Tech Entrepreneur Looks to Revive California’s Broken DMV

Governor Gavin Newsom hopes Steve Gordon’s Silicon Valley experience is just what the ailing agency needs.

Few civic duties strike fear into the hearts of Angelinos like a trip to the California DMV, an entity that is currently responsible for licensing 27 million drivers and registering 35.7 million vehicles. From the crippling lines to the antiquated computer system, which is frequently crashing, the agency is in dire need of an upgrade. Enter tech entrepreneur Steve Gordon, founder of the travel firm MySeatFinder and former VP at tech giant Cisco. Governor Gavin Newsom’s appointee knows that people dread the DMV, and saw the drama firsthand when he visited a DMV office near his San Jose home that had people queuing up two hours before their scheduled opening time. With 28 million Californians estimated to apply for the new Real ID—which will be required for air travel in late 2020—that bottleneck could get much worse.

“He had a conversation with his wife and he goes, ‘You know what? I can’t be that guy screaming and yelling about government without doing something about it,’” recounts Governor Newsom. “I love that.”

Click here to read more about how Gordon plans to revive the DMV and the unique challenges he faces.