Not arguing for Vital Records (birth, death, marriage) as an issue.  I did address the original poster's issue of title abstracting, which is our primary line of work.  The Vitals can be helpful in this, sometimes, and offer other forms of research opportunity outside our title work.

 Actually, funny thing about Vitals in California which probably, in this case, does not pertain to Vitals elsewhere, a credentialed journalist on assignment can get access to Vitals without cost, so keeping  your reporting credentials fresh might come in handy to test vitals access.

The Recorders Offices and Deed Registries are fairly uniformly governed across our 50 states by public records access laws.

 It makes it hard for the rest of us when we travel to a county outside of our normal stomping grounds and ask for lawful access and are denied due to illegal policy.

 I then have to point out that policy must be WRITTEN as unwritten policy is illegal.  Written policy must be maintained in a publicly available policy book at the facility that it pertains to and during the posted public hours of that facility.  Policy, to be written into effect must be submitted to the voters in public hearings prior to it coming into effect.  Hearing notices must be publicly posted, must provide for fair access and must allow for public input.  All of this is governed by law.

 When abstractors roll over and let the bureaucrats "give it to them" each day, instead of knowing and asserting Rights (which is their duty to their paying clients), then it simply creates an air of complacency and collusion with wrongful practices by civil servants.  These civil servants then expect you to serve them;  kowtow to their needs for a coffee break or an easy day.  Sad but true.