Lakeport >> Since Jan. 2, Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices across the state have been handling a rush of driver’s license applications from undocumemted immagrants as Assembly Bill (AB) 60 goes into effect.
All told, 96,000 visited offices statewide last week alone. Just over 10,000 driver’s licenses were issued under the program last week. Since the first day of AB 60, almost 110,000 undocumented immigrants have taken exams. No updated data was available from the Lakeport DMV.
Under the new law, immigrants without legal status are only required to provide proof of identity, California residency and pass both driving and written tests. With the bill’s effective date, thousands of undocumented immigrants are able to legally drive for the first time in 20 years.
Some DMV offices have seen some glitches, especially in larger counties and cities where long lines and trouble with the testing technology has been seen.
But long lines don’t appear to be causing Lakeport’s DMV office much of a headache as it had only received 14 AB 60 license applications as of last week.
In contrast, Ukiah’s office took in 49 applications and Ft. Bragg received another 25 for Mendocino County.
Comparing the counties’ demographics show a smaller gap in Hispanic and Latino populations; Lake County is made up of 18.4 percent Latinos and Hispanics, while Mendocino shows slightly more at 23.5 percent, according to 2013 census data.
A Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) study estimating the number of unauthorized immigrants in different counties show an approximate 8,000 such people in Mendocino and Lake counties combined.
At 5 percent of both counties’ total populations, the estimate comes in below the state average of 7.8 percent; counties farther north have lower estimates and larger counties in the south are much higher, topping out at 13.5 percent.
The Lakeport DMV office staff declined to provide comment as a matter of policy. However, Jaime Garza, a state DMV spokesperson, said the long lines were the only real issue.
“So far, so good,” Garza said. “When looking at the numbers of people coming through, we are processing a larger number of applicants that the number of appointments were made. The demand is there, and we are rising to meet the demand.”
He urged people be patient when applying.
