California's Department of Motor Vehicles, slammed in a state audit for slipshod customer service and being poorly prepared for the rollout of federally approved driver's licenses, will close its offices statewide for a half-day to train staff on doing a better job. The closure will happen Wednesday, July 24, so...
Walters: DMV Crisis Could Make or Break Newsom
Ambitious politicians like to dazzle us with what Hollywood screenwriters call “high concept” pitches that reduce complex ideas to a few succinct words. Gavin Newsom is certainly an ambitious politician and is extraordinarily oriented toward high-concept gestures. His latest emerged during a quick trip to El Salvador last week, ostensibly...
Suit Targets California’s Ban on ‘Come on You Whites’ Plate
LOS ANGELES — A soccer fan says in a lawsuit that the California Department of Motor Vehicles violated his First Amendment rights by rejecting a personalized license plate he said would celebrate his favorite team, but which the DMV determined might be deemed offensive. Jon Kotler applied for a plate...
Jim Patterson: Newsom Is Right to Order DMV Overhaul
The California Department of Motor Vehicles has been a source of frustration for employees and customers for as long as anyone can remember. I started pushing for major reforms of this department in 2016 when my office was flooded with calls from truck driving students who were waiting 12 weeks to...
California DMV: Non-Citizens May Be Registered to Vote
SACRAMENTO — At least one non-citizen and perhaps many more were improperly registered to vote in California by the Department of Motor Vehicles, prompting the secretary of state to demand a new investigation of the embattled agency Monday. The DMV said about 1,500 people may have been incorrectly registered between...
Where Caballero, Poythress Stand on Issues in Pivotal Senate Race
All eyes in Sacramento are focused on the sprawling state Senate race that involves voters in Fresno, Madera and Merced counties, as well those on the central Coast. It pits two candidates ideologically apart on many issues: Democrat Anna Caballero, an assemblywoman from Salinas; and Republican Rob Poythress, a Madera...
Gov. Brown Orders DMV Audit After Latest Failure
Gov. Jerry Brown is doing what the California Legislature failed to do — order an audit of the DMV. The state Department of Finance will perform the audit. Brown's order Friday came a day after a computer outage crippled more than a third of DMV offices around the state for...
Patterson Renews Call for DMV Audit After 'Motor Voter' Snafu
Assemblyman Jim Patterson of Fresno again called for an audit of the Department of Motor Vehicles after it was revealed Wednesday that agency technicians may have botched about 23,000 Californians' voter registrations under the state's new "motor voter" law. The DMV sent the secretary of state's office incorrect information for...
Cox Runs Over DMV During Fresno Campaign Stop
The modest wait times of DMV customers seemed to catch John Cox off-guard. The Republican candidate for governor visited Fresno on Friday afternoon, talking to motorists at the office on north Blackstone Avenue. This was not the first time Cox had visited a DMV office to observe the wait lines in...
GOP’s McCarthy Slams California Democrats, Faces Heckling
SACRAMENTO — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy blasted his home state of California as out of touch Wednesday, criticizing leaders for increasing the gas tax and failing to get a handle on long lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles. At the same time, the Republican defended the Trump administration's...