SACRAMENTO (KRON) – California DMV’s could be completely transformed under Governor Gavin Newsom.
For years the department has been scrutinized over technology outages, long wait times and some registration errors.
“All of us are perturbed and outraged, the retail face of Government,” Newsom said.
In a one on one interview, the governor says next month he’ll be giving a status update on the DMV to reveal some big plans.
“We hired a team to envision a 21st century retail experience of the DMV, I’ve seen some sketches about completely redesigning the experience. No more lines, no more having to go to the counter, totally different engagement interaction, totally different look and feel, we have to focus on the future, and the future is automation,” Newsom said.
While the transformed experience will take time, the governor says the state is putting together creative ways to expand access to the DMV soon.
“Updating websites, allowing credit cards, new Saturday hours, expanding partnerships so you can deal with kiosks at the airport, AAA, maybe your own business, maybe a place downtown,” Newsom said.
Audit results of the DMV will also be released next month, a report the governor says should be scathing.
“I know millions of Californians just shake their head every time they go in. We’re going to try to unleash the talented employees we have there with a better system, and a better customer experience will be the byproduct of that,” Newsom said.