The CA DMV is way better now than it was a few years ago (it was horrible). Nearby, there's a massive driver license / renewal center and you can do more online than before. And some positive stories here:
https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/03/16/grieving-parents-get-...
It also doesn't make sense that you need competitive elections to fix something like the DMV. There are humans in the seats of government and why wouldn't they want to do a good job?
I'm not convinced it is under funding. It could also be too many managers and not enough front line staff. Or it could be too many regulations making the process need far more time (time=money).
I watched pretty closely while I was changing from a KY vehicle registration to a CA registration. The staffer was plenty quick, there was just an absolute heap of stuff to do that all seemed pointless. I'm sure each of those little legally-mandated whatsits was well-intentioned, but in aggregate they bedraggle getting anything done. Similar story in zoning / planning. And in both arenas the result is that doing things is slow and expensive. Please, government, spend some tiny modicum of effort on deregulating and streamlining for the sake of not wasting my limited lifespan.
The military is very incompetent. It has bases that it neither needs or wants and are just make work projects. But this is the fault of the civilian government.
It also doesn't make sense that you need competitive elections to fix something like the DMV. There are humans in the seats of government and why wouldn't they want to do a good job?