"There was a line of people. They even had a line for appointments and it was just extremely long, and they just couldn't handle it and people left," said Long Beach resident Trina Johnson.
"Nobody answers and nobody knows what's going on, and I missed a lot of stuff I was supposed to do today," said another Long Beach resident Domingo Rios.
The problem was with the DMV computer system. A network connectivity issue affected locations all across the state.
In Bellflower, people were given numbers that weren't being called. At one point, the doors were locked, and anyone needing a driver's license or a car registration was out of luck.
"They're not doing nothing, and they're not even giving temporary permits or taking payments. They're just locking the doors and kicking people out," said Bellflower resident Dina Galindo.
"I'm pretty upset because this is a document that I need by Wednesday," said another Bellflower resident Cynthia Ciera. "I can't go in there and get it. Nothing was told to us this morning, just except that the computer systems were down statewide."
By a little past noon Monday, the DMV headquarters in Sacramento announced that the computer problem had been fixed and that all locations had reopened. While that was the case in Bellflower and many other locations, the computers at the Long Beach location remained shut down.
"I came all the way from Catalina Island to get this work done today, and I'm unable to do it so now I'm sitting here all day. I have to take a boat back by 5:45 so let's hope it opens in time," said Catalina resident Paula Davidson.
The Long Beach office was up and running by 2 p.m. Davidson made her boat back to Catalina after a day of rough waters for the DMV and its customers.
