They Walked the Line

People drove away from DMV offices statewide after waiting in line for several hours on March 8. A computer-system malfunction was blamed for the longer-than-usual lines.

The DMV at 30 N. Glover Avenue in Chula Vista had a line wrapped around part of the building and along the parking lot to the sidewalk, where it extended one third of the block's length. The occasional DMV employee walked the line with updates and answering questions.

The line remained the same length until about 11:15 a.m., when employees advised everyone that all offices in the state were affected by the computer problem and that it was unlikely they would be up and working anytime soon. Disapproving and disappointed people contemplated whether to leave or stand by in case they did open; the majority of people decided to stay.

A man who arrived at 10 a.m. said, "I would leave, but my registration expires today...that's what I get for waiting till the last minute." A DMV employee suggested going across the street to a privately owned office that provides registration services.

According to a security guard at the Chula Vista DMV, the office opened before noon; however, they experienced computer problems again at 12:30. They resumed processing registrations only, while licensing and ID issues could not be addressed.