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 several hours. The agency says a router issue prevented about 70 offices from processing driver’s license, identification card, and vehicle registration matters.
The latest DMV problems outraged Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno), who tweeted “There is a pattern here. There have been 35 outages in the last 18 months — the longest one was NINE hours long. There will be future outages too. The DMV cannot be trusted to police itself.”
About 70 of 172 DMV offices were unable to process driver’s license, identification card, and vehicle registration matters, agency spokeswoman Jessica Gonzalez said. Driver tests and vehicle inspections were not affected. She blamed the outage on a router issue.
The agency also botched about 23,000 voter registrations under a new state law that allows people to update their voter registration in conjunction with their driving records.
“Better late than never. It’s an important first step that I have been shining light on for months,” said Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox. “The Sacramento political class has done a shameful job addressing these real problems plaguing millions of Californians.
“This needs to be a real substantive audit and we ought to look at CalTrans next.”
Long Lines Lead to Backlash
The DMV has recently faced angry backlash from lawmakers and customers over long lines that have left people waiting hours.
“Long wait times at the DMV do not reflect the high standards of service that Californians expect from their state government,” agency director Keely Martin Bosler wrote to DMV Director Jean Shiomoto.
Bosler wrote the state would audit the DMV’s information technology and customer service.
“We welcome the Department of Finance’s input into DMV’s ongoing efforts to reduce wait times and improve customer service and stand ready to assist with the audit,” Shiomoto said.
Bryan Anderson of The Sacramento Bee broke the story Friday (Sept. 21) morning.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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