Legal Question in Juvenile Dependency in California

Re: Teens living alone

"CALIFORNIA CODES PENAL CODE SECTION 270-273.75 270.5. (a) Every parent who refuses, without lawful excuse, to accept his or her minor child into the parent's home, or, failing to do so, to provide alternative shelter, upon being requested to do so by a child protective agency and after being informed of the duty imposed by this statute to do so, is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500). (b) For purposes of this section, "child protective agency" means a police or sheriff's department, a county probation department, or a county welfare department. (c) For purposes of this section, "lawful excuse" shall include, but not be limited to, a reasonable fear that the minor child's presence in the home will endanger the safety of the parent or other persons residing in the home."