You're already waiting in long lines at the DMV and now comes word you'll have to wait as much as two months for your new California driver's license or ID card -- at least double what it used to take.
"You stand around waiting all morning just to be seen, and then you have to wait 6-8 weeks to get what you here for But they don't have you wait 6 to 8 weeks to pay them the money for it," DMV customer Julius Greene said.
Blame the new security-enhanced features on the card. They're supposed to make the California driver's license counterfeit-proof, but apparently the details are too much for the maker Connecticut-based L-1 Identity Solutions, forcing the state to reject every screw-up, even if it's just a smudge.
"If the card has any imperfection on it at all, we send it back," DMV spokesman Mike Marando said. "We don't have the luxury to be close, so our expectation is that every single card has to be 100 percent correct."
DMV says if you get pulled over by a cop, your record will show you're up-to-date. The agency also says you can board a flight with an expired license or ID card as long as you go through extra screening. But you might have to do some explaining to the store clerk, who asks for it when you use your credit card this holiday season.
None of that is good enough for Jerry Anderson, who got a postcard from work saying he needs to show them a valid government photo ID as soon as possible.
"If it takes longer than six weeks, yeah, the card says I will terminated," he said.
DMV has to stick with L-1 Identity Solutions because they handle the new licenses for 46 states. California is working with the company to speed things up. In the meantime, DMV suggests getting a temporary license or ID, but, of course, that means more waiting; whether you're on hold on the phone, or standing in line at a field office.
