In re P.L.

Filed 2/8/24; pub order 3/7/24 (see end of opn.)

COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION ONE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

In re P.L. et al., Persons Coming Under the Juvenile Court Law. D082723, D082853 SAN DIEGO COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY, (Super. Ct. No. NJ15938AB) Plaintiff and Respondent,

v.

J.L.,

Defendant and Appellant.

CONSOLIDATED APPEALS from orders of the Superior Court of San Diego County, Nadia J. Keilani, Judge. Affirmed. Jill Smith, under appointment of the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Claudia G. Silva, County Counsel, Lisa M. Maldonado, Chief Deputy County Counsel, and Kristen M. Ojeil, Senior Deputy County Counsel, for Plaintiff and Respondent. J.L. (Father) appeals from orders issued at the contested jurisdictional and dispositional hearing declaring his 12-year-old son, P.L., and 10-year-old

daughter, L.L. (together, the children), to be dependents of the juvenile court,

placing them with the children’s mother, H.T. (Mother),1 and giving him liberal supervised visitation. He contends the visitation orders should be reversed because the juvenile court improperly delegated its visitation authority to the children. The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (Agency) asserts Father forfeited the issue. We agree with the Agency and affirm the orders. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND The parents have a child welfare history dating back to 2019 with multiple referrals regarding Father physically or emotionally abusing the children. These referrals were previously found to be inconclusive,

unfounded, or evaluated out. The parents divorced in early 20232 and shared custody of the children. On July 3, the Agency obtained protective custody warrants for the children based on an incident that occurred on June 22 where Father allegedly punched P.L. in the eye. That same day, the Agency

filed petitions on behalf of the children under Welfare and Institutions Code3 section 300, subdivision (a). P.L. told a social worker that Father disciplines him by locking him in the garage, punching him, or hitting him with a belt. P.L. did not want to return to Father, fearing Father would be mad “and hit us again.” L.L. stated Father disciplined her and P.L. by locking them in the garage, kicking their legs, or hitting them with a belt.