SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- A special paper used for birth certificates and marriage licenses is scarce, and local government offices are struggling to deal with the shortage.
California relied on just one vendor in Ohio to supply the secure bank note paper that is created by a printing method known as intaglio, which protects vital records such as birth, death and marriage certificates from being counterfeited.
The vendor went out of business without telling anyone, Orange County Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen said.
The Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department issues 3,200 certificates on average each week. But the clerk-recorder said they always keep several weeks worth of bank notes in a safe. So far, the office is managing, but clerk-recorders are asking customers to stick to just one certified copy at a time.
In San Bernardino County, the assistant recorder-county clerk said there are only 44,000 certificates in storage that are expected to last until the end of the year.
Both San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties are looking for new vendors. Nguyen said the Orange County department has found another company in Canada to provide the special paper and expects a shipment to come in the next several weeks.