Assembly Member Ahrens proposes changes to California's higher education and juvenile court systems that would streamline financial aid processes for students with unusual dependency circumstances while expanding controlled access to juvenile records for educational purposes.

The legislation creates an alternative documentation pathway for financial aid dependency status adjustments at California's public colleges and universities. When traditional documentation is unavailable, financial aid administrators must accept sworn statements from authorized representatives of local educational agencies, county welfare departments, or probation departments. These attestations would require specific declarations about the student's relationship with and financial support from parents.

The bill also modifies juvenile court record access rules to permit higher education personnel and funding organizations to inspect relevant portions of juvenile case files when necessary to facilitate a minor's college enrollment or financial support. This access comes with strict confidentiality requirements - personnel may only view information directly related to educational purposes, must maintain separate confidential files, and must destroy records when they are no longer needed. Intentional violations of these confidentiality provisions would constitute a misdemeanor punishable by fines up to $500.

For implementation, the legislation requests the University of California Regents to adopt corresponding policies, while requiring compliance from California State University and community college systems. The bill creates state-mandated local programs by imposing new duties on community college districts and establishing new misdemeanor provisions, though reimbursement requirements vary based on the specific mandate type.