Last Day to Pay Late Registration Fee, Avoid New Fines : Amnesty Sparks Traffic Jam at DMV

Thousands of motorists jammed into Department of Motor Vehicle offices throughout the state Monday as they rushed to pay delinquent vehicle registration fees on the last day of a three-month amnesty.

“They’re out the door and into the parking lot,” said Web Phillips, manager of the West Covina office, of a line of motorists. “All the old-time employees say it’s the biggest line we’ve ever had.”

As California car owners know, that’s saying a lot.

Officials expect to take in nearly $11 million through the amnesty, which started Jan. 2. About 85,000 scofflaws took advantage of the program to pay overdue car registration fees without a penalty.

The amnesty was only part of the lure for many delinquent motorists. Beginning today, the penalties for failing to register a car will jump dramatically.

Some of the most flagrant non-registrants may discover that their cars have been towed away and auctioned off to pay back registration fees. At the minimum there will be a fine of $50 for driving an unregistered vehicle.

Penalties will begin at 20% of the registration fee for the first year and reach 140% by the third year. The basic registration fee, based on the value of the vehicle, can range from $24 to several thousand dollars.

“It’s really giving folks a last chance to get square with the law before some very strict penalties become effective April 1,” said Al Livingston, chief deputy director of the DMV. “The amnesty is a small carrot. The penalties beginning April 1 are the big stick.”

At department field offices around the state, scores of people lined up before the 8 a.m. opening to pay their overdue fees.

Bud Wilson, manager of the San Francisco DMV branch, said one woman was waiting when he arrived for work at 6:40 a.m. More than 75 people were in line by the time the doors opened.

Long lines continued throughout the day, spilling onto the sidewalks outside many offices. Waits of more than two hours were reported to be common.

At the West Covina office during the afternoon, more than 50 people stood outside waiting to get in the door to join 100 more already waiting inside.

In Van Nuys, acting office manager Diane Ward said, “We’re wall-to-wall people. They’re wrapped around the building. I probably had 70 people in line when I opened the door this morning.”

Branch offices throughout the state made plans to stay open until 6:30 p.m. to handle the overflow.

‘I Had Amnesia’

At a Sacramento office, more than 75 people stood in line during the lunch hour. Linda James-Brookins, a state employee, said she had not registered her car for two years and explained, “I had amnesia.” She figured that taking advantage of the amnesty saved her more than $100 in penalties.

Before the amnesty began, the department estimated there were 1.2 million unregistered vehicles on California’s highways as of March 1, 1985. Through the forgiveness program, the state had expected to register 300,000 of those and collect $16 million.

Although the amnesty fell $5 million short of its target, state officials said they were pleased with how well the program worked.

“It’s an unqualified success,” said Assemblyman Gray Davis (D-Los Angeles), who carried legislation that created the amnesty program.

Last year, California collected $144 million in back income and sales taxes through a similar amnesty program, said Sid Mandel, a spokesman for the state Board of Equalization.