Strewn with teddy bears and decorations, it was a different kind of courtroom Friday, one that leads to happy endings.
"When the judge threw down the gavel and said, 'You're part of the Broom family,' I was really excited because I actually can say, 'This is my home. This is my family. This is where I want to stay at,'" said Steven Broom.
Steven was adopted here two years ago. Friday, he and his siblings and mother welcome a new brother to the family.
"I couldn't hardly sleep last night, I was so excited about what was going to happen today," said adoptive mother Gretchen Broom. "Although I've done it two other times, every time it's so great."
James is Gretchen's fifth adopted child. His adoption was one of more than 100 in Monterey Park Friday.
Volunteer lawyers facilitate most of the paperwork for the largest foster care population in the country. That's why the state is always looking for adoptive parents to step forward.
"If I was just a wealthy person that lived on an estate with a mansion, I would just rescue -- you know how some people rescue animals -- I would rescue kids, because they're precious and they're our future, and if we don't invest in them and do the best we can for them, then the world's not going to turn out very well," said Gretchen.
Cherissa Boyd adopted her great nephew Friday. He was born with special needs to mentally ill parents.
"My dream for him is to have a normal life," said Cherissa. "With the circumstances that he's been through and his special needs, I try to make it as normal as possible, and just access all the resources that he needs to grow strong and be happy."
For the estimated 20,000 other children still cycling through the foster care system in Los Angeles County, parents like these are proof there is hope.
