Workers have been tending the landscape and cleaning the outside of a vacant building along Glenoaks Boulevard in Pacoima for the past week while office equipment is being moved into the facility.
All of this is in anticipation of a major new tenant coming to Pacoima.
The state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office in Granada Hills is closing and relocating here, as of October 7.
The relocation to Pacoima is occurring because “the lease in Granada Hills is expiring and is not getting renewed. The entire staff of 38 employees will go to Pacoima,” said Marty Greenstein, public information officer for the DMV.
The Granada Hills office, located at 16201 San Fernando Mission Boulevard, will close at 5 p.m. on Sept 27. The new office will open at 8 a.m. on Oct. 7 at 11623 Glenoaks Boulevard in Pacoima — about five miles away.
“We are excited to offer the public this new Driver License Processing Center in Pacoima, and appreciate our customers’ understanding for the brief gap in service,” DMV Director Steve Gordon said.
Agency officials in Granada Hills noted that customers can visit other DMV field offices in Arleta, Van Nuys, Newhall and Winnetka while it transitions to the new office, located next to a 118 freeway onramp, and which once housed a branch of the Employment Development Department.
“The DMV worked diligently to identify a nearby location that could accommodate a similar number of employees, service windows and customers, and we are excited to offer the new office with just a brief gap in service,” Greenstein said.
“Both offices are what we call Driver License Processing Centers, meaning they only handle driver’s license and identification card transactions (but no vehicle registration services),” he explained. “Like Granada Hills, the Pacoima office will be open six days a week, including 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday.”
“The Granada Hills office serves around 11,000 customers a month, and we expect to serve a similar number in Pacoima,” Greenstein said.
DMV officials added this new office is an ideal location to apply for a REAL ID.
Starting Oct. 1, 2020, the US Department of Homeland Security will require passengers to show a valid passport, or other federally approved documents like a REAL ID driver’s license or identification card, to board flights within the United States and access secure federal facilities and military bases.
“If your license or identification card expires between now and October 2020, we recommend that you wait to apply for your REAL ID at the time of your renewal,” Gordon said. “If your card expires after October 2020, we recommend you choose a convenient time to apply before the federal enforcement date begins.”
To apply for a REAL ID driver’s license or identification card, Californians must visit a DMV office and bring the following documents:
One Proof of Identity – Original or Certified (examples: valid passport, birth certificate)
One Proof of Social Security Number (examples: SSN card, W-2 or paystub bearing full SSN)
Two Proofs of California Residency — Paper Copies (examples: utility bill, bank statement)
California’s 27 million drivers aren’t required to have a Real ID. It’s only needed if you want to fly within the United States. California has issued about 5.5 million Real IDs since January 2018.
For a complete list of acceptable documents, visit REALID.dmv.ca.gov. Customers are encouraged to fill out the online driver license application before their office visit at eDLapp.dmv.ca.gov.