Trip 1:

Me: I just moved to Livermore from Utah, I need to get a California Driver’s License and register my car.
Them: Ok, fill out these forms and take a number.
….
Me: [hands over forms when number is called]
Them: That’s $28 for the license and $242 for the registration.
Me: [Grumble, since I just paid $200+ to renew my registration in Utah 3 months ago…]
Them: You’ll need to take the written test, but you can’t do that now because we don’t hand them out after 4:30, and you need to get a smog test done.
Me: [sigh] Ok. Do I get the smog test done here or somewhere else?
Them: You do that here, just come back sometime before 4:30.

Trip 2:

Me: I need to take a written test and do a smog test.
Them: Written Test go to window 14, you get the smog test done at a testing facility.
Me: So, not here, like I was told last time.
Them: No, not here.

Trip 3:

Me: I have my smog test certificate (another $78.50!) and I need to finish registering my car. [hands over stuff]
Them: You need another signature on this form.
Me: Why?
Them: Because Debora is on the previous registration, so she needs to sign the form as well.
Me: Why didn’t someone mention this the last 2 times I was here trying to do this?
Them: They must have overlooked it.

GAH! I’ve now paid almost $350 and still have nothing. Ok… not quite nothing, I did get the license part done, but I don’t actually _have_ a license, I won’t get that for another 4 to 6 weeks.

I can tell you exactly why California’s government is bankrupt. If the rest of their departments run as efficiently as the DMV there’s no reason to wonder. Not to mention that the DMV is only open 4 days a week and closes at 5:00pm. When do they expect people that have jobs to get this done exactly?