Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California

If he wants his estate to be distributed according to the rules of intestacy, then he does no need a will

If you would like to know how your father's estate will pass if he dies without a will, then we need to know whether or not he's married (or registered as a domestic partner) and how many children he has (living or deceased with surviving issue).

Incidentally, he could register his accounts with pay-on-death beneficiaries and circumvent the need to wait 40 days after his death to collect his accounts using small estate declarations.

Finally, he absolutely needs an Advance Health Care Directive and Durable Power of Attorney so that someone he trusts can make important decisions on his behalf if he's ever incapacitated.