Mangia Calls for 50% Cut in Car Registration Fees

By James J. Mangia

Jim Mangia, independent candidate for Lt. Governor running on the Reform Party line called for a 50% reduction in care registration fees and a complete reorganization of the Department of Motor Vehicles bureaucracy.

"Like the IRS, the DMV uses threats and intimidation to extract exorbitant and unfair fees from hardworking Californians. A text book example of big government bureaucratic waste and mismanagement, the DMV is essentially involved in redistributing the wealth -- out of the hands of the poor and middle class and into the coffers of California state government," stated Mangia.

Citing the covered over scandal of "comptuergate" (where the DMV wasted over $90 million in taxpayers money for a computer system that didn't work) Mangia called for a full-scale investigation of the scandal. "Computergate was an example of large-scale fraud committed against California citizens. Who is accountable for that crime?"

Career politicians of both major parties have refused to reign in the Department of Motor Vehicles as state spending becomes more dependent on the exorbitant rates Californians must pay to drive their cars. "This is outrageous," continued Mangia, "when having a care in California is a necessity not a luxury and crucial in order to hold down a job. The citizens of California are being held hostage by the state and are being forced to pay excessive fees with no alternative. We must dramatically reduce its size and scope and create an efficient, cost-effective organization so that California taxpayers get value for their DMV dollar."

A report by the California State Auditor found that four out of ten contracts of the DMV with outside firms were not bid on competitively.