In re Steven V.

Filed 8/10/06 In re Steven V. CA2/5

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS

California Rules of Court, rule 977(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 977(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 977.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION FIVE

APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, David S. Milton, Judge. Affirmed.

Lori A. Fields, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

Raymond G. Fortner, Jr., Los Angeles County Counsel, Larry Cory, Assistant County Counsel, and Jacklyn K. Louie, Deputy County Counsel for Plaintiff and Respondent.

I. INTRODUCTION

Rochelle B., the mother, appeals from a January 20, 2006 order terminating her parental rights as to 11-year-old Steven V. and 2-year-old Roland V. (Welf. & Inst. Code,^[1] § 366.26.) The mother contends: the trial court should have permitted Steven to testify; there was no substantial evidence to support the adoptability finding; and the beneficial relationship exception requires reversal of the parental rights termination order. We affirm the parental rights termination order.

II. BACKGROUND

A. Detention

Nine-year-old Steven and 10-month-old Roland were detained on January 21, 2004. The order terminating the mother's parental rights was entered two years later. The events precipitating protective custody were that the mother, who had been homeless for two years, brought a son, Manuel C., to the hospital. Manuel, then age 4, was a medically fragile child. (Manuel passed away while these dependency proceedings were pending, on December 11, 2005.) Hospital staff notified the department that the mother â€