By admin 
Gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton promised to cut vehicle registration costs to $73 per year and abolish the Department of Motor Vehicles at a Tuesday morning rally in West Hollywood.
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The Trump-backed Republican nominee said he would transfer all the DMV’s functions that can be done online to an online-only format. Services that cannot be provided online would be moved to existing county offices, he said. At the rally, which took place outside a West Hollywood DMV office, he called the move “step one in our plan to cut the cost of living for Californians.”
“We are going to shut down this bloated, nanny-state, bureaucratic agency that treats Californians with complete contempt,” Hilton. “Enough is enough with the DMV.”
Hilton said the plan is part of “Operation Zero Waste,” a policy that would enact widespread cuts to state spending. According to Hilton’s campaign website, savings accrued through the program would go towards a “Califordable tax relief” system to reduce income taxes.
“You are being ripped off by your government,” Hilton said. “They are gouging you with the DMV and vehicle registration. They charge the highest vehicle registration in the country for the worst roads in the country.”
The DMV currently registers over 36 million vehicles per year in California and collects about $15.5 billion in annual revenue, according to the Vehicle registration accounts for the largest proportion — nearly 30% — of this figure, and vehicle licensing accounts for about 25%.
According to a report from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office, annual registration fees cost an average of $220 per driver.
“All the other things you pay when you do your vehicle registration, it’s all these extra charges and fees and taxes that go to their bottomless money pit,” Hilton said. “What are they doing with our money?”
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To abolish the DMV, a state agency, Hilton would have to secure the support of California’s Legislature.
Xavier Becerra, Hilton’s Democratic opponent, expressed skepticism that the measure would pass the Democratic super-majorities in both chambers.
“You can’t spend a year calling Democrats a failure and then expect two-thirds of both chambers to take your calls,” said Becerra spokesperson Jonathan Underland in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “Steve is in for a very rude awakening, and the fact that he can’t see it coming just shows how little he understands the job he’s asking for.”
Hilton’s efforts to abolish the DMV are reminiscent of former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2003 executive order to reduce vehicle license fees. Schwarzenegger reduced the fee from 2% to 0.65% of a vehicle’s cost, waiving the legislative approval process normally needed to make changes to the state tax code.
Hilton’s campaign website advertises a more comprehensive policy than Schwarzenegger’s, though, proposing a full audit of every DMV function and a “No More DMV” act to be sent to the Legislature within three months of the investigation.
“California does not need a better DMV line. It needs no DMV line,” the website reads. “Californians should be spending their time getting to work, getting home, and getting ahead, not waiting for the government to let them move on with their day.”
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