Legal Question in Family Law in California

You leave out key information - most importantly are you legally on record as the father, either by you and the mother having filed the voluntary declaration of paternity paperwork, or having had a paternity determination case decided in court. What you can and need to do is crucially dependent on the answer to that question.

I agree with Mr. McCormick. You cannot get custody and visitation enforced through the courts without first having a paternity action established. But whether or not you have rights is not clear from your post. I know that it sounds bizarre, but in our system it is possible to be a biological father, but not a legal father. You may want to speak to a competent family lawyer, and at least get a consultation as to what to do.