That slow moving sloth at the DMV counter in the movie ZOOTOPIA was funny to movie goers but those who wait in a California DMV office for six, seven and even eight hours to take care of business are not laughing. A solution to the long lines was offered by the head of the DMV to a legislative committee that is the universal go-to remedy when government is failing in its responsibilities—give us more money. How about finding out how the current money is being spent? The DMV should be audited.
DMV director Jean Shiomoto requested $26 million to hire 400 more employees. She said the problem is that the federal government will soon require a Real ID license to board airplanes and for other identification purposes and explaining the change to DMV customers has slowed interactions between employees and customers at DMV facilities.
But the Real ID requirement has been known for years and the legislature has sent additional funds to the DMV to deal with the expected slowdown.
How well has that money been spent? How well is the DMV managing the resources it now has?
We may never know.
A request to audit the DMV was turned aside by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. While the required number of Assembly members approved an audit, the vote fell one shy on the Senate side when three Democratic senators abstained.
Assemblyman Jim Patterson, who requested the DMV audit, said in a statement, “The members of this committee who voted against this audit request have just sentenced California drivers to interminable wait times. The people of this state and the DMV employees have been loud and clear about the absolute failure of this department to do their job.”
Director Shiomoto opposed the audit saying it would strain agency resources and pull employees away from their jobs.
But an audit is a way to reveal the efficiency—or lack there of—of the agency. Indeed, the State Auditor’s mission statement says, “The California State Auditor promotes the efficient and effective management of public funds.”
With mounting outrage from constituents it is a prime responsibility of the legislature to promote effective use of public funds to ease the anger and to get the job done as effectively as possible.
That’s why the audit makes sense.
The problem for the DMV and many dedicated DMV employees is that they suffer from the perception offered up by that movie sloth. The only way to correct the image is to analyze the problem and produce a fix. An audit could tell us how to proceed.
Without an audit, throwing money at the problem is a great risk. Maybe that is enough to solve the problem but the track record at the DMV on improving customer service with increased dollars is not inspiring.
Joel Fox editor and co-publisher of Fox and Hounds Daily.
This article was originally published by Fox and Hounds Daily
I’m sure that Moonbeam and Tax deLeon had nothing to do with the “lost” funds. Couldn’t have anything to do with sending all of the illegals to the DMV to register them to vote would it? NAW, I shouldn’t be so cynical.
Hate to tell you this but you are not cynical, you are realistic.
Once again the ultra liberal dummies in stinkramento screw up and hose the citizens! I must renew my driver licence next March and I am quite confident NOTHING will have been done nor fixed! I am somewhat disabled, I can’t stand in long lines because of a very bad lower back disc problem, and also have trouble walking distances of any length. What in the hell do I do now? Must I bring a chair with me? If the DMV problem is not fixed I may have to just not renew my licence and drive without one, after all the illegal aliens from central america do it all the time with impunity!
Bring a wheel-chair!
DMV knew this new license was going to be issued and dropped the
ball in preparation for the stampede.
Nothing new here..
No one at DMV knows where the money has gone but they all got multiple raises and a fatter retirement plan.
I guess that demanding more money after being given more money is not a alarm for Demoncraps. Sounds like an audit might reflect badly on them somehow.
Vote Republican—–end the Demoncrapic Party , they have become globalist liberals and are a danger to the United States of America.
I got my “Real ID”, all I had to do was to move to NV.
Unfortunately, CA followed me in the form of Moonbeam’s smoke and smell – but I can wash that off.
The DMV operates just like the Forest Service. the DMV can’t fix the problem of real ID, and the Forest Service doesn’t know how to fight a fire
Station ICE or border patrol officers in the lobby.
Stop providing service to illegal/ undocumented persons.
That should cut down on wait times.
….and traffic
This situation has been going on forever and the dummies in Sacto are doing nothing to help. The answer? send more money!