FC: Calif government computers fail, cars impounded, long lines

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

http://www.latimes.com/HOME/NEWS/STATE/topstory.html

Monday, October 4, 1999 

PacBell Blamed for Failures of State Computers 
By VIRGINIA ELLIS, Times Staff Writer

   SACRAMENTO--In an unwelcome preview of what a Y2K
   meltdown could be like, massive computer crashes have
   repeatedly forced agencies throughout California to turn away
   customers for driver's licenses, food vouchers and other services. 
   The Highway Patrol suddenly had difficulty checking criminal
   records. Child Protective Services could not get quick access to
   abuse files. For two days Glendale's Department of Motor Vehicles
   office had to process driver's license renewals manually. And one
   consulting firm clocked 19,000 minutes of intermittent outages--an
   eternity in the fast-paced world of computer technology--from
   January to July. 

[...]

        For many customers, the nettlesome task of renewing driver's
   licenses or transferring auto registration became an ordeal. Some
   DMV offices called in fire marshals to control the crowds. Others
   closed early and turned customers away. 
        A few drivers in different parts of the state suffered the indignity
   of having their cars impounded because computer records about their
   license got swallowed in cyberspace. 
        Nutrition Program Affected 
        The debacle provided a stark reminder of the extent to which
   government has become dependent on computers and the havoc that
   results when they cannot function. 
        This summer, the Women, Infants and Children program, which
   provides supplemental nutrition to poor families, reported a severe
   drop in participation, attributed in part to the computer outages. As a
   result, the state has had to return $5.7 million in unspent funds to the
   federal government. 

[...]


        An internal memorandum told of Debra Wilson, a motorist who
   went to the Yuba City DMV office March 19 to complete her
   driver's license renewal. On June 13, she was stopped by a police
   officer in Marysville. 
        A quick check of DMV computer records showed the officer that
   her driver's license had expired, and he immediately impounded her
   car. The next day, when Wilson inquired at the DMV office, she was
   told that computer outages on March 19 "resulted in driver's license
   records not updating properly to the database." 

[...]




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