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plutherusSo I spent all day again today on the phone to the DMV and various related groups.
After an excruciating process of dragging information out of people who seem to do their best not to volunteer any information, I finally have the whole story. I think.
My California license was indeed suspended. The reason they told me it was not suspended when I went into the California DMV in January was because they had found an earlier suspension that had been cleared up, and the subsequent court order that I had obtained demanding that they update their database to reflect this fact (which took me several months of hassle back in 2000 to deal with.)
The reason it was suspended was because of a ticket I got in June, 2002. I got several tickets in a row that month, after my registration expired in March 2002. (All the tickets were for expired registration.) Once I got the car registered again, in September 2002, after getting it running again, I thought I took care of them all. Apparently I missed one. They have the proof of registration, what I did not give them was the $10.00 fee (for each ticket) to process the proof of registration. So they suspended my license in November of 2002. They mailed out the notice of suspension in December 2002, but I had moved, and the DMV instructs the post office not to forward mail from them, so I never got it.
So, of course, they turned it over to a collection agency, who now wants $413, (plus a $25.00 convenience fee, if I want to pay by credit card). After I pay that, I can wait 4-6 weeks for the DMV records to be updated, then call the DMV and pay them an additional $55.00 (plus a $4.00 "convenience feel" if I pay by credit card). Then, at some unspecified time in the future, they will re-issue a license (nobody could tell me if I had to show up in person to get the new license). Once I have a valid California license, the Oregon DMV will talk to me.
In Oregon, I was pulled over in January and told by Trooper Holly Bridges that my California license was suspended, (which is how I found out.) She let me go at that time with a warning. Unfortunately, without telling me, she also filed a citation for the ticket, who set me a court date (in Grants Pass). Since I didn't know I got an actual citation (she had told me it was just a warning), I did not know about the court date, and therefore did not show up, and therefore my "driving privileges" (not my license, which was the source of much confusion) in Oregon was also suspended. So they want proof that everything's taken care of in California, plus $473.00 for "failure to appear" in Oregon, to re-issue my license. No idea what extra "convenience fees" I'd need to pay them, or how much the license itself will cost.
Big mess, which is gonna take minimum of a month to clear up, assuming I'm willing to pay the almost $1000 everyone wants.
Fortunately, Eugene has a free legal aid clinic which I am going to visit to see if they can help me in having some of the extra fees waived. And, I may have to sue the Oregon state police (which pretty much will guarantee harassment every time I drive on the highways) and/or officer Holly Bridges, and/or the city of Grants Pass if I want to clear up the phony citation she gave me without having to pay for all that.
Joy, joy joy.
Oh, yeah, and in other news, I'm still not smoking (but, boy did I want one during those marathon hold sessions on the phone this morning/afternoon!), and it's still too damn hot here. (over 100 again today!)
After an excruciating process of dragging information out of people who seem to do their best not to volunteer any information, I finally have the whole story. I think.
My California license was indeed suspended. The reason they told me it was not suspended when I went into the California DMV in January was because they had found an earlier suspension that had been cleared up, and the subsequent court order that I had obtained demanding that they update their database to reflect this fact (which took me several months of hassle back in 2000 to deal with.)
The reason it was suspended was because of a ticket I got in June, 2002. I got several tickets in a row that month, after my registration expired in March 2002. (All the tickets were for expired registration.) Once I got the car registered again, in September 2002, after getting it running again, I thought I took care of them all. Apparently I missed one. They have the proof of registration, what I did not give them was the $10.00 fee (for each ticket) to process the proof of registration. So they suspended my license in November of 2002. They mailed out the notice of suspension in December 2002, but I had moved, and the DMV instructs the post office not to forward mail from them, so I never got it.
So, of course, they turned it over to a collection agency, who now wants $413, (plus a $25.00 convenience fee, if I want to pay by credit card). After I pay that, I can wait 4-6 weeks for the DMV records to be updated, then call the DMV and pay them an additional $55.00 (plus a $4.00 "convenience feel" if I pay by credit card). Then, at some unspecified time in the future, they will re-issue a license (nobody could tell me if I had to show up in person to get the new license). Once I have a valid California license, the Oregon DMV will talk to me.
In Oregon, I was pulled over in January and told by Trooper Holly Bridges that my California license was suspended, (which is how I found out.) She let me go at that time with a warning. Unfortunately, without telling me, she also filed a citation for the ticket, who set me a court date (in Grants Pass). Since I didn't know I got an actual citation (she had told me it was just a warning), I did not know about the court date, and therefore did not show up, and therefore my "driving privileges" (not my license, which was the source of much confusion) in Oregon was also suspended. So they want proof that everything's taken care of in California, plus $473.00 for "failure to appear" in Oregon, to re-issue my license. No idea what extra "convenience fees" I'd need to pay them, or how much the license itself will cost.
Big mess, which is gonna take minimum of a month to clear up, assuming I'm willing to pay the almost $1000 everyone wants.
Fortunately, Eugene has a free legal aid clinic which I am going to visit to see if they can help me in having some of the extra fees waived. And, I may have to sue the Oregon state police (which pretty much will guarantee harassment every time I drive on the highways) and/or officer Holly Bridges, and/or the city of Grants Pass if I want to clear up the phony citation she gave me without having to pay for all that.
Joy, joy joy.
Oh, yeah, and in other news, I'm still not smoking (but, boy did I want one during those marathon hold sessions on the phone this morning/afternoon!), and it's still too damn hot here. (over 100 again today!)
