Law to fight forged autographs: Luke Skywalker endorsed, now governor signs off

The force is strong with Mark Hamill, even at the Capitol.

Acting on legislation prominently endorsed by the “Star Wars” actor, Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday signed a bill requiring memorabilia dealers in California to provide certificates of authenticity for any autographed collectibles they sell. The bill expands to all memorabilia a regulation currently in place for sports items.

Assembly Bill 1570, by Assemblywoman Ling-Ling Chang, R-Diamond Bar, was hardly controversial. It passed both houses without dissent.

Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” series, drew attention to the cause last year, when he took to Twitter to tell fans whether autographs they posted were fake or real. He argued the legislation would help protect fans outside the sports world from fraud.

Brown approved the bill without comment, one of 32 pieces of legislation he signed Friday. The governor is rushing to act on more than 700 bills before a Sept. 30 deadline.

This story was originally published September 9, 2016 at 1:35 PM with the headline "Law to fight forged autographs: Luke Skywalker endorsed, now governor signs off."