Analysis: The California Custody Cartel
The Brenna Gano case is not an outlier — it reflects a broader pattern.
Across California and beyond:
- Mental health is increasingly central to custody decisions
- Private professionals operate within loosely regulated networks
- Financial incentives may align with prolonged conflict
- Parents face escalating costs to maintain access to their children
This raises a fundamental question:
Is family court still a public system — or has it become a privatized market?