Change of name and gender and sex identifier.

Assembly Member Zbur's vital records legislation modifies California's legal procedures for name and gender identity changes on official documents, establishing new streamlined processes for both adults and minors. The bill eliminates the mechanism for filing objections to adult petitioners' gender identity-based name changes, requiring courts to grant these petitions within six weeks without a hearing.

For minors seeking name changes to match their gender identity, the court must grant petitions within six weeks when all living parents provide signatures. In cases lacking full parental consent, the court issues an order allowing six weeks for written objections from non-signing parents. Hearings occur only if objections demonstrate good cause, with the bill explicitly stating that concerns about a petitioner's actual gender identity or assigned birth gender do not constitute valid grounds for opposition.

The legislation adjusts requirements for vital records modifications, removing the 30-day deadline for filing court judgments related to birth certificates and marriage licenses. It permits consolidated petitions for simultaneous name and gender changes, allowing individuals to update multiple documents through a single court process. The bill maintains existing protections ensuring new documents do not indicate they replaced original records.

Designated as an urgency statute, the measure takes immediate effect upon enactment. The bill's findings cite the need to help transgender and nonbinary individuals obtain accurate identification documents and protect themselves from discrimination, harassment, and violence through expedited access to updated records.