DMV closing SoCal driver’s license processing centers

The Department of Motor Vehicles will soon close its two remaining driver’s license processing centers in Southern California.

The centers process driver’s license and identification card transactions, focusing on people applying for a REAL ID. In a press release, the DMV cited the federal government’s extended deadline for requiring REAL IDs as one reason for the closures.

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“With more services moving online, streamlined office transactions, a tighter state budget, and an extended timeline until the federal REAL ID enforcement date, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is closing its three Driver’s License Processing Centers (DLPC) in Southern California,” the department said.

The DMV processing center at 11623 Glenoaks Blvd. in Pacoima is scheduled to close Sept. 1, 2023. The center at 16499 Merrill Ave. in Fontana will close Sept. 8. The center in Anaheim that closed for repairs in March will remain closed.

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The REAL ID deadline, which was originally set for 2020 and then extended a further year after the COVID-19 pandemic, is now slated for May 7, 2025.

REAL IDs are a culmination of the REAL ID Act, passed in 2005 in response to the 9/11 attacks. Under the act, all states must meet Department of Homeland Security standards for their licenses and ID cards to be accepted for such things as boarding domestic flights or visiting military bases or other federal facilities.

“With the U.S. Department of Homeland Security extending the REAL ID enforcement date by an additional two years, nearly every eligible Californian will have had an opportunity to convert to a REAL ID on their normal renewal cycle, typically every five years for driver’s licenses,” the DMV said.