California Politics 360 full episode | Cheating concerns cause 11K drivers to retake test
This month, the DMV sent out letters to thousands of drivers after the agency said it “identified irregularities” in the results of some tests
Cheating accusations. Thousands of Californians forced to retake their written driving test. Why lawmakers are now demanding answers from the DMV. Tired of spam texts and calls, the new state program that could protect your personal information, helping students succeed in school. They shut me out as *** mother six years ago, and they told me I can’t and I won’t, and we showed them how we could and we will. How Sonia Shaw wants to prove critics wrong, changing the way California recalls state officers. We break down the proposal sent to voters. Thank you for joining us for California Politics 360. I’m Ashley Zavala. Cheating may be the reason why 11,000 Californians have to retake their driver’s tests this month. The DMV sent out letters to thousands of drivers after the agency said it identified irregularities in the results of some of the tests. Now the drivers who got these notices have 30 days to retake the test and pass, or the driver’s license could be suspended. But the DMV has left. People with more questions than answers as drivers scramble to retake the test. Last week, the chairman of the state Senate’s Transportation Committee, State Senator Dave Cortese, sent *** letter to the director of the DMV. Cortese asked about *** dozen questions ranging from how the DMV identified the drivers and if the agency has sent information to law enforcement. This week I sat down with Senator Cortese to get an update. Here’s part of our conversation. You sent *** list of questions to the DMV *** week ago asking for clarity on this driver’s license test situation. Have you gotten any answers from them yet? No answers yet from the DMV. You know, I did send *** letter about *** week ago. Um, I think there were about *** dozen questions in that letter. Um, those questions were not off the cuff questions. They were questions that. Uh, my Senate Transportation Committee staff, uh, helped me, um, write so that we could get that information and, and try to determine whether there’s *** legislative response to what’s going on, um, but, um, so far no response, but I do assure you that we will be following up with DMV and pushing them for *** response soon. I mean, the DMV really hasn’t provided many details to you or to us other than to say that cheating is involved in this situation. What’s your response to that? You know, the DMV seems to have *** culture that allows them to respond in *** way that is very antithetical, very opposite of the way most elected officials, most legislators are trained. For example, they’ll say how many licenses have been issued over the last 6 months is not public information. Well, how can it not be public information? They’re public documents. It’s *** public agency, the Department of Motor Vehicles, probably one of the most public facing agencies we have in the state of California, and I think there’s over *** million driver’s licenses at any point in time, maybe more than that. Why can’t they answer basic questions, you know, at times we’ve heard them over the last 5 or 6 years complain about IT problems. Get them fixed. You know, I, I’m not sure you even need IT to figure out how many driver’s licenses you’ve issued, you know, over the last 6 months or *** year, or how many have been retracted and why, and that’s where this 11,000 becomes kind of *** double-edged issue. One of it is, you know, the, the massive inconvenience it has on people, uh, especially if they’re righteous, especially if they’ve done the right thing, if they’ve checked off all the boxes literally and figuratively, they’ve passed their test. They need to drive and all of *** sudden they’re called back, you know, they’re called back as if that test is no good and no explanation from the DMV other than about *** one paragraph explanation we’ve seen. And by the way, the media explanation they’ve given, which again is about one short paragraph, is the same explanation they’ve given us orally at this point. So when I say there’s been no response, To my letter, let me clarify that the DMV has responded to ad hoc questions that we’ve asked, you know, one-off questions, individual questions that, that I’ve asked, that my staff has asked, and their response thus far has been to resend the same statement they’ve sent to the media, to us now. No disrespect to the media, but I would say if the Senate Transportation chair is asking transportation questions to *** transportation agency in the state of California, we should be getting an articulated response, you know, not some buzzwords that they’re sending out to the media, and, and I don’t think it’s right what they’re sending out to the media either. You’re doing the job of letting the public know what’s going on. Senator Cortese and I also talk about the possibility of an oversight hearing at the state Capitol once the legislature is back in session in August. We reached out to the DMV for *** statement. They said in part, quote, We want to be clear. Although these particular test results have been identified as potentially problematic, receipt of *** notice alone does not indicate *** final determination that cheating occurred in that instance. They