Change of name or gender and sex identifier.

Senator Wiener's legislation expands court record confidentiality protections for Californians seeking to change their name, gender marker, or both, building upon existing safeguards currently limited to minors. The bill requires courts to keep all associated records confidential, including indexes and registers of actions, with access restricted to petitioners, their attorneys, and other authorized parties.

The measure establishes a comprehensive framework for maintaining privacy, applying to petitions filed after July 1, 2026, while allowing those who filed earlier to request confidentiality retroactively without fees. Courts must limit record access both before and after issuing change orders. The bill prohibits unauthorized posting of confidential records online and creates enforcement mechanisms, including civil actions for actual damages of at least $5,000, plus potential punitive damages and attorney fees for willful violations.

The Judicial Council must develop implementation forms and rules by July 1, 2026. The legislation codifies that information about whether someone's gender identity aligns with their assigned sex at birth constitutes protected private information, while preserving courts' existing authority to seal records under California Rule of Court 2.550. As an urgency measure, the bill would take immediate effect upon passage, though certain enforcement provisions begin six months later.