DMV closes refurbished Glenoaks branch

GLENDALE— The Department of Motor Vehicles Glenoaks Boulevard branch, due to open Nov. 1 after a $900,000 facelift, will now be closed indefinitely due to limited staffing resources, officials announced Friday.

The Glendale branch, at 1335 W. Glenoaks Blvd., was one of three offices selected to close because its doors had already been shut for more than two months for scheduled renovations, DMV spokeswoman Jan Mendoza said.

The other two offices closing are in Santa Maria and West Covina.

"It really is a big deal, but those are the sign of the times," Mendoza said.

Officials had initially announced the Glendale branch would reopen Monday, but later pushed its launch date to Nov. 22.

Keeping the offices open proved to be a challenge for DMV officials, who had struggled with staffing issues and numerous vacancies, Mendoza said.

DMV officials haven't been able to fill those vacancies because of statewide budget cuts, she added.

"We could have kept them open, but it would have been really difficult to keep up with customer service," Mendoza said.

Maintaining the offices would have also diminished the ability of employees to focus on important documents and left the DMV branch vulnerable to fraud, she said.

Employees from all three offices will be relocated to other DMV branches to help with additional influx of customers, Mendoza said.

The Glendale branch served about 1,200 customers daily, which officials said was typical for similar DMV offices.

The branch had not undergone extensive renovations since it opened in 1961, according to the department.

Crews had been installing a new heating and air conditioning unit, flooring, furniture, signs, and fencing upgrades.

The remaining work will be completed, but then the branch will stay closed, Mendoza said.

Nearby resident Kathy Lilly said the branch brought traffic to the area, but not much more than had already existed.

"It really hasn't been that much different," she said.

Mendoza advised customers to visit http://www.dmv.ca.gov for any services.

FYI

Glendale-area customers are being redirected to the following DMV branches:

*West Hollywood, 936 N. Formosa Ave., 9 miles away.

*Hollywood Cole, 803 N. Cole Ave., 10 miles away.

*Lincoln Park, 3529 N. Mission Road, 11 miles away.

*Arleta, 14400 Van Nuys Blvd., 13 miles away.

*Pasadena, 49 S. Rosemead Blvd., 14 miles away.

*Van Nuys, 14920 Vanowen St., 14 miles away.