went on to say nonetheless. These irregularities are test taker related and not the result of an internal DMV technical issue or involvement of artificial intelligence. Ensuring the integrity of the knowledge testing process is essential to public safety and to confirm that drivers understand California’s rules of the road. We have the full DMV statement on Calpolitics 360.com. Regarding sensitive information, what you can do right now to tell data brokers to delete your personal information. There’s *** new way to reduce those unwanted spam emails, texts, or calls. Californians can now sign up for *** new state program that will require data brokers to delete and stop selling your personal information starting August 1st. I sat down with the executive director of Cal Privacy, Tom Kemp. Here’s part of our conversation. How does this drop system work? Yeah, so the drop system is the delete, request, and opt out platform. It’s *** free website available at privacy.ca.gov and it’s available to all Californians. And what Californians can do is visit the website, verify that they’re *** resident, put some basic personal information in, hit submit, and then starting August 1st, over 600 data brokers. Have to connect into the platform and begin deleting your information. So this is kind of *** one-stop click mechanism to get your data deleted from these companies that you and I don’t have *** direct relationship with that buy and sell our information. So it’s *** way to quickly get control over our personal information. Is this just for California residents, or really could anyone get on this website and try to delete? It’s only for Californians. Other states are looking to adopt something similar to this, but we’re the first state to have done this. OK. What kind of personal information could data brokers have and why are they even using it? Oh my gosh, there’s just so much information that they collect about each and every one of us. So it first starts with our name, where we live, our phone number, our email addresses, but they want. Build out very big dossiers so they can so we can be targeted for advertising and so they’ll have our purchasing habits, they’ll have they’ll scrape our social media, they will have our surfing habits. They even collect our precise geolocation through integration with mobile apps. *** lot of these free apps, they monetize by selling our actual location. And then they also tie it together with healthcare information. There’s *** lot of healthcare apps that are free that they monetize the data, so all this information gets collected. And turned around and sold to basically anyone with *** credit card. So how does the agency then protect the information once it’s deleted? What happens again after that August 1st deadline to really make sure that people are protected? Sure, so the building block is first and foremost the Cal Privacy Agency. Has *** registry of data brokers. Data brokers, again, these are companies that you and I don’t have *** direct relationship with that have hundreds or millions of Californians’ personal information, very detailed information like I described. First and foremost, we get them to register, and these companies can be anywhere in the world, so it’s just not California companies that this focuses on. OK, so there’s right now we have over 600 data brokers that are in the proverbial system. And then starting January 1st of this year we built this website. It’s available at privacy.ca.gov again it’s free and it’s actually paid for by the data brokers and their registration fees. So you go in there, you quickly verify your residency, and then you put some basic personal information into the. System to facilitate matching with the data brokers. You hit submit and the information immediately gets stored in *** secure manner. And then starting August 1st, the data brokers have to then take their information, use *** similar algorithm to secure the information, and then they map and match the information that’s in the drop system. And if there is *** match, then they have to delete the data as well. The alternative is that Californians would have to contact each and every one of these 600 data brokers, and who’s got time for that, right? So this will take 567 minutes roughly, and it will save you hundreds of hours and really allows you to take control over your information with entities that that you’re their product. You and your data is their product. They don’t have *** direct relationship with you. They sell your data to other people. I also asked Director Kemp about how his agency is going to enforce the law and ensure data brokers delete the personal information Californians have requested. Helping students succeed in school. Why state superintendent candidate Sonia Shaw wants the job. Ahead of the general election in November, I’m sitting down with the candidates running for major statewide offices. This week we’re focused on superintendent of public instruction. Their main job is managing education laws and regulations. They used to oversee the Department of Education, but Governor Gavin Newsom and. State lawmakers just stripped that power from this office. Starting in January, the Department of Education will now be overseen by the governor’s office. Here are the two candidates running to be the next superintendent. First, Richard Barrera and Sonia Shaw