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Immigrants line up at Central Coast DMVs

January 5, 2015

DMVCentral Coast offices of the California Department of Motor Vehicles are booked up with appointments for undocumented immigrants seeking driver’s licenses.

Assembly Bill 60, California’s law granting immigrants who entered the country illegally the ability to receive driver’s licenses, took effect on Thursday. Some local DMV offices opened on Friday with long lines of immigrants waiting outside.

Those calling the DMV office Monday morning were met with a message noting a two-hour wait to speak with an employee. At the Paso Robles office, visitors had to endure long lines. San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles are the only locations of DMV offices in the county.

In Northern Santa Barbara County, there are single DMV offices in Santa Maria and Lompoc. Immigrants began lining up outside the Lompoc office around 5 a.m. on Friday.

Statewide, the DMV is expecting 1.4 million people to apply for licenses under the new law. The agency is adding staff at offices across the state to handle the workload.

Supporters of the new law expect the number of insured drivers to increase and the amount of hit-and-runs to decrease. Opponents point to other states that have implemented similar legislation and argue that many out-of-state immigrants have used false identification to obtain licenses.


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Since when does breaking the Federal Law get rewarded? The shame!


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So much anger here! Who is it directed at? The farmer or business guy who hires the people…. OR somehow, I see it misdirected at the people themselves. Really, if there were no jobs offered, would they be working here?


The reality is, come up with some solutions people. Putting these workers on busses back home is NOT going to happen. Better to have them take a driving test in an insured car, no?


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My anger is directed at a govt that is intentionally failing to do their job. A long time ago the govt screened immigrants for communicable diseases and criminal backgrounds. Now that is ignored. I have no problem with legal immigration but the govt should be enforcing existing laws to keep the illegal immigrants out. If I fail to pay my taxes I would be prosecuted. Illegal immigrants are breaking many laws with no punishment. It is almost like they are a special protected class. Giving illegals a drivers license is just rewarding law breakers.


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Yes, it’s better to have everyone on the road licensed and insured, but apparently this is not going to happen anytime soon. So, why can’t we start getting the unlicensed and uninsured people off the road? Now that everyone can be insured and licensed–there is no excuse for people cancelling their insurance after they receive their license and there is no excuse for unlicensed drivers (who everyone admits cause many accidents) to be driving. Our local CHP should be required to advise the public when someone in an accident is unlicensed and the person should be fined on the spot. If they can’t pay, they should spend some time in jail. This is the only way to deal with the multiple ID problem..


At the same time, insurance companies should be required to notify the DMV when insurance is cancelled, and the driver should have to present new insurance or have their drivers license suspended.


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DMV opened up an office in Lompoc that is supposed to be for people getting their CDL for the first time and for the undocumented immigrants for several county regions so it would relieve the burden on the other DMV’s in those areas.


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Republican Assembly representative Katcho Achadjian from our district voted YES on AB 60.


Kinda puts the lie to so many commenters here laying blame.


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Nice straw argument…


Republican assemblymen — Katcho Achadjian, R-San Luis Obispo, and Jeff Gorell, R-Camarillo — voted for it.


Wow 2 out of 55. You were so right you paladink you


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The stupid liberal a holes who pushed this through will see my wrath if one of these illegals injures or kills my wife in an accident.


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I’m wondering how many of you have NEVER broken ANY law? As. Left winger, I wonder why why why do conservatives CONSTANTLY worry about others? Who they can marry, what religion others should have and how on earth someone else lives their life? How does someone else’s having or not having a drivers license affect ANYTHING you do? When Hillary suggested it, I thought it was absurd and then my daughter was diagnosed with Cancer and my neighbor said “sorry about your daughter but did you hear about Hillary?” And I realized NOTHING that anyone else on earth does that doesn’t personally harm me matters. My world consists of my loved ones. I do not care if Hector or Maria drive, walk, or ride the buss. I do not care if it bothers you and you kick the dog in anger (metaphorically) or you pace your living room fists clenched. Get over yourselves. Stop constantly trying to run other people’s lives. IF you’ve never ever broken the law, good for you. Grow up!


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When others live their lives without adversely affecting mine, there’s no problem. People have a problem when those who do not respect the laws of the nation are afforded the privileges of those who do.


When Hector or Maria run a stop sign because the word “Stop” is in english and is meaningless to them, and plow into my family or a neighbor’s family, that’s a problem. When Hector or Maria don’t get insurance and my rates increase, that’s a problem.


You can attempt to live in a bubble, but we all have an affect on each other, sometimes good and sometimes bad.


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Sorry to hear about your daughter – I couldn’t fathom that….


I’m not trying to run people’s lives. All I know is I’m not allowed to spank my children, own a sporting rifle, make money without being penalized, cannot smoke here or there, not wear a helmet, pray where I choose, know whether my kid got pregnant, an abortion, or placed on the pill……….


Both sides are hypocritical.


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…for the same reason as liberals do. To protect society as a whole/hole.


“And I realized NOTHING that anyone else on earth does that doesn’t personally harm me matters.”

REALLY? Then child molest should not matter to you (unless it’s your child) and murder should not matter to you (unless it’s your wife). How selfish can one be?

That was not an intelligent statement at all.


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How long until they ‘dumb down’ the test so bad a hamster could pass it?


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If Republicans can pass it, how hard can it be ?


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Really? You’re talking about half the nation….. and you still stand by that statement? WOW!


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