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Tulelake DMV office's last day could be Friday
Assemblyman questions closure of area office
published Oct. 29, 2003
By LEE JUILLERAT
Friday is more than Halloween for Tulelake area residents.
Unless California Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa can provide a treat, the unwanted trick is that Friday is the last day that Tulelake's Department of Motor Vehicles office will be open.
State DMV officials earlier this month announced the office will close as part of a statewide effort to trim budgets.
The announcement caught LaMalfa, whose 2nd Assembly District includes Siskiyou and Modoc counties, off guard. During a town hall meeting in Tulelake last week, LaMalfa was peppered with questions and complaints about the pending closure.
"We're in motion trying to get some answers," said LaMalfa, a first-term Republican who lives on a family rice farm in Richvale. "We're trying to find out what the workload is and what savings they think they're going to accomplish."
State DMV officials have not provided figures on costs of operating the Tulelake office, or income figures generated by the office.
LaMalfa expressed concern because the Tulelake office, which is also heavily used by Butte Valley area residents, is a significant distance from other DMV offices in the two nearest cities, Alturas and Yreka.
"It's pretty important for the the folks up there with their agricultural needs and the weather situation LaMalfa said. "The people there expect the services."
Along with financial information, he said he has requested permission to speak with the office manager, Sue Farthing.
"The public has a right to know what the facts are. If there's a clear savings that can be shown, that's an argument for its closure. People are certainly upset and they will be inconvenienced - that's a cost that needs to be factored. Up there (in Tulelake) the situation becomes more exacerbated because it isn't just a half-hour down the road to the next office."
LaMalfa said his goal is to have better information for himself and the public.
"We need some pretty strong justification on why that service is being taken away," he said. "It may save the state some money, but what is the cost to the people who have to use that office."
LaMalfa noted, for example, the closure would mean that agricultural vehicles, such as potato trucks, would have to be driven to Yreka or Alturas for mandatory inspections.
"Do we really want that?" he asked.
LaMalfa also has learned that some comments from state officials may be incorrect.
A statement from Bill Branch, DMV media spokesmen, to the Herald and News said "virtually all" transactions can be done by mail, telephone or the Internet, a statement that many people have challenged. Branch also said Tulelake has no bank, which would hinder making daily deposits, but one is located across the street from the office.
"My goal is to have the decision delayed until there are better answers," LaMalfa said. "The best scenario is to keep it open."
Regional Editor Lee Juillerat covers Lake, Siskiyou, Modoc and northern Klamath counties. He can be reached at 885-4421, (800) 275-0982, or by e-mail at lee@heraldandnews.com.
published Oct. 29, 2003
By LEE JUILLERAT
Friday is more than Halloween for Tulelake area residents.
Unless California Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa can provide a treat, the unwanted trick is that Friday is the last day that Tulelake's Department of Motor Vehicles office will be open.
State DMV officials earlier this month announced the office will close as part of a statewide effort to trim budgets.
The announcement caught LaMalfa, whose 2nd Assembly District includes Siskiyou and Modoc counties, off guard. During a town hall meeting in Tulelake last week, LaMalfa was peppered with questions and complaints about the pending closure.
"We're in motion trying to get some answers," said LaMalfa, a first-term Republican who lives on a family rice farm in Richvale. "We're trying to find out what the workload is and what savings they think they're going to accomplish."
State DMV officials have not provided figures on costs of operating the Tulelake office, or income figures generated by the office.
LaMalfa expressed concern because the Tulelake office, which is also heavily used by Butte Valley area residents, is a significant distance from other DMV offices in the two nearest cities, Alturas and Yreka.
"It's pretty important for the the folks up there with their agricultural needs and the weather situation LaMalfa said. "The people there expect the services."
Along with financial information, he said he has requested permission to speak with the office manager, Sue Farthing.
"The public has a right to know what the facts are. If there's a clear savings that can be shown, that's an argument for its closure. People are certainly upset and they will be inconvenienced - that's a cost that needs to be factored. Up there (in Tulelake) the situation becomes more exacerbated because it isn't just a half-hour down the road to the next office."
LaMalfa said his goal is to have better information for himself and the public.
"We need some pretty strong justification on why that service is being taken away," he said. "It may save the state some money, but what is the cost to the people who have to use that office."
LaMalfa noted, for example, the closure would mean that agricultural vehicles, such as potato trucks, would have to be driven to Yreka or Alturas for mandatory inspections.
"Do we really want that?" he asked.
LaMalfa also has learned that some comments from state officials may be incorrect.
A statement from Bill Branch, DMV media spokesmen, to the Herald and News said "virtually all" transactions can be done by mail, telephone or the Internet, a statement that many people have challenged. Branch also said Tulelake has no bank, which would hinder making daily deposits, but one is located across the street from the office.
"My goal is to have the decision delayed until there are better answers," LaMalfa said. "The best scenario is to keep it open."
Regional Editor Lee Juillerat covers Lake, Siskiyou, Modoc and northern Klamath counties. He can be reached at 885-4421, (800) 275-0982, or by e-mail at lee@heraldandnews.com.
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