Question: I went to the Wahiawa satellite city hall at 6:30 a.m. March 2 to renew my license and discovered 30 to 40 people already in line. I found out these people waited overnight to get a driver’s license or road test. I talked to the clerk, and she said the earliest she’s seen people was when she was leaving work and one person was camping out to be first in line the next day. I understand this is ongoing. Do they have a solution to this problem?
Answer: The long lines you faced were attributed to people wanting to beat the new Legal Presence Act requirements before the March 5 effective date.
The lines were especially long during the week of Feb. 27 to March 2, said Dennis Kamimura, administrator of the Motor Vehicles, Licensing and Permits Division.
Since then “the lines have been reduced almost back to normal,” he said.
Which doesn’t mean the lines have disappeared.
The usual lines that form at all driver’s licensing stations are a mixture of applicants seeking a walk-in appointment for a road test (including some who have a future road test appointment), applicants with road test appointments and applicants seeking renewed or duplicate licenses, Kamimura said.
He encourages those wanting to take a road test to use the city’s online road test appointment system: www3.honolulu.gov/csdarts/default.aspx.
At the Wahiawa Driver License Substation, there are two assigned licensing examiners and one supervisor.
Kamimura said that if all three report to work (no sick or vacation leave), the priority would be to assign one examiner for road test appointments and the remaining two to service walk-ins.
Question: I was told that one should never carry his or her Social Security card and that it should be kept in a safe place. I saw a letter to the editor implying that we should have it on our person. May I ask you to confirm the best policy?
Answer: The Social Security Administration advises treating your Social Security number “as confidential information” and to “avoid giving it out unnecessarily. You should keep your Social Security card in a safe place with your other important papers. Do not carry it with you unless you need to show it to an employer or service provider.”
As we’ve explained previously — is.gd/kokualine04262011 — you are required by law to provide your Social Security number in certain cases, such as when filing tax returns, applying for a driver’s license and getting a student loan.
Nongovernment businesses or groups can ask for your Social Security number, but in those cases it’s up to you to decide whether to give it. But they have the right to deny you a service or goods if you refuse to provide the number.
Mahalo
To whoever was responsible for fixing the fountain in Pohakupu Park in Kailua. It had not been running for many, many months. It is such a joy to see it up and spouting again. — Carol
The fountain had not been running for several months because the light fixture was stolen and water got into the electrical system, according to an official with the city Department of Parks and Recreation.
The Department of Facility Maintenance is looking for a replacement light, but in the meantime its workers have sealed the light holes.
Once that was done, parks workers cleaned and restarted the fountain.
Mahalo
To two bus riders for their random acts of kindness aboard the “C” bus between Kapolei and downtown on Feb. 28. First, a woman reached out to help an elderly man who came close to falling, then gave him her seat. Later, another woman called out to the person who had been sitting next to her and was about to get off the bus, forgetting a package on the floor. To these two women, your kindness was noticed not only by the recipients, but also by a fellow bus rider. — Susan
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