I know a visit to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) can try your patience with long lines and antiquated technology. While we have  made progress in reducing wait times and implementing system upgrades, a new setback has emerged - many people who renewed their driver license online or by mail between September to February may not have received their card yet. If that happened to you, please visit dmv.ca.gov and fill out the "Nonreceipt Form" accessible at the top of the webpage, and your license will be sent to you immediately.

This problem stemmed from the DMV sending out renewal notices earlier than usual to help customers get an appointment before their licenses expired. The system, however, was not adjusted to recognize payments that far in advance from license expiration dates. As a result, about 150,000 or more licenses were not mailed out.

As your state representative, I'm frustrated with what's happening. The DMV has been failing to live up to expectations ever since it began processing the new, federally-compliant Real ID card, which will be required to board domestic flights beginning in October 2020. (Passports will still be an acceptable form of ID at the airport.) The wait times grew to nearly a whole day at some locations, so I led a budget hearing in August to evaluate whether DMV resources were being used effectively to address long wait times. Then came the problems related to the DMV's handling of voter registrations.

Consequently, last fall, Governor Brown ordered the Department of Finance to audit the DMV.  The results of that investigation should be out in a few weeks, providing us with the information needed to make major changes. On top of that, our new Governor, Gavin Newsom, has put together a strike-team whose sole mission is to fix the DMV. Once their assessment is complete, I will convene another hearing, which will hopefully begin the transformation of this department into one that embraces best practices and aims high for customer satisfaction.

In the meantime, I'll continue to hold the DMV accountable and keep leadership on track to improve their department. It's the one state entity with which almost everyone has to interact. DMV has to do better.

If you need help with the DMV or any state agency, please call my District Office at 415-557-2312 for assistance.

Sincerely,

Phil Ting
Assemblymember, 19th District