States: California

California

 

Sealed:  1936

Current Access Status: Sealed

  • adoptee required to petition court and show “good and compelling
    cause  for release of identifying information
  • release dependent upon the age of the adoptee, the date of adoption, and whether birth parents agree to the release of information.

Through a special arrangement with the Adoptee Rights Law Center, Bastard Nation is linking our individual state pages to ARLC state access law links and summaries. In addition. our state pages include information specific to Bastard Nation actions and activities in each state

Read about current OBC access legislation with links to current and past years bills at our”Keep Informed” legislative pages (middle sidebar.)

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2024 Legislation: SB1274 (OBC)

2023 Legislation: AB1302(OBC)

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California Activist Resources

PROUD BASTARD NATION PARTNER: CAL OPEN

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Jean Ulrich, Chair, Cal Open

 

 

History of Sealed Records in California

 

Read the  history of sealed records in California in Growing in the Dark:

Adoption Secrecy and Its Consequences

by Bastard Nation Founding Foundling Janine M Baer.

 

Sacramento Bee, January 22, 1935

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ACTIVISM IS FUN!

California Events:

1998: Bastards at the Bay Conference: The Convergence

Photo Gallery

Reg Day boostore in San Francisco, date unk. c, 1995-97

Honk if You’re My Daddy! , January 2, 2006

Honk
Those of us who are adopted know that Who’s Your Daddy ain’t nothin’ next to the ultimate reality show: Adoption: Secrets and Lies where everyday normal, tax-paying citizens who just happen to be adopted face down the corrupt adoption system, negotiate a gauntlet of paternalistic and “protective” laws, hypocritical adoption agencies, do-good adoption “experts,” bored judges, insensitive bureaucrats, sell-out politicians, adoption trade lobbyists, religious zealots, and snotty records clerks that even the brightest program developers and Fox producers couldn’t dream up. What is more perverse? Who’s Your Daddy or a public policy that steals identities and locks up the birth records of adopted citizens for “they’re own good” and replaces them with forged documents. Marley Greiner, Executive Chair, Bastard Nation. (Photo by David Winge)

While the rest of AdoptionLand wrung its collective hands over how the Fox-flop Who’s Your Daddy would “destroy” adoption and commodify adoptees, Bastard Nation saw the show as an  opportunity to skewer sealed records. Local members of CUB and the Adoptee Rights Organizing Project joined us  in an “educational picket” at Fox-TV at Century City in Los Angeles. Read Bastard Nation Executive Chair Marley Greiner’s statement.

 

California 2000 – 2001 Campaign (Reconstructed from Internet Archives)

AB1349 – clean bill in 2001

CakOpen 2001 - Bastard Nation partner
CalOpen 2001 – Bastard Nation partner
Marleyl Greiner, Exe. Chair Bastard Nation speaking at AB 1312 rally, California State House, Sacramento
Marley Greiner, Exe. Chair Bastard Nation speaking at AB 1349 rally, California State House, Sacramento, January 2002

 

Bastards and CalOpen, January 2002, State House ,Sacramento' Far left: Marley Greiner; , 6th from left Chaz Fillius; 2nd from right Nina Greeley who testified in favor of bill

 Bastards on the Bay Conference, Radison Mayhako Hotel, San Francisco, July 17-19, 1998

cable

We’re just a bunch of friendly San Francisco Bastards: Denise Castalucci, Jim Ansbro, Damsel Plum, Ron Morgan

 Bastard Nation Educates ABA on the Uniform Adoption Act, San Francisco, August 2-3 1997

ABA

Bastard Nation Goes to Hollywood, 1996-1997

 In 1996-11997 Bastard Nation sponsored a series of nationwide open records events in conjunction with the award-winning Oscar-nominated film Secrets and Lies.  Many were held in California. In March 1997 we attended the Oscar ceremony.  Click the link above for our Secrets and Lies page  that includes lots of links to the action.

San Francisco - Jim Ansbro
San Francisco – Jim Ansbro
Damsel Plum – San Franciscp

 

BN Co-founder Damsel Plum and Secrets & Lies actress– Beverly Hills

 

Mike Leigh, director, Secrets and Lies
Mike Leigh, director, Secrets & Lies– Beverly Hills
Carol Schaefer (author “The Other Mother, ” unk, Jim Ansbro, Deni Castellucci, unk, Sheila Ganz ((filmmaker, “Unlocking the Heart of Adoption),: unk.   It was up in the Marina District on Chestnut Street. There had been a good article in the SF Chronicle about RegDay that morning, and I went up and hung out at the table for a while, met Deni and Jim, and took the BN handouts, which blew me away. I went home, got online, and joined immediately…Ron Morgan.. Photo courtesy of Jim Ansbro
Reg Day c 1996-1997. Deb Schwartz (1st BN PR director), Damsel Plum, (co-ounder BN). Jim Ansbro. Photo court3esy of Jim Ansbro

 

Bastard Bookstore

LINKS

2023

The year of the worst OBC “access” bill ever written

2011

2010

 

2009

2008

 2007

2006

2005

Updated  February 18, 2024

Return to list of states.

 

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