Another day, another plan to make the state Department of Motor Vehicles something other than the agency Californians love to hate. On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom released a report from the “strike force” he created to attack the DMV’s managerial and technological shortcomings that have forced motorists to endure hours-long...
Pay with Credit Card at DMV? It's Coming to Fresno
SACRAMENTO — California's DMV is trying to improve customer service by accepting credit cards, upgrading its website and offering clearer instructions on how to obtain a new federally mandated ID, according to details announced Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Fresno will be one of the test sites in October for...
DMV is Adding Hours Statewide, But Only at 1 Fresno-Clovis Office
As part of the California Department of Motor Vehicles' ambitious effort to improve its reputation for long lines and shoddy customer service, DMV is expanding the hours of 53 field offices. A couple of caveats: It's only one more hour per day of operation, and it's being applied only to...
All DMVs to Close 1 Day for Training. Will That Fix Long Lines?
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...
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...
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...
Will Patterson, Other Lawmakers Get Answers From DMV?
In 2017, the state Legislature approved $226 million in extra funding over five years to help the Department of Motor Vehicles deal with the expected crush of residents seeking Real ID cards. Passed in 2005 by Congress, the Real ID Act set new federal standards for state-issued drivers' licenses and...
Those Long DMV Waits Should Finally Shorten
Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno) is known for fighting for issues he strongly believes in, but his efforts are usually greeted in Sacramento with partisan indifference. Whether it's his pro-life stances or water rights issues, Patterson uses his bullhorn, but few Democrats listen. But now Patterson has found an issue Democrats...
Those Excruciatingly Long Lines? DMV Finally Does Something.
In reaction to growing outrage from California drivers and state legislators over waits of up to five hours at DMV locations throughout the state, DMV officials said Thursday that help is on the way. Beginning in June, the DMV will open 40 locations — including the Fresno and Clovis offices...