Q. Dear Honk: We were thrilled when my father-in-law allowed his driver’s license to expire on his 95th birthday last year. Then we found out he needs a current ID to have necessary documents notarized. Oops! And apparently obtaining a California-issued ID with an expired license can only be done in person, and before we could take care of that, the DMV offices shut down. His mobility is rapidly declining and getting him to an office is next to impossible. I’m having a difficult time navigating the website and haven’t been able to get a direct response on the chat line. Can you help?
– Steve Dumalski, Huntington Beach
A. Of course.
First, congrats to your family for your father-in-law turning over the keys – and congrats to him for now getting chauffeured wherever he needs to go.
But, yes, for this chore he must go to one the DMV field offices; they are open now but not yet accepting new appointments.
He could fill out the form online to hopefully speed up the process. Should he choose to go this route, he could tell the clerk to notify him via text, and he can wait outside the building, such as in the car.
“For those with no other options, who must visit an office, the DMV has incorporated many protections to keep both DMV employees and our customers safe,” Nicholas Filipas, a DMV spokesman up in Sacramento, told Honk in an email.
“Everyone must wear a face covering, physical distancing is enforced, and temperature checks are mandatory,” he said. “The number of people allowed in an office at any one time is limited.”
Q. Hi Honk: My job takes me all around Orange County every day. In north county, every city has a clearly marked street sign, usually with a city symbol and block numbers on them all done in a tasteful design, such as Fullerton’s, which can be read easily from a distance. In south county, it is a whole different story. With the exception of Laguna Beach, Dana Point, San Juan and San Clemente, many south county cities are still clinging to the boring, little-information, green county-issued street signs. Most of these cities have been incorporated for 30 years or more. What’s the holdup? Why no official street signs?
– Steve Rayment, Laguna Niguel
A. Honk, too, gets a kick out of street signs, and one of his favorites is Redondo Beach’s with a sailboat. The city of Orange’s orange is an obvious feature, but still fun.
Steve, let’s take a close look at your town’s street signs.
“While the city’s residential street name signs mirror the original Orange County adopted standard, the arterial roadways that serve a larger volume of vehicles that move at a higher rate of speed have been updated by the city,” Jacki Scott, Laguna Niguel’s public works director and city engineer, told Honk in an email.
“These updates include larger, illuminated street signs that contain the city’s logo,” Scott said. “To keep ongoing maintenance and replacement costs to a minimum, the city has continued to effectively maintain the Orange County standard green signs for residential streets while focusing on main arterial roadways for installation of the updated, larger logo signs.”
Honkin’ fact: America’s 25th president, William McKinley, was the first U.S. commander in chief to take a spin in a car. During his presidency, which began in 1897 and ended in 1901, he hopped into a Stanley Steamer at some point powered by, yes, steam. Although not terribly impressed, that wasn’t the president’s last ride in a horseless carriage – after he was shot, an electric ambulance took him to an infirmary. He died days later. (Source: mckinleybirthplacemuseum.org)
To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk
Source: Orange County Register
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