Newport Court, DMV Linked : Government: Crosstown trip no longer necessary for drivers with traffic offenses who must also clear up vehicle registration status. Program is only second one in state.

Life just got easier for some folks trying to clear up less-than-perfect driving records in Orange County.

As of Monday, drivers who have a date before a judge in Municipal Court here--but who need to clear up any old tickets with the Department of Motor Vehicles first--can take care of both in one stop.

Through a new state program, limited DMV services became available at the Harbor courthouse. Simultaneously, a “court station” opened at the DMV office in Costa Mesa.

“This makes it much simpler for the person involved,” said DMV spokesman Bill Madison. “And it’s part of our overall effort to reconstruct services so they are much more efficient.”

The new one-stop system is intended to help people in traffic court who are told they must clear up problems on their DMV records to help judges decide their fate. Likewise, someone trying to renew a license at the DMV who has fines and unresolved citations can check court records to clear up those problems, Madison said.

Traditionally, people facing either situation had to drive across town, which meant rearranging their work schedules and losing work time.

Ventura County is the only other place in the state with a similar exchange program, Madison said. San Diego soon will get the third.

In Newport Beach’s Municipal Court, an average of 10 cases a day are postponed to allow defendants to go to the DMV to clear up fines and citations, obtain proof of licenses and registrations or get other records needed by the court, said James Peterson, the court’s executive officer. Reducing that number “saves a lot of money in that we don’t have to update cases in the computer, and the clerks, the judges and the bailiffs don’t have to handle it,” he said.

But, Peterson added, the services are not just for people involved in court cases.

The courthouse’s DMV station is also available to anyone for other routine services, such as driver’s license renewals. Both the DMV and Municipal Court offices will be open Monday through Friday.

The system, operated with existing staff and equipment, started about 11:30 Monday morning after a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Harbor courthouse. By closing time, it had served 16 people, Peterson said.

“I think it’s been pretty much of a success already,” he said.