The notice is from 1996. You’d think they would have corrected the error by now. Then again, the SF Bay Bridge rebuild is still not finished — and they started that after the 1989 earthquake.
FYI
http://www.cityoforange.org/depts/cityclerk/passport.asp
It has been known for sometime that Califonia and Texas BCs must be long form to get a passport.
"What is a certified birth certificate?"
"Certified birth certificates are generally issued by the county clerk’s office in the county where you were born. A certified birth certificate usually has a raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal, registrar’s signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar’s office, which must be within 1 year of your birth. Please note that certain birth certificates issued in Texas or California are called “abstract” birth certificates – these abstract birth certificates are not accepted by the federal government."
http://www.uspassportservice.com/faq/certified-birth-certificate/
The US State Department website only says that "some" short forms may not be accepted.
"*A certified birth certificate has a registrar's raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal, registrar's signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar's office, which must be within 1 year of your birth. Please note, some short (abstract) versions of birth certificates may not be acceptable for passport purposes."
http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_830.html#step3first