both advanced to the general election. This is *** nonpartisan role, so you won’t see any party affiliation next to their names on the ballot. This week I sat down with Sonia Shaw, who explains how she would make an impact if elected to state superintendent. Sitting down with Sonia Shaw. Growing up, I always wanted to be *** mom. That was like my main goal, um, you know, going back to my childhood. Just being *** mom was such, um, an important thing for me. The mom of two now teens went from concerned parent during COVID-19 school closures to school board president at Chino Valley Unified. After I started to learn more as I started to seek the answers that most parents in California so desperately were needing and asking, so essentially the pandemic really. It was. I didn’t know, um, I was never involved in voting. I, I admit it. um, I now tell people we have *** moral obligation. These people are making decisions on our daily lives, um, and more importantly about our children, our most precious gifts. Um, so when I started to see the decisions they were making, uh, I just couldn’t sit back. I’m not one to sit there and complain. I’m one to see, OK, what solutions do we have, and if we don’t, let’s provide the solutions. Shaw made *** name for herself in. In 2023 when she and the Chino Valley board approved *** policy requiring schools to notify parents if their child identifies as transgender. It’s *** policy the state’s Democratic leaders fought for years, but the courts ended up generally ruling in Chino Valley’s favor. If elected superintendent, like what’s the first course of action you would take? Well, number one, I mean, it’s no secret, making sure our girls that we follow federal Title IX. Um, do not have to face *** boy in their locker rooms in their sports. Parents, you know, have *** seat at the table and making sure education is focused on reading, writing, and math, and the state is giving the tools and listening to our districts, including our rural areas. I’ve sat with superintendents on Zooms from areas all across California and to hear the what I call the horror stories of buildings that aren’t working. No running water, no resources. My heart broke. So to be the voice and to be the advocate for those things, I would say all kind of combine in my first line of action. Shaw’s campaign comes as Governor Gavin Newsom and lawmakers changed state law so that the governor is now in charge of the Department of Education instead of the state superintendent. It was an egregious attack on our Constitution. Here in California and it was also an attack on the will of the voters because we have *** movement running behind and on the side of me and in the front of me when we have people just rising up and paying attention to these offices that they technically and usually don’t pay attention to. Are you considering filing *** lawsuit or taking any kind of legal action before this takes effect? I can’t speak much to it, but of course I’m no stranger to, um, you know, you know, going against and challenging them when they do unconstitutional things here in California. And so yes, I am exploring that. We are talking to attorneys and my goal though, Ashley, is to win this seat so we can have somebody in there to start to be the voice of education here in California. and direct the ship back. The Republican Party has endorsed you even though this is *** nonpartisan office. You won’t see *** Republican next to your name. But for people who worry about your party affiliation, what do you say to voters who who see you on the ballot? 80% of parents and people in California agree with what I have done and what I’m doing. If you sit down and have *** one on one conversation. With me, um, in our own school district it’s nonpartisan and some of the communities if you pull Democrat versus Republican, it doesn’t favor the Republicans, but the messaging at the door, the messaging in the community, the messaging that I’ve sent across California with the proven track record, I don’t talk the talk, I actually do the walk, um, I think that resonates with people. People want change. My full conversation with candidate for state superintendent Sonia Shaw is available right now on Calpolitics 360.com. The future of how California conducts recall elections is in the hands of voters this November. What proponents are trying to change and why critics say this is not the solution. This November, voters will decide whether to change the way California can recall state leaders. Edie Lambert explains what could change under Proposition 5. Right now, to recall *** state level politician, your ballot has two questions. First, *** simple yes or no. Do you support the recall? Then there’s *** list of candidates, and you’re asked if the recall passes, who should take over the job. Prop 5 would separate those questions, limiting the recall election to just the yes or no question. If the recall passes, the successor would be chosen later in *** separate process. The presence of that second question in today’s politics creates *** set of incentives that makes it more likely that we’ll have recalls that have nothing to do with integrity, more to do with politics. Josh Newman wrote Prop 5. Former state senator knows *** lot about recalls. He became the target of one in 2018 after voting to raise the state’s gas tax. 42% of the voters voted