Guardianship.

Existing law, the Guardianship-Conservatorship Law, authorizes a court, upon hearing of a petition, to appoint a guardian of a person or estate of the proposed ward in accordance with specified provisions of law governing the custody of a minor child. This bill would prohibit a court from appointing a minor's parent as a guardian of the person of the minor, except as specified. The bill would establish requirements for transferring a proceeding to another court in circumstances in which a proceeding that concerns custody or visitation of a minor child is pending in one or more counties at the time the petition for guardianship is filed, and would specify circumstances under which the court in a guardianship proceeding would maintain exclusive jurisdiction to determine issues of custody or visitation. The bill would also require the court in which a guardianship proceeding is filed to communicate with each court where a custody or visitation proceeding is pending prior to making a determination on maintaining or transferring the guardianship proceeding, and would require the Judicial Council, on or before January 1, 2013, to adopt rules of court to implement this provision.