Point of View: Wait times at the DMV

LOS ANGELES, CA (FOX 11 - Editorial) - DMV lines doubled in the last few months and wait times are over 4 hours long just for basic services. DMV claims it is overwhelmed by the need to issue the new Real ID required by the federal government. Yet it has had over 10 years notice and received 70 million dollars from the state to deal with issuing the new identification.

There is one DMV office that does not have long lines. It is just for legislators and government officials by appointment. Rightfully, Californians have every reason to be furious.

This mess screams out for a legislative audit. It was proposed by Assemblyman Jim Patterson but a combination of Governor Brown and some legislators killed it. Governor Browns DMV director Jean Shiomoto claimed an audit would take time away from the effort to reduce wait times. If this excuse is accepted, we will never really find out what went wrong or find a way to fix it. The DMV cannot police itself.

We suspect that DMV is one big bloated bureaucracy. A great example came to light concerning one particular employee who was sleeping at her desk for hours a day for almost 4 years. Also DMV is notorious for making appointments so far ahead to renew licenses that by then they have expired. Then of course there is the fact the agency has always been top heavy with administrators. Now finally DMV says they are going to send them into the field to deal with the latest crisis.

Here is what has to be done. An audit of the DMV needs to be started immediately. The special interest office in Sacramento should be opened to the public. Maybe state legislators would take action if they had to wait in long lines. The DMV director should be given a deadline to deal with the long wait times or be relieved of their responsibilities. The DMV debacle has happened on Governor Browns watch. He should fix the problem now.

Thanks for listening. I'd like to hear your Point of View. You can email me directly at FOX11POV@foxtv.com.

Bob Cook, VP/General Manager, FOX 11

The views expressed are not necessarily those of the station or its employees.