to keep me, uh, but my replacement would have, my replacement did in fact take office with 31% of the vote. Um, and that’s not only is that not *** majority, but the proof that that is not sustainable is that I then got reelected in 2020 with, with *** clear majority. Constitutional law experts have argued that California’s recall process violates the principle of one person, one vote, where every voter has equal influence. Here’s Let’s say 100,000 people vote in *** recall election and just over half vote for the recall, so it passes, but that still means nearly 50,000 people wanted to keep that person in office. Now for the second part of *** ballot, there are often *** number of candidates. There were 46 in the recall election that targeted Governor Newsom. And they don’t have to have *** majority, the one with the most votes wins. So you could have *** candidate with 25,000 votes replacing the person who had almost 50,000 voters supporting them in the same election. Many experts say that’s *** problem, but critics of Prop 5 say it’s not the solution. It’s very punitive, and it’s just simply the state saying, we don’t want you to self-govern. Forget it. Ruth Weiss with Election Integrity Project California, questions the way targets of recalls would be replaced. Under Prop 5, it’s handled the same as any vacancy for the job, and it depends on the office and the timing. Either with *** special election, the governor appointing *** successor, or the lieutenant governor stepping in as governor. Stepping into the position would be someone that people did not choose. When it is so easy and not any more expensive at all to allow the people to choose the replacement of the person they’re recalling on the same exact ballot, there’s no legitimate reason not to keep the recall the way it has been. There are also questions about what Prop 5 would cost, and There’s really no direct answer. Special elections can be very expensive, hundreds of millions of dollars statewide, but in some cases they can also be held at the same time as regularly scheduled elections, which is much cheaper. And proponents of Prop 5 argue if it results in fewer recalls that would save money. I’m Edie Lambert for California Politics 360. Another note on Prop 5 here, the target of *** recall could not be appointed to the job they lost, but they could run in the next election where it would take *** majority vote to get their job back. Right now on Calpolitics 360.com you can watch this week’s full interviews. We also wanna hear from you. What issues do you want us to cover? Send us an email at contact@calpolitics360.com. Thank you so much for joining us for this week’s California Politics 360. We’ll see you next week.
California Politics 360 full episode | Cheating concerns cause 11K drivers to retake test
This month, the DMV sent out letters to thousands of drivers after the agency said it “identified irregularities” in the results of some tests
Updated: 8:25 AM PDT Jul 19, 2026
Cheating may be the reason why 11,000 Californians have to retake their driver’s test. This month, the DMV sent out letters to thousands of drivers after the agency said it “identified irregularities” in the results of some tests. The chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, San Jose State Sen. Dave Cortese, sent a letter to the director of the DMV asking questions about the methodology and the next steps. Ashley Zavala sat down with Cortese one week after he sent the letter to get an update. There’s a new way for Californians to reduce those unwanted spam emails, texts and calls. Californians can sign up for a state program to require data brokers to delete and stop selling their personal information. Zavala sat down with Cal Privacy’s executive director, Tom Kemp. Ahead of the general election in November, we are sitting down with candidates running for major statewide offices. This week, Zavala sits down with candidate for state superintendent, Sonja Shaw. This November, voters will decide whether to change the way Californians can recall state leaders. Edie Lambert explains what could change under Proposition 5. KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.
Cheating may be the reason why 11,000 Californians have to retake their driver’s test.
This month, the DMV sent out letters to thousands of drivers after the agency said it “identified irregularities” in the results of some tests.
The chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, San Jose State Sen. Dave Cortese, sent a letter to the director of the DMV asking questions about the methodology and the next steps. Ashley Zavala sat down with Cortese one week after he sent the letter to get an update.
There’s a new way for Californians to reduce those unwanted spam emails, texts and calls. Californians can sign up for a state program to require data brokers to delete and stop selling their personal information. Zavala sat down with Cal Privacy’s executive director, Tom Kemp.
Ahead of the general election in November, we are sitting down with candidates running for major statewide offices. This week, Zavala sits down with candidate for state superintendent, Sonja Shaw.
This November, voters will decide whether to change the way Californians can recall state leaders. Edie Lambert explains what could change under Proposition 5.
KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.