Calif DMV gives a citizen two choices: a certified or original birth certificate, or, an unexpired passport, plus other documentation. Which works great for guys. But a woman who has married, has to prove a link between her maiden name to her married name. The only document that would prove a link would be her marriage certificate. If she’s divorced and remarried again, there’s still a requirement to prove continuity:
• Certified marriage certificate
• A certified dissolution of marriage/domestic partnership document with new name
NOTE: Multiple name change documents are needed if your name has changed multiple times.
Guys don’t have jump all these hoops.
California also requires your Social Security Card:
The name on your Proof of Social Security Number must match your identity document or name change document.
For example, the name on your SSN card must match the name on your marriage certificate.
and,finally, proof of residency which can be 2 of either:
utility bills/ mortgage statement/ real estate deed/ car registration/ medicalrecords/ bank statements/ income tax returns/ property tax statement.
https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/uploads/2020/06/List_of_Docs_REALID.pdf
It seems stupid to me that they can’t just look up what name the SSN was originally given to and match that to a birth certificate.