California Policy on Illegal Alien Drivers Leads to Long Lines at the DMV
As Jerry Brown finished his 4th term as California governor, he opened the prisons and the border. He also gave the people of California one more gift: Impossibly long lines at the DMV. In May 2016, Brown announced that anyone, no matter what their citizenship status, could get a California Drivers license.
The FAA threatened to keep Californians from boarding planes, because as ID, California Drivers licenses would be worth nothing. After litigation and negotiation, the State and Federal Governments decided that California would have 2 levels of drivers licenses going forward: One, anyone (and I do mean ANYONE could get).
The other level of ID is called Real ID, and if you're a resident of the Golden State, you will need one to board an airplane after January 1, 2020, just 18 months from now.
As Barack Obama said on November 11, 2016, elections have consequences. Five hour waits at the DMV have resulted from the last 5 elections, and the Democrats who have held every statewide position in California as a result. As the Sacramento Bee newspaper reports:
Visit times at the Department of Motor Vehicles are topping five hours, and unwary motorists find themselves spending entire mornings or afternoons trapped in crowded field offices.
Liz Guillen, a legislative advocate, was among them last week. The earliest appointment she could get to replace a lost license was next month, so she dropped by the Broadway office Thursday instead at 8:30 a.m. - and didn't get out until 1:43 p.m.
"It's almost undignified," she said, sitting in the jammed room. "California is the fifth-largest economy in the world!"
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/transportation/back-seat-driver/article213205334.html
The Sacto Bee does have a few suggestions for avoiding the lines, even if you can't make an appointment in advance:
1. Show up just before closing time . No appointments are made after 4 pm, and if you're through the door before 5 pm, they can't kick you out.
2. The last day of each month is typically crowded. People are rushing to get registration tags. Also, don't go the day after a holiday or the first day of the month. The best day of the week is usually Wednesday. But field offices don't open on Wednesdays until 9 a.m., one hour later than usual. Field offices open on Saturdays may have shorter lines.
3 . A few DMVs have one Saturday session per week. Santa Monica? Forget about it.
The DMV will have to respond to this outrageous failure by making future drivers license renewal available online. They're working on it, with DMV type friendliness and efficiency.
Oh and if you wish to "update or change your gender," you may not renew online. An office visit is necessary. No, seriously, http://www.dmv.ca.gov actually says that. Isn't that reassuring?
Reader Comments(2)
dilerin writes:
Do I, a citizen, share the same appointment platform with the illegals, or not? I am sick to the depths of my soul of those morons who continue to say that illegals are not a problem.
03/22/2019, 11:17 pm
ljohnson writes:
I find this article a little irresponsible, especially stirring up the... and I mean everyone can get a license. The Real ID is not a result of AB60 drivers license (the one anyone can get.) It is a result of Federal Law set forth long before AB60; it just took California forever to do it. Also, the long lines are due to software changes and procedures state wide. May steps have been taken to ensure DMV complies with the REAL ID ACT legislation coupled with a new Q-system. Your tips are great but really? Based on the climate of this country, the last thing we need to do is point fingers at illegal immigrants. They nor Jerry Brown are the cause of long wait times: change is.
06/26/2018, 12:19 pm