California IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : 210,000 Driver’s Licenses Delayed

Converting California driver’s licenses to a credit card-like format resulted in delays for 210,000 people seeking license renewals in the first six months of this year, Department of Motor Vehicles spokesman Bill Madison said Monday. That is about 5% of the licenses processed in the period, he said. With most start-up glitches ironed out, renewals should be forthcoming in 30 to 35 days from now on, Madison said. He added that there were problems with the equipment to make the new licenses, and some photographs and fingerprints had to be redone. The new licenses feature a hologram overlay to make copying and counterfeiting harder, higher-quality photographs and a magnetic strip that enables law enforcement officers to conduct instant background checks on the holder.