Governor Candidate John Cox Visits California DMV Offices

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Gubernatorial candidate John Cox paid a visit to a Sacramento DMV office Wednesday afternoon.

He's been traveling around the state speaking to citizens stuck in long waiting lines.

He calls the wait unacceptable.

"It's just mismanaged," Cox said referring to how the DMV.

"They've known about this problem since 2005 and they didn't really address it well enough and the state legislature gave them $70 million last year. Then they refuse an audit to see what they did with the money and I think that's wrong on all levels," he said.

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A request to audit the DMV by several state legislators was denied after two days of hearings over concerns it would take away resources from the already overburdened department.

DMV officials say the increased wait times are the result of the federal government's Real ID requirements that have many Californians renewing their driver's licenses in person rather than online because of the law's requirements.

Cox is a businessman from Chicago. He moved to California 10 years ago and says he decided to run for governor to help fix the problems he's seen over the years.

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"[I] started my own businesses in my 20s, started buying apartments when I was 27-years-old and never sold one, I've done well with real estate," he said. "I've done well because of the American system and the American dream, but that dream is fading... especially in California."

Cox has never held political office. He ran for a House seat in Illinois and the Senate in the early 2000s. He was also the first Republican to join the race for the presidency in 2008 before dropping out later in the year.

Cox is running against California's Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.