California State/ County offices

If you have ANY kind of license that will need processing, I recommend that you get them in waaaay early. Jer's wondering this a.m. why his Contractor's license hasn't arrived yet......mailed in his renewal with 4 weeks to spare and the 'recording' this a.m. says his license has expired...we don't think there's anyone left in those offices to do processing. Ought to be fun trying to straighten this out......

Yep, online info says that the renewal "has not been processed yet"...Ca State Offices must be like the Seattle billboards years ago..."Last One Out Turn Off The Lights...."

Yes, and pretty soon we're going to have to have mapping software for the pot holes in the streets, too. However, I did notice them patching the toad fence along the 76 last week. LOL Poor toads, why shouldn't they be allowed to move if they want to?

Sounds like CA needs to take a lesson from Arizona. If it's a straight renewal, you can do that online without interacting with a person at all. That goes for auto registration as well as contractor license renewal.

But do they fence in their toads??

Yes, that may have to be the answer from now on....Jer's reluctant to do any online renewals, payments, etc., but we may end up with no alternatives.

The only advice I have about renewals, etc. on line is to make sure you enter your account number correctly. I pay our property taxes online and the last time I missed a number. They don't ask you, just reject the payment and charge you a late fee. It was my stupid mistake, so I can't complain (my account # has leading zeros, which I forgot to put in!).

I've never heard of toad fences!! I don't know whether to laugh or cry about that one..Is that supposed to keep them from being run over in the highway??

I expect it's to keep them from being burrowed in the soil in the path of the proposed highway extension and thereby 'smushed' when and if they ever start work on it. We've been waiting many years, I doubt if those toads will be in any danger any time soon...perhaps their great grandchildren, what's the lifespan of your average toad?

DP, the toad fence is that ugly orange net thing that runs parallel to the highway on the south side. I think Sherry has the reasoning behind it. The funny thing is, the people at the businesses over there said they never saw a toad until the fence went up. DH has fun chanting "toad alert" when we drive by.

They had a ceremonial ground breaking last week, but we've been watching the activity for months. There's an office complex set up at E Vista. This is what they call the 'middle segment' from Melrose to South Mission.

http://www.keepsandiegomoving.com/SR76-intro-seg34.html

The schedule link isn't working right now, but I looked at it the other day. Didn't you get the newsletter that came last week? Maybe we did because we signed up for updates a long time ago. Click on "Latest News" and you can view it.

I did get something in the mail about a schedule, however the first date on the schedule (can't remember what it was right now) has already come and gone and nothing has happened towards it.

I've heard about this from my co-workers that live in Bonsall and Fallbrook. One of them has the good fortune to have a part-time job at Pendleton, so she has a gate pass. She'll just go out Ammunition Rd. through the base to get here once the construction starts.

They're working on the bridge first, which is a change from the former plan. Lots of vehicles and activity around there, though I don't know what to expect. DH is more tuned into the whole plan.

I'm more interested in their daily hours of operation than anything. I usually leave for work around 5:30. Hopefully they won't be starting before that. If they do, I may request an earlier schedule. I wouldn't mind working from 5:00 am to 1:00 pm.

We're hoping they don't work at night too much!

This is really aggravating and I'm just now starting to think about how and how many people this affects...I mentioned it to a friend and she said the same thing has happened to her neighbor with their food handler's license...check cashed but no paperwork done..they do food at various festivals and shows and such and their license is expired..as I've been warning others, I didn't even think about my own nursery license renewal which has not come back yet....this can impact a lot of people in a very negative way.

Some others things that may be affected by work furloughs and insufficient staffing.....my Dad died 19 days ago, still no recorded death certificate and we need this to move forward with property transfers.etc.....when calling the recorder's office for that area, the ,of course, 'phone menu' for that dept. has a voice recording saying there is no one there at this time...insert theme from Twilight Zone at this point......

Good grief! Had no idea it was this bad. Is Issa your congressman? I'd give his (or whoever) office a call.

I had no idea it was this bad either....now I'm wondering about any kind of reconveyances...selling a home, business,car..if I were still doing the Farmers' Market would I be having a problem with my licensing for that? I do not consistenly watch the news, so I don't know if they've mentioned or dealt with this issue with state/ county offices and how it's affecting people.

Contact Darrell Issa, Sherry. Ask him to get on it. We really have to blame a lot of this on our own State Senate. Being a former State Employee, I can tell you that 85 percent of them don't care if you need some paperwork. When my Step Father died and I had to take off time from work, I had to produce a death certificate for him. It took weeks back in 1985. When I wrote off to OK for certified copies of my Birth Certificate it literally took months before they finally arrived. Pert near a whole year before they finally showed up. I even sent the request registered mail.
The colleges are going to online registration. You can't register in person any more. At least you don't have to stand in a queue.
I'm curious too about the road conditions, as that is our preferred route to O'side, and we're headed that way on Feb. 7th.
I love hearing John's updates on the toads, and I showed the boys the toad corral on our last trip through your area. You want toads, show up in the late spring and you can have buckets full. LOL!
Hang in there, folks. Drive careful in this rain!
WIB!
SW

When my Mom died, we went through a probate attorney, death certifiicate was immediate. Either because she knew which buttons to push or because it was L.A. county, or there was adequate Recorder's Office staffing at the time. I will wait until Tuesday to see if we get a call back from the Recorder's Office in that county, and if not, have to drive up there and get in their faces about it, because we need this to proceed with title transfers, etc....I imagine there are quite a lot of annoyed people about now. Perhaps with the current state of the State, this is the least we have to worry about.

