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California DMV spent $22 million on overtime costs over 2 years, records show Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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WEBVTT THE FRONT LINES. >> I HAVE BEEN TO THE DMV THREE WALK IN, AND TWO APPOINTMENTS. KEVIN: IT TOOK GAIL RICHARDS FIVE TRIPS TO THE ROCKLIN DMV OFFICE OVER EIGHT MONTHS TO GET HER UPDATED DRIVER’S LICENSE. >> ONE OF THEM TOOK SIX HOURS, MADE MANY FRIENDS IN LINE, GOT IN THERE AND I DID NOT HAVE THE PROPER DOCUMENTS. KEVIN: RICHARDS HAD TO COME BACK HERE OVER AND OVER, EACH TIME BRINGING NEW PAPERWORK. FIRST, HER BIRTH CERTIFICATE, THEN HER SOCIAL SECURITY CARD, AND HER MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE AND FINALLY HER DIVORCE PAPERWORK JUST SO SHE COULD GET HER LICENSE UPDATED TO RENEW HER PASSPORT. >> INEFFICIENT. POORLY MANAGED THE LINE STAFF, AS I’VE MENTIONED, ALL HAVE A BAD ATTITUDE, WHICH PETERS DOWN FROM THE TOP. KEVIN: LAST MONTH, LAWMAKERS CALLED THE DMV DIRECTOR OUT FOR THE LONG WAIT TIMES. JEAN SHIOMOTO TOLD THEM SHE WAS USING OVERTIME TO SHORTEN THE WEIGHT, PAYING FOR IT IN PART WITH THE $47 MILLION ALREADY ALLOCATED TO KEEP OPEN OFFICES LATER AND ON SATURDAYS. >> THE MONEY THAT WAS NOT US FOR SATURDAY SERVICE THAT WE WERE NOT USING WAS USED FOR OVERTIME FOR THE SERVICE OF OUR CUSTOMERS. >> SO THE MONEY’S GONE? >> THE MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT. >> I FIND THAT A LITTLE DISTURBING. GULSTAN: SO WE REQUESTED -- KEVIN: SO WE REQUESTED OVERTIME RECORDS FROM THE DMV OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. IT TURNS OUT THE DMV SPENT $17 MILLION ON OVERTIME FOR WORKERS AT ITS FIELD OFFICES. ANOTHER $5 MILLION WAS SPENT ON OVERTIME PRIMARILY AT DMV HEADQUARTERS IN DIVISIONS THAT DON’T AFFECT HOW LONG DRIVERS WAIT IN LINE AT THEIR LOCAL DMV OFFICE. FOR INSTANCE, THE MANDATORY ACTIONS UNIT, WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CHANGING DRIVING RECORDS WHEN A LICENSE IS SUSPENDED OR REVOKED, SPENT 771,000 ON OVERTIME. >> THAT UNIT IS ALWAYS VERY VERY BUSY. KEVIN: A DMV SPOKESPERSON SAID THE MANDATORY ACTIONS UNIT IS UNIQUE BECAUSE IT DEALS WITH A VARIETY OF AGENCIES. >> IT TAKES ABOUT SEVEN TO EIGHT MONTHS TO REALLY KNOW YOUR STUFF TO BE ABLE TO HELP WITH CUSTOMER TRANSACTIONS. KEVIN: THEN THERE’S THE DATA ENTRY UNIT, A DOZEN EMPLOYEES DEALING WITH MAIL-IN REGISTRATION RENEWALS. THEY LOGGED MORE THAN 170 HOURS OF OVERTIME IN A SINGLE MONTH. >> IN JUNE WE DID SEE A REALLY LARGE SPIKE IN THOSE DIFFERENT TRANSACTIONS AND SO WE DID OFFER VOLUNTARY OVERTIME FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES IN THOSE UNITS TO TRY TO CATCH UP ON THAT ON THAT INCREASE OF WORK. KEVIN: ONE EMPLOYEE WAS PAID FOR 214 HOURS OF OVERTIME. >> IS THAT POSSIBLE? >> IT IS POSSIBLE. IT IS NOT NORMAL OVERTIME, BUT IT WAS TO CATCH UP. FOR A LOT OF THESE TRANSACTIONS, THEY HAVE TO BE DONE IN A TIMELY MANNER. KEVIN: THE DMV SAID THE BACKLOG IN RENEWALS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE LONGER WAITS AT THE FRONT COUNTERS. >> TOTALLY SEPARATE. OUR FIELD OFFICE WAIT TIMES ARE A DIFFERENT SITUATION. THAT’S FOR CUSTOMERS ACTUALLY COMING IN AND AND PROCESSING TRANSACTIONS. KEVIN: THE DMV HAS BLAMED THE WAIT TIMES ON COMPUTER OUTAGES AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NE FEDERAL ID STANDARDS CALLED REAL ID. >> THE MONEY FOR REAL ID IS NOT BEING USED FOR OVERTIME HERE IN THOSE DATA ENTRY UNIT. THAT IS SEPARATE FUNDING. >> THEY MISSED THE MARK. KEVIN: REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLYMAN JIM PATTERSON HAS DEMANDED AN AUDI >> TO ME, THIS IS THE FUNDAMENTAL FAILURE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT APARTMENTS IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA THAT EFFECTS PEOPLE EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME. KEVIN: DEMOCRATS HAVE CALLED FOR AN AUDIT TOO. >> THE NUMBER ONE COMPLAIN PEOPLE CALL ABOUT IS THE DMV. KEVIN: ASSEMBLYMAN JIM COOPER SAYS IT IS TIME TO SEE WHERE ALL THE DMV DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT. I ASKED IF THIS WAS EVIDENCE OF MISMANAGEMENT? >> I WOULD SAY SO. THOSE ARE TOUGH WORDS BUT SOME ONE IS NOT DOING THEIR JOB SOME -- THEIR JOB. SOMEONE NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. THIS IS GONE ON FAR TOO LONG. KEVI IN SPITE OF ALL OF THIS, LAWMAKERS COULDN’T WRANGLE ENOUGH VOTES TO BRING THE STATE AUDITOR’S OFFICE IN TO LOOK AT THE DMV. BUT THEN, JUST THIS PAST WEEK , THE GOVERNOR ASKED THE STATE FINANCE DEPARTMENT TO CONDUCT AN AUDIT. THE DMV SAYS IT IS TRYING TO MAKE THINGS BETTER. >> BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, WE WANT OUR APPOINTMENT CUSTOMERS TO BE WAITING NO LONGER THAN 15 MINUTES AND NON-APPOINTMENT CUSTOMERS TO BE WAITING NO LONGER THAN 45 MINUTES ON AVERAGE. KEVIN: BUT GAIL RICHARDS SAID SHE WISHED IT WAS TAKEN CARE OF BEFORE SHE SPENT MONTHS TO GET HER LICENSE RENEWED. >> IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE IT’S USER AND CUSTOMER FRIENDLY AND ONE OF MY MANTRAS IS I