Book excerpt: The Notary Public Handbook is your official source of laws related to notaries public in California. A notary public is a public official who performs invaluable services for the legal, business, financial, and real estate communities. Although there are no significant statutory changes for 2019, new additions this year include a fee table on page 19 and an Index at the back of the handbook to better assist you in finding information on a specific topic of interest. This Notary Public Handbook is designed to supplement your course of study, which will prepare you for the notary public examination. All statutory references are to California Codes, unless otherwise indicated. Once you are commissioned, the Secretary of State strongly recommends that you keep your Notary Public Handbook as a ready reference to help you perform your duties.