California's guideline child support formula is a starting point, not a ceiling. For Santa Rosa families where one or both parents own a business, work on commission, receive equity compensation, or have income that varies year to year, the number a court calculates from last year's tax return may have little to do with what the children actually need—or what either parent can actually sustain. Child support mediation with Marla Keenan-Rivero produces agreements that reflect your family's real financial picture: accurate, durable, and built with enough detail to handle the changes ahead.

Marla spent 20+ years as a family law litigator in Sonoma County before transitioning to mediation. She knows exactly how the Sonoma County Superior Court calculates and modifies child support—what judges look at, where the formula produces unfair results, and how to structure an agreement that will hold up when circumstances change. Santa Rosa families with non-W2 income—tech professionals, business owners, real estate investors, healthcare practitioners—consistently find that the guideline formula misrepresents their actual income. Mediation is where that gets fixed honestly, with both parties at the table and full financial disclosure on both sides.

Child support mediation covers the full scope of what a final support agreement needs: base monthly support amount, health insurance coverage and cost allocation, uncovered medical expenses, childcare costs tied to employment, educational expenses, and extraordinary costs. Marla facilitates careful financial disclosure from both parents, including documentation of business income, variable compensation, and any income that requires interpretation under California Family Code. The result is a Memorandum of Understanding covering all support components, reviewed by each party's independent attorney before being submitted to court as a binding order. Most Santa Rosa families complete support mediation in one to two sessions.

Call (707) 525-8800 or email Tidwell@perrylaw.net.