Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
DMV Wait Times Are Officially Out Of Control. Now Lawmakers Want Answers
Photo by Brett Lider/Flickr CC
()
Going to the DMV can be its own personal trip to a really, really slooooow hell. That's hardly news.
But this week, several California lawmakers said wait times are officially out of control -- and they'll be investigating why.
"[Wait times have] exploded all across the state," Rep. Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, recently told KPCC's Take Two, adding that the agency "has done nothing with the resources they've been given."
Last year, lawmakers allocated millions of extra dollars to the DMV to help with the rollout of the new federal security guidelines called "Real ID." Starting in 2020, people who fly domestically will need a new compliant ID card.
Support for LAist comes from
The department was given an extra $16.6 million specifically to alleviate wait times at its field offices. But Patterson and others say those infamous waits have actually gotten worse.
Adventures in California: at the DMV an hour before open like I'm going on a camping trip. Line is already wrapped around the building. I've got water, a battery pack and my Switch. Let's do this. 💪
— Sol Brennan (they/them) (@wuffles) August 2, 2018
New iPhone release?
— Scott Stephenson (@deepgramscott) August 1, 2018
Nope ... DMV in California. pic.twitter.com/2khEYakB8E
The department lists wait times on its website, but Patterson said the site can't be trusted.
On Monday, the estimated wait times at Southern California offices for people without appointments varied from an hour to more than four hours. Those who try to make an appointment to shorten their waits are stuck, too, with many offices full up for months.
"We believe that what is unfolding here is an upper-level management fiasco of the first order," said Patterson, who plans to call for an audit of the department this Wednesday at the next Joint Legislative Audit Committee.
Support for LAist comes from
In response to the delays, the DMV has sent 275 employees from headquarters to help triage the lines outside local field offices, the department's spokeswoman Jessica Gonzalez said.
"We understand that delays are extremely frustrating, and we are working hard to speed things up," Gonzalez said.
She added that the agency is working with state lawmakers and the California Department of Finance to speed up funding that would pay for 230 more employees and improve self-service terminals.
Meanwhile, Rep. Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, has scheduled a budget hearing on the matter for Tuesday.
News happens every day. Here at LAist, our goal is to cover the stories that matter to you and the community you live in. Now that we're part of KPCC, those stories (including this one you're on right now!) are made possible by generous people like you. Independent, local journalism isn't cheap, but with your support we can keep delivering it. Donate now.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars. -
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
Best of LAist