A 67-year-old California man was running an unlicensed daycare out of his home with his wife while allegedly committing lewd acts against the children entrusted to their care — and not a single safeguard stopped him before the damage was done.
Javier RiveraMojica of Shandon was arrested on a no-bail warrant and charged with 11 counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, plus nearly two dozen felony sentencing enhancements, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office. The abuse happened at the unlicensed home daycare he and his wife operated in the small community outside Paso Robles.
This is the part that should make every parent's blood run cold: the daycare was unlicensed. That means no state background check on RiveraMojica. No licensing inspection of the premises. No regulatory paper trail that might have flagged a predator operating in plain sight. Every layer of bureaucracy that working parents are told exists to protect their children — the licensing boards, the inspectors, the databases — failed to even show up.
The Sheriff's Office said RiveraMojica gained access to "numerous victims" through the daycare and investigators are looking for additional witnesses or victims who have not yet come forward. A search warrant was served at the home on South Fourth Street. The alleged victims have been offered advocacy and support services.
The Post reported the facts straight: unlicensed operator, dozens of felony charges, investigation ongoing. What neither outlet pressed is the obvious question — how does an unlicensed daycare operate in a regulated state like California without triggering any enforcement action until children are already alleged victims? California's Community Care Licensing Division, under the state's Social Services Department, is responsible for tracking and shutting down unlicensed facilities. Where were they?
This isn't a complicated policy failure. It's a basic competence question. The state requires licenses for a reason — or at least it claims to. When a predator can simply skip the paperwork and open his doors to toddlers, the licensing regime isn't a safeguard. It's a toll booth that only inconveniences the law-abiding.
RiveraMojica sits in custody on no-bail hold. The investigation continues. The bureaucracy that never showed up will now issue statements about its commitment to safety. And the parents of Shandon are left with the same question every community asks after one of these cases: who was minding the store?
