Saturday hours have been suspended this month at Department of Motor Vehicles field offices across the state – including four in the capital area – because of budget-related staffing shortages, the agency announced Thursday.
"I suspect we'll have some significant impacts," said DMV Director George Valverde in an interview with The Bee on Thursday.
DMV employees "are doing the best job they can do under the circumstances, and we ask that the public has patience," said Valverde, a Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointee.
About a 1,000 DMV employees – most of them counter staff – were furloughed as part of Schwarzenegger's executive order last week that terminated 10,133 temporary and part-time state workers to deal with the state's budget impasse.
The suspended Saturday hours will disrupt service at DMV offices from Yuba City to Chula Vista – 53 offices in all – that typically open on the third Saturday of each month, from 8 a.m. to noon.
"We are making contact with customers directly to reschedule pre- existing appointments," said Michael Marando, a department spokesman.
Saturday hours this month would have fallen on Aug. 16 at four of the capital's field offices that usually have weekend hours – on Broadway in Sacramento, in south Sacramento, in Folsom and in Roseville.
During the previous 12 months, the agency served more than 270,000 customers during Saturday hours – a service expected to resume next month, contingent on a budget resolution.
Saturday service was staffed mostly with temporary and part-time workers, and keeping weekend hours would have pushed up the agency's overtime costs, DMV officials said.
Call The Bee's Bobby Caina Calvan, (916) 321-1067.
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