Licensed Psychologist (PY4408) Clinical and Forensic Psychology Tampa, FL
Thomas Trent Lewis Certified Family Law Specialist Woodland Hills, CA
Hugh A. Lipton Certified Family Law Specialist North Hollywood, CA
Jayne A. Major, Ph.D. Executive Director Breakthrough Parenting Services
Diana Mercer Attorney-Mediator Peace Talks Mediation Services Playa del Rey, CA
Dewey Meyers, MD., PhD. Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist Fairfax, CA
Dr. Linda Nielsen Professor of Adolescent Psychology & Women's Studies Wake Forest University Winston Salem, NC
Michael L. Oddenino Family Law Attorney Arcadia, CA
Nancy Perkovich Certified Family Law Specialist Sacramento, CA
Denise Placencio, Esq. Family Law Attorney Los Angeles, CA
Daniel W. Puls, PsyD Licensed Clinical Psychologist Whittier, CA
Glenn Sacks Columnist, Radio Talk Show Host Los Angeles, CA
Fern Topas Salka Certified Family Law Specialist Former Chair, LACBA Family Law Section Former Chair, Women Lawyers Assn. of Los Angeles, Family Law Section Los Angeles, CA
Dee Samuels Family Law Attorney Los Angeles, CA.
Dr. Laura C. Schlessinger Nationally-syndicated radio talk show host Best-selling author Marriage, Family and Child Counselor (MFCC) Sherman Oaks, CA
Shari Schreiber, M.A. Counselor Los Angeles, CA
Lisa Scott Family Law Attorney Seattle, WA
Leslie Ellen Shear Certified Family Law Specialist Encino, CA
Carol Silbergeld, LCSW, BCD Director, Children of Divorce Project LA Child Development Center Santa Monica, CA
Lawrence A. Sobel Certified Family Law Specialist Woodland Hills, CA
Renee Sperling Family Law Attorney, Los Angeles, CA
James K. Sweeney Family Law Attorney Santa Monica, CA
Peter M. Walzer Family Law Attorney Calabasas, CA
Claudia Ann Weaver Family Law Attorney Lancaster, CA
Allison Wells Family Law Attorney Marin County, CA