(1120) Clerk Division

The Clerk Department provides a variety of direct public services such as issuing birth, and death certificates for individuals that were born or deceased in this county, and marriage certificates to those individuals who purchased and registered their marriage license in this county. Marriage ceremonies are offered in the office. Other services provided by the Clerk Department include the filing of fictitious business name statements, public oaths and posting of environmental CEQA documents for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The records are a source of public information, and are made available to the public upon request as authorized by law and upon payment of the proper fees. All functions of the Clerk Department are conducted under provisions of the State Constitution and the State & County codes.

• The county clerk has initiated an imaging project for historic birth records dating back to 1874.

• Following the Hall of Records fire, the county clerk was moved to a facility with ample square footage to support administrative operations, prioritizing security and meeting accessibility standards. It is advised to consider that it would be preferable for the county clerk not to return to the Hall of Records, as the building does not meet the requirements for future planning.

• Digitizing the county archives is an urgent necessity. The fire at the Hall of Records underscored the importance of making a sincere investment in our document infrastructure.