Huntington Seashore’s divorced father is pushing a poll initiative focusing on CA’s “out of date” upkeep regulation

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A Huntington Beach man makes another attempt to reform California’s Alimony Act, this time by campaigning for a polling initiative that would limit payments to ex-spouses to a maximum of five years after a divorce or non-marital separation.

Steve Clark, a software engineer and divorced father, said this week if he had known 25 years ago that he might have to pay child support – also known as spousal support – he would not have married. He said he pays his ex-wife Cindy $ 1,000 a month and is due to do so for the rest of his life on a court order.

State law allows ex-spouses to receive maintenance for a “reasonable period”, which can be half the marriage or partnership. However, in the case of partnerships lasting 10 years or more, the judges can exercise their discretion and not set an end date for spousal maintenance.

Clark’s proposed reform initiative aims to “address the most egregious aspect of family law that is currently a potential lifelong obligation for the payer,” according to the website of his nonprofit CalAlimonyReform.org. He lists self-reliance, accountability, rights, roles and entitlements as the principles of his organization.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.

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