Source: KQED - The California Report
“I thought it was strange. And given that my parents are immigrants, I thought it was always important to have an understanding of your culture and appreciate your culture and being able to say your name correctly,” she said. “And spelling correctly is extremely important.”
Does your name have a hyphen or accent mark that isn’t reflected on your California driver’s license or birth certificate? This is the norm in the Golden State, which doesn’t allow accents or hyphens in official documents. However, a proposed bill would allow residents to change their names to include diacritical marks — like accents and tildes — on government documents.
Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco of Downey is proposing the legislation. “I thought it was strange. And given that my parents are immigrants, I thought it was always important to have an understanding of your culture and appreciate your culture and being able to say your name correctly,” she said. “And spelling correctly is extremely important.”
AB 64, the Identity Integrity Act, would allow for residents of California to include accents, umlauts, tildes and other diacritical marks on vital records, such as birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage licenses.