Jaxon's Death: Santa Clara County Child Welfare Under Fire

0:00It's April 22, I'm Cory with the story, and this is California News Today, local news powered by AI. Ten social workers in Santa Clara County's Child Welfare Agency, including bosses and managers, got put on paid administrative leave after a two-year-old boy named Jackson Juarez died in foster care. This is a rare move, according to Union Reps, as the county digs into what went wrong during his six weeks with a relative. A 40-year-old woman from San Jose had a 2014 felony conviction for child endangerment from drunk driving with her, own baby in the car, a red flag that experts say should have blocked her from fostering. Her teenage son now faces murder charges plus six counts of sexual assault and another assault. Folks are furious, with child advocates and civil rights leaders demanding answers. It's the third-kid death in county care since 2023, prompting district attorney Jeff Rose into shout-in-off outside juvenile hall, and push for criminal investigations, protesters

1:03rally for justice this week. Investigators want to know why social workers overlaid her record and other warning signs, like Bruce's Jackson showed. The union says it's too early to blame staff, pointing fingers at possible policy issues instead of individual errors. No cause of death yet, but he was beaten badly before passing April 9. His tragedy echoes a 2021 case where a newborn overdose with her dad despite warnings sparking calls for leadership changes. As probes continue, pressure mounts to fix the system and prioritize kid safety over everything else.