California DMV Chastised By Republican Leader
Sacramento, CA — The federal government has notified the California DMV that its process for issuing 2.3 million new identification cards failed to meet the Homeland Security Department standards.
The backstory is that beginning in October of 2020 airport security checkpoints will require ID cards to meet new security requirements. This has led residents to head to the DMV to receive the new “Real ID” cards. However, the feds sent a letter to the state in November noting that California’s current mode of verifying an applicant’s residency doesn’t meet the federal requirements. Federal standards mandate that applicants provide at least two documents to verify a name and place of residence.
Assembly Republican leader Marie Waldron has issued a statement reading, “It’s completely unacceptable that the DMV knew about this issue for a month before even acknowledging something was wrong. The DMV has only been requiring one form of identification to verify residence (current lease, utility bill, etc). This is unacceptable and flies in the face of security for our citizens, which is what Real ID was created for in the first place.
The federal government has indicated that those residents that received the new ID cards will still be allowed to use them, but when they come up for renewal, a second proof of residency/identity will be needed.
