Vigil to Focus on Child Support Issue

An organization dedicated to forcing deadbeat parents to pay child support will help shed some light on the issue with a candlelight vigil May 20.

The San Fernando Valley Chapter of the Assn. for Children for Enforcement Support (ACES) will join chapters around the country in the eighth annual event.

The San Fernando chapter holds monthly meetings, offers counseling for families needing help and lobbies state and federal agencies to step up enforcement of child support laws.

The organization also offers a toll-free number for people needing information. Callers can request a 15-page booklet that lists state laws on child support enforcement and gives information on how to deal with the district attorney’s office.

“The people who are in need of the services the most can’t hire a private attorney,” said Geraldine Jensen, founder and national president of ACES. “The object is to empower people to be able to help themselves.”

Through October of last year, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office handled 369,860 delinquent child support payment cases. Of that number, they had collected in 42,529 cases or about 11%.

Jensen blames poor leadership, a lack of staff and incompetence for the county’s collection rate.

“For the average parent, (the district attorney’s office) is a major obstacle in the road to collecting child support payments,” Jensen said.

“You have to be well-prepared and know your legal rights and you need to be persistent.”

Nationally, about 19 million children are entitled to support and are owed more than $34 billion in unpaid child support, Jensen said.

Gloria Allred, attorney and child support advocate, will be a guest speaker at the vigil at the district attorney’s office in Encino.