Thousands of California drivers could lose their licenses within the next month because of anomalies detected in their written test results, according to state officials.
Drivers across the state have been getting letters warning them to retake their written tests within the next 30 days.
“It’s a major headache for people who maybe don’t have reliable transportation,” Sacramento resident David Specht, who got one of the letters last month, told The Los Angeles Times. “A single parent raising a kid, they have to take time off work, they have to get child care. It just seems like if that’s our system, it isn’t really working for us.”
A California Department of Motor Vehicles spokesperson told the paper it had “identified anomalies in the results of certain knowledge tests” and that about 11,000 people needed to retake the exams. It did not specify what the irregularities were when contacted by the LA Times.
The Independent has contacted the DMV for comment.
The letters were reportedly sent to drivers who took the tests between July 2025 and April 2026.
On Reddit, California drivers traded stories about their experiences seeking renewals across the state.
“San Mateo DMV was nice about it and got me in and out quickly without needing to wait in line,” one user wrote.
“I got one too from Santa Monica DMV,” another added. “Appointment was fast, testing was fast too. I asked what happened and why I got it, but they said they don’t know and that I should be happy that I passed haha.”
Last week, the state announced a partnership to integrate Anthropic’s AI tool Claude across state agencies. It has not been specified whether AI was used to identify the anomalies in the test results.
The DMV has been using Claude to “improve customer service and lower wait times,” according to the governor’s office.
California transit officials previously were criticized for reported plans to share driver data, including that of undocumented immigrants, with a national motor vehicle association amid pressure from the federal Department of Homeland Security.
Critics accused the state of breaking a promise from state officials to protect such immigrants when they began giving them driver’s licenses a decade ago.
The governor’s office disputed the report, claiming the data shared with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators is not accessible by federal immigration agencies and does not include immigration status or addresses.
“This kind of sloppy reporting fuels fear in our immigrant communities without reflecting how the system actually works,” Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X. “At a time of heightened threats, we need accuracy, not distortion for clicks.”
