I'd expect the apostille would have to be done by the SOS of the state in which the notary was commissioned. As I've always understood it, the apostille is simply a verification of the validity of the notary commission of the person who completed the notarization. It's usually the SOS office that issues commissions so, of course, they're the authority that can verify them.
I fully agree with what VT_Syrup said about us "doing" apostilles. Here, at least, any individual can get that done on their own, if they can navigate the instructions on the SOS website - and are able to either take it themselves or wait the few weeks it normally takes to complete the process and have documents sent back and forth. Some need it done asap, which is where the apostille services come in.
In California, an apostille can only be issued in Sacramento or in the SOS branch office in downtown LA. There's an outfit in my area that has specialized in expediting apostilles and offering next day turnaround. If they can do a whole bunch on the same trip, it could be pretty profitable. I've done a few, but most of the time it isn't worth it for me, since it takes most of a day to get there, wait in line, and travel back.
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