“I have a business trip scheduled later this month. I’ll be driving the 10 hours rather than subjecting myself to the idiocy of U.S. airline travel.”
My wife and I are having one of our rare heated discussions related to this:
We just renewed our Cali driver’s license and do to snafu’s on the DMV, our new licenses will not allow us to do air travel.
I’m saying fine, and she is saying we need the licenses to fly.
I went thru the California idiotic DL snafu. My advice to you.... get a passport instead. Passports are easier to get than those stupid drivers licenses.
If you already have a passport, the renewal process is even easier: new photo + $150 bucks and you're done.
Or, the really big secret is simply get a TSA card for $25. Same Real ID requirements as either a passport or CA DL, but you can take care of it in mere minutes @ the post office and/or city hall rather than hours @ the DMV.
Under no circumstances should anyone be willing to let the CA DMV handle/process your Real ID paperwork. With all the illegals getting licenses, the DMV has moved into entirely new levels of clown show many thought was previously unachievable.
Rather, just stick with the regular CA license requirements for driving only. Easy breezy.
As to TSA, I decided to channel my inner Winston Smith and finally tearfully accept Big brother as my loving, all caring authority figure. In that sense, our family all went through the formal 'global entry' program (including a detailed background check and sit down interview with a customs/border control officer). Once you have your GE card in hand, you automatically qualify for TSA pre-check, as well as expedited CA/MX car entry/exit.
I haven't gone through a "normal" TSA line in years. We travel by air 1-2x every month, and it's with real pity as I look upon the citizen donkeys all lined up to submit while I breeze on through. (Of course, I already submitted to an anal exam before, but as the memories fade, the real time exposure is always a shock.)
You should have gotten the Real ID. California only issues the other ones to cater to illegals. Yes, I live in California and yes, I have the Real ID.