Section 4053 Of Article 2. Statewide Uniform Guideline From California Family Law Code >> Division 9. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 2.
4053
. In implementing the statewide uniform guideline, the courts
shall adhere to the following principles:
(a) A parent's first and principal obligation is to support his or
her minor children according to the parent's circumstances and
station in life.
(b) Both parents are mutually responsible for the support of their
children.
(c) The guideline takes into account each parent's actual income
and level of responsibility for the children.
(d) Each parent should pay for the support of the children
according to his or her ability.
(e) The guideline seeks to place the interests of children as the
state's top priority.
(f) Children should share in the standard of living of both
parents. Child support may therefore appropriately improve the
standard of living of the custodial household to improve the lives of
the children.
(g) Child support orders in cases in which both parents have high
levels of responsibility for the children should reflect the
increased costs of raising the children in two homes and should
minimize significant disparities in the children's living standards
in the two homes.
(h) The financial needs of the children should be met through
private financial resources as much as possible.
(i) It is presumed that a parent having primary physical
responsibility for the children contributes a significant portion of
available resources for the support of the children.
(j) The guideline seeks to encourage fair and efficient
settlements of conflicts between parents and seeks to minimize the
need for litigation.
(k) The guideline is intended to be presumptively correct in all
cases, and only under special circumstances should child support
orders fall below the child support mandated by the guideline
formula.
(l) Child support orders must ensure that children actually
receive fair, timely, and sufficient support reflecting the state's
high standard of living and high costs of raising children compared
to other states.