LAKEPORT, Calif. — Lakeport’s California Department of Motor Vehicles is among 20 offices statewide set to have in-person office hours cut back significantly.
The DMV said Monday that Lakeport’s office, located at 965 Parallel Drive, will now be open two days a week instead of five.
The modified office hours go into effect July 1.
The state said the change is being made “to improve efficiency and to better serve the evolving needs of customers as part of the DMV’s digital transformation.”
Lakeport’s hours currently are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday.
That will change to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, the DMV reported.
Staff at offices with modified service hours will work on “virtual office” items during the days the offices are closed to the public, the DMV said.
“We are committed to providing services to customers when and where they want,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon. “As a mobile-first organization, we are serving Californians through many channels on any device while at the same time still serving customers who must visit an office.”
Lake County News submitted several questions to the DMV’s Sacramento headquarters about the decision, including asking if this action was a response to state cutbacks, how it would tailor services to seniors — a large part of Lake County’s population — and how residents of rural areas that don’t have good Internet services overcome the challenge of having less office availability.
The DMV did not answer those questions, but did respond to a question about how the 20 offices, including Lakeport’s, were chosen for the cutback in office hours.
“Before making the decision to modify office hours, the DMV closely reviewed transaction volumes, staffing, wait times and other criteria at its 170 offices statewide to determine which offices to move to a modified schedule while still being able to meet the in-office needs of the communities they serve,” the agency’s public affairs office said in an email.
The DMV also responded to another question — about whether Clearlake’s DMV office at 15930 Dam Road d Unit B will be impacted.
“The hours at the Clearlake office will remain the same,” the DMV said.
Those hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. all days except Wednesday, which are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The DMV said it expects the change in Lakeport’s office hours to have minimal impact on overall wait times.
“On weekdays when the office is closed to the public, DMV team members will process transactions started online that require additional processing or virtual customer interaction. This will help improve efficiency and speed up processing times for all customers as more tasks are completed online,” the DMV said in its general press statement on the decision.
The communities impacted by the new plan are primarily those with 8,000 residents or less in rural areas, with the exception of Hollister, which has nearly 43,000 residents, and Blythe and Coalinga, with both having populations of just over 17,000, according to a Lake County News analysis.
On Monday, the DMV’s offices stopped processing simple transactions “that can easily be completed online or through other convenient options,” the agency reported.
“The DMV’s ongoing customer-focused digital transformation provides many opportunities online or through other convenient options to complete DMV tasks. Most DMV transactions do not require an office visit and can be conveniently started or completed online at dmv.ca.gov/online,” the DMV said.
The DMV is encouraging people to use online services or “other channels” to complete transactions, even including eligible driver’s license and vehicle registration renewals. Customers can use the Service Advisor on the DMV website to learn their options to complete DMV tasks.
In addition to Lakeport, the other communities who are being moved to a two- or three-day schedule are Bishop, Blythe, Coalinga, Colusa, Crescent City, Fall River Mills, Fort Bragg, Garberville, Hollister, Lake Isabella, Lakeport, Mariposa, Mount Shasta, Needles, San Andreas, Susanville, Taft, Weaverville, Willows and Yreka.
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Lakeport DMV hours to be cut to two days a week
- Elizabeth Larson
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