Pasadena and Long Beach keep their own recent death records. DPH does not issue those. CDPH mail is a 4 to 6 week backup, not the first desk.
Who may request
Under California Health and Safety Code section 103526: a parent or legal guardian, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse or domestic partner, a funeral director acting for the family, an attorney or court-appointed representative of the estate, or a government agency on official business. Anyone else may request an informational copy, which banks will not take.
What to bring
Valid photo ID for in-person appointments. Mail and authorized copies require the county's identity paperwork. Confirm the current list on the Registrar-Recorder site.
Where to write or visit
Appointments through lavote.gov. Recent deaths (current or previous year, not Pasadena or Long Beach) are also issued by DPH Vital Records, 313 N. Figueroa Street, Room Lobby-1, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Notes from the desk
Start with the county, not CDPH in Sacramento. Authorized certified copies from 1995 to the present can be issued at a scheduled appointment. Older records and all informational copies are mailed in about 20 business days. California charges the same $26 for every copy. There is no cheaper extra.