In California it is a headache to get a state ID card.
You have to show up in person during business hours, stand in a long line, present an original birth certificate (photocopies no good) and other proof of ID. If you can't find your birth cert, then there is another similar process to go through to get a certified birth cert. There are fees involved at every step.
If you are unlucky enough to have to go to another state to get an auth birth cert, then all bets are off.