Precious paper in short supply
Counties scramble for alternative as document manufacturer closes
SACRAMENTO — A particular security-enabled paper used to print all vital records in California is in short supply after the Ohio business that produced it suddenly closed, forcing some counties to ration the number of birth and death certificates people can buy.
County registrars say the only other company capable of producing the specific type of paper required by state law is in Canada, and they are working to at least temporarily contract with
that company. Lawmakers say the paper shortage has raised a question of whether some of the security features required by state law for vital records are outdated. In the meantime, counties say they are scrambling to meet the public’s needs for the documents.
“It will impact a lot of folks,” said Rob Grossglauser, a lobbyist for the County Recorders’ Association of California. “It’s one of those things everyone has to have. When you go to buy a birth certificate, it could be anything from signing up for Little League or enrolling in school. On death certificates, when a loved one passes, to handle issues of the estate you have to have” multiple copies.
Grossglauser said it will take about 12 weeks for the Canadian Bank Note Co. to produce new paper for each of the counties after a contract is signed. The specialty paper includes each county’s name, so the paper can’t be shared if one area runs out.
Counties are also working to have the plates used to produce the paper for vital records sent to them from the nowclosed Ohio business, Sekuworks LLC, to ensure that fraudulent copies of crucial identity documents can’t be produced. Sekuworks representatives could not be reached for this story.
“This has created a lot of anxiety,” Grossglauser said.
Frederick Garcia, a services manager at the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder’s Office, said the county has a fourmonth supply and is discussing rationing how many copies a person can order of a vital record until it is able to buy more of the specialty paper.
“It’s a huge deal,” Garcia said. “We are concerned since starting a contract with any company takes time. We need to cover our bases.”
State law requires birth and death certificates and marriage licenses to be printed on chemically sensitive security paper that features intaglio print,
watermarks, fluorescent fibers and numerous other security features. It’s the requirement of intaglio printing, a type of textured engraving made into the paper, that is causing the difficulty.
Sekuworks was the only company in the United States that was capable of producing intaglio print and all of the other security features required by California.
Assembly Republican Leader Kristin Olsen of Modesto is tracking the issue to determine if the state is using the latest technology in printing and security for its vital records, said spokeswoman Amanda Fulkerson. The Legislature is likely to take up the issue next year if the Canadian company is able to provide a supply in the meantime.
Olsen’s district has been among the hardest hit.
Stanislaus County may not have enough paper to meet demand before a new supply is provided by the Canadian Bank Note Co. On Monday, the county will begin limiting people to one copy of a marriage certificate and redirect those seeking birth and death certificates to the Stanislaus County Public Health Department and the California Department of Public Health.
The county is working with its area school districts to provide a free “verification of birth” for those who otherwise would need a copy of their child’s birth certificate to enroll. “Every county is impacted by this,” said Matt Yankee, chief of the Alameda County Clerk-Recorder’s Office, which has a seven-month supply on hand and does not expect to ration.
Brenda Duran, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder/county clerk, said the office is limiting customers to one copy of a vital record at a time, which hasn’t been a problem so far.
“We’re in the same situation as everyone else,” Duran said. “Right now we are fine. We’re being prudent in extending our existing inventory.”
In San Francisco, the county clerk’s office has, conservatively, a six- to eight-month supply and is being mindful of how it uses it, said John Gavin, a spokesman for the city administrator’s office.