The state began to keep their own collections of vital records in 1905 but many individual counties have material that is older than that. You can go back as far as 1824 if you are looking in Monterey County.
California Vital Records
There are no privacy restrictions or time limits when looking to get any kind of California birth or death records. Instead, they have a system with two types of records. The authorized copies are legal forms of identification, and the informational ones are not (generally ideal for California genealogy). Authorized copies are only given out to immediate relatives, and the informational one will be issued to anyone. So as long as you request the right type of document, there should be no problems.
Getting either copy means you have to send an application form either to the Vital Records branch of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in Sacramento, or at the local county clerk's office where the event took place. If you are getting an authorized copy, you will have to provide notarized proof of your own identity along with the forms...
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