There is only one thing in this article I would dispute: I can't believe the California DMV was ever a model of efficiency. When I was a kid (1950s-60s) every one dreaded going there. My parents belonged to AAA primarily because at that time (I don't know about now) they could go there to take care of car registration and other routine matters and avoid going to the DMV.
I can't believe the California DMV was ever a model of efficiency. Once I figured out that making a sixty mile round trip to a rural DMV could actually save me time, not to mention aggravation, I never went back to a big urban California DMV. The small rural DMVs I went to were all efficient.
The big urban California DMVs were good at only one thing: Instilling a proper contempt for government. Rudest, least efficient employees ever.