California Gov. Gavin Newsom has pivoted to the center ahead of the 2028 presidential race, but the shift apparently doesn’t extend to issues such as parental rights, immigration and gun control, based on his latest spate of bill signings.

Conservatives erupted after the Democrat approved Assembly Bill 495, a measure that makes it easier to transfer child custody in the name of helping find caregivers for children whose illegal-immigrant parents are suddenly arrested or deported.

Erin Friday, president of Our Duty, blasted the bill as a “a child trafficker’s and kidnapper’s dream,” while the California Family Council said it “lets anyone pose as your child’s guardian.”

“After months of warnings from parental rights advocates, faith communities, and constitutional attorneys, Newsom ignored every concern,” said the council in a Monday statement. “In a calculated act of deception, his office released a statement claiming AB 495 safeguards parental authority.”

Assembly Bill 495 expands the number of people who may sign a caregiver’s authorization affidavit to include a “nonrelative extended family member,” putting that person in charge of the child’s education and medical decisions.

The governor’s office argued that the bill requires a court order for custody changes. The measure also prohibits schools from keeping records on students’ immigration status and applies to any parent “temporarily unavailable due to specific circumstances,” not just illegal aliens.

Conservatives weren’t appeased.

“In reality, this law allows any adult, without verification, without parental consent, and without even notifying parents, to make medical and educational decisions for a child,” said the council.

The legislation leads the list of measures slammed by conservatives as Mr. Newsom wrapped up this year’s legislative session by signing hundreds of bills ahead of the Monday deadline.

They include Assembly Bill 727, which requires student identification cards in grades 7-12 to list telephone and text contact information for the Trevor Project, a transgender-rights group that offers a 24-hour suicide hotline.

“While some in Washington turn their backs on LGBTQ youth, California is choosing compassion over cruelty,” Mr. Newsom said in his Friday signing statement. “AB 727 makes it clear: your identity doesn’t disqualify you from care and community — it’s exactly why we are fighting to make it easier to reach.”

Opponents on the right pointed out that the Trevor Project also refers teens to TrevorSpace, a chat room for LGBTQ youth ages 13-24, raising concerns about young adults preying on adolescents. The law will take effect July 1.

Mark Trammell, CEO of the Center for American Liberty, slammed the Trevor Project as “an activist group known for encouraging children to question their gender without parental knowledge or consent.”

“This law isn’t about compassion; it’s about control,” he said. “California has once again cut parents out of the most personal and life-altering decisions a child can face.”

Mr. Newsom also signed four gun-control bills opposed by the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, including Assembly Bill 1127, which prohibits gun dealers from selling popular Glock-platform pistols.

The Democratic governor has shifted to the right ahead of his anticipated 2028 presidential bid on issues such as energy, seeking to keep the state’s oil refineries open and fast-tracking the approval of new wells, much to the chagrin of the climate movement.

On matters such as immigration, gun and social issues, however, Mr. Newsom continues to cleave to his base, said Dan Schnur, professor at the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

“Newsom may have been moving rightward over the last several months, but he is only interested in going to what he sees as the center and no further,” Mr. Schnur told The Washington Times. “That means changing course in energy and housing issues, and even some economic matters. But on issues like these, he sees the political center and his own base on the same side.”

The governor also signed legislation to study whether to form a state Department of Youth Sports.

The bill called for an “integrated, equitable, and sustainable framework for youth sports,” citing participation disparities between White and minority children, but state Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones predicted the bill would further encourage students to compete based on gender identity.

“AB 749 is really just a disguise to actually further cement allowing biological males to compete against young women and girls in youth sports,” Mr. Jones said in a Sept. 26 letter urging Mr. Newsom to veto the bill.

In March, Mr. Newsom called it “deeply unfair” for biological males to participate in girls’ sports, but he took no action as the Democratic-controlled state Legislature killed bills to require students to compete based on sex versus gender identity.

The term-limited governor has one more legislative session until his second term expires in January 2027.

• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.