Too true, Sherry.
I just hope it gets resolved soon, so you can be less stressed.
Hang in there sweetie.
Still keeping you and your family in my heart and prayers.
WIB,
SW

As a native Californian:

When are you guys coming to Arizona? I hear California is going to drop off into the Pacific.... soon, by the looks of things at USGS.org. Leave that misery. ;-) I'm just jealous! I'm a San Francisco gal thru thick and thin.

Aguane,
Which begs the question, Why are you in Phoenix?
We might be showing up sooner than you think! LOL!
Especially with all these shakers.
WIB!
SW

That's what I'm saying!
I came here from Menlo Park (Nor Cal)... business move. Not so bad!
I really miss the seismic activity though! I love love love earthquakes.

Sorry for the folks caught in Haiti -- however. Buildings hurt people....not earthquakes.

This message was edited Jan 18, 2010 8:51 PM

Too true! I made sure all the flashlights have batteries, and that the boys have shoes next to their beds so they don't cut their feet on broken glass or whatever (you never know in their rooms!).
I would rather take a good quake than a tornado or hurricane. Those scare me.
We've become so blase' about quakes that we don't even worry about them unless they last longer than a minute or stuff comes crashing down. We just roll over and go back to sleep or go about our business during the day.
You are always welcome to come visit, although I can't promise a quake. LOL!
WIB!
SW

Thanks, SW!
I'll be in Ojai w/ my bro and family in March! Fingers crossed at little temblor!

Sherry this is our state senator and his contact info. Hollingsworth, Dennis 27555 Ynez Road State Capitol
Temecula, CA 92591 Sacramento, CA
(951) 676-1020 94248-0001
(916) 651-4036

This is our state assemblyman and his contact info: Jeffries, Kevin 41391 Kalmia Street State Capitol
Suite 220 Room 5128
Murrieta, CA 92562 Sacramento, CA
(951) 894-1232 94249-0066
(916) 319-2066

Darrell Issa is our U.S. Representative and doesn't have anything to do with State government.

Sorry Sherry. The adress format didn't translate from the message box to the thread. For Hollingsworth the Ynea road address is in Temecula and the State capitol adress is in Sacramento

for Jeffries, the Kalmia St. address is Murrietta. for both of them, the 916 area codes are their Sacramento phone numbers, the others are the local office numbers. Sorry about the snafu.

Duh! You're so right, DP - totally forgot we were dealing with State, not Fed! I'd be dangerous with a brain. LOL

Ditto KC's Duh. I used to know better, DP. Thanks for the correction and address. BTW, they do print all that info in the newspaper, and you can get it from your local library too. Just ask.
WIB,
SW

For what it's worth, I used to run an appeals program for a State Board that required its licensees to have their current license posted or they would receive a citation for $250 for working with an expired license. Of course, being the government, the board was always behind in processing checks and issuing those licenses (even when there weren't furloughs). In most cases common sense would win out. If someone appealed the citation and could show that they had, in fact, sent in their check on time we would void the citation. It's still a pain in the behind and I'm sure it was stressful for the person receiving the citation but the moral of the story is that as long as you cover yourself (i.e. send in your renewal check by certified mail or print out a receipt of your online payment) it should all work out in the end.

That works fine for renewals, however if you're trying to get your license for the first time it's a little different.

That's true. If it's your first time getting the license, navigating the state's operational pipeline can be daunting and frustrating. I would definitely recommend contacting a representative in that situation. At the very least they need to know how these wait times affect their constituents. And, speaking from personal experience, I know that the squeaky wheel definitely gets the oil - this was never more true than it is in government.

WC - When did your DH send in his renewal? The Contractor's Board is working on renewals sent in on December 31st today. If the renewal was sent in before that there could be a problem and he might need to request a duplicate license renewal. : (

The worst thing about these delays is the downward spiral they create. Rule followers won't want to work without a valid license. If they don't work they don't make money. If they don't make money they don't generate taxes. If they don't generate taxes, the state doesn't make money, doesn't improve efficiency, and more people wait longer for a license to work . . .

I was once pulled over by a cop because my tags hadn't arrived, (actually they'd been stolen, but I didn't know that at the time.) I showed the cop my DMV renewal check that had already been cancelled/cashed and he didn't write me up, just sent me to the DMV to get one.
Sometimes, state workers are just overwhelmed. I always try to be early on getting my renewals because it does take a long time to get things processed.
GardenSox has some great advice.
DP, just so you know, the cops are starting to go after out of state license plates, and they want you to register your vehicle in CA, if you are living and working here. We have lost a lot of revenue from out of staters moving and working here, but keeping their out of state registration on their vehicles, because it's cheaper. However, your insurance may not cover you, if you are residing in CA, but have FL insurance. Something for everyone to keep in mind. It's just a FYI. I am not picking on you DP, but wanted you to have a heads up. The only exception to this is if you are in the military. Then you are allowed to register your vehicle in your home state, even if you are stationed in CA.
I don't know if that helps anyone, but I sure hope it does.
WIB!
SW

Thanks for the info, Sox....

My pleasure! I hope it works out soon for you guys.