Hold off on new DMV tasks, Brown tells lawmakers

As Gov. Jerry Brown directed his administration to audit the Department of Motor Vehicles on Monday, he also vetoed five DMV-related bills and urged the Legislature to put a “pause on additional mandates.”

In a veto message, Brown said the bills would require “significant information technology programming” at the DMV, which could hurt the department’s ability to reduce wait times and “fully modernize its aging technology systems.”

“While these bills may have merit, it would be prudent for the Legislature to pause on additional mandates while the department works to complete programming for prior legislative mandates and system upgrades designed to reduce transaction times and improve customer service,” he wrote.

Assembly Bill 1873 would have removed a one-time $5 fee for people applying for a driver’s license or identification card with a veteran designation, while Assembly Bill 2135 would have allowed the DMV to issue special, personalized Gold Star Family license plates.

This story was originally published September 21, 2018 at 4:22 PM.