Thumbs down: No DMV lines? Sure, if you’re a legislator

We're not sure which is more aggravating - state legislators blocking an audit of the Department of Motor Vehicles or the existence of a special DMV office catering to the needs of lawmakers and their aides. These preferred customers get to avoid the long lines inside (and outside) DMV offices around the state, where people are being forced to wait, at times, for hours - even people who were able to make an appointment (some offices haven't had any times available).

DMV blames aging technology and the crush of people seeking the new “Real ID” licenses that will be required to board an airplane beginning in October 2020. But the motor vehicle agency had 13 years to prepare - and its budget was increased $70 million to help with the task. So what went wrong? Assemblyman Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, asked for an audit to find out. Seems like a good idea. But when the time came for an audit committee vote, three of his Democratic colleagues - state Sens. Ben Allen of Santa Monica, Jim Beall of San Jose and Ricardo Lara of Bell Gardens - abstained, killing Patterson's audit proposal. Thumbs down.

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