CA AB2665

Establishes a 3-year pilot program in up to 5 voluntarily participating counties, starting July 1, 2023, to address racial disparities in child welfare removal decisions by implementing a "blind removal strategy."

Requires participating counties to redact demographic information (names, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, address, and income) from case files during removal decision meetings to eliminate implicit bias.

Redacted information remains available for all other purposes including evaluations, services, Indian Child Welfare Act compliance, and court proceedings, and the blind strategy does not apply to emergency removals.

Mandates the State Department of Social Services conduct evaluations after 18 months and 3 years of implementation, monitoring the impact on removal rates for Black, Native American, and Latinx children, with reports submitted to the Legislature.

Pilot counties must include geographic diversity with at least one county each from southern California, northern California, and rural areas; the section sunsets on January 1, 2027.