California governor candidate Steve Hilton posted a video on Oct. 8 from outside a Sacramento DMV, according to his account on X. The clip shows him looking over a driver’s registration paperwork that Hilton said totaled $1,085, then telling the man he would cap those fees at $73 a year if elected. The driver says the proposal sounds good. Online users reacted with their own bills and comparisons to cheaper fees in other states.
The video shows Hilton standing in a parking lot with a man holding paperwork. Hilton looks at the bill and says, “Wait, so they’re charging you $1,085 for three years? Are you kidding me?” The man answers, “Yeah. It’s crazy.” Hilton says, “They’re just gouging you,” and the man replies, “They’re just digging in there.”
Hilton then points to his shirt, which reads “$73 Vehicle Registration” and “Just Try It!” He tells the man, “$73 per car, per truck, per year. Make it happen. How do you like that?” The man says, “Sounds good.” They shake hands, and the clip ends on a “Steve Hilton for Governor” screen.
The post describes the $1,085 as the charge to register the car. In the footage, Hilton says that figure is “for three years.” The bill itself is not shown clearly enough to confirm either reading, and the amount has not been independently verified.
Hilton has made the same pledge since a Sept. 8 rally outside a West Hollywood DMV, where he said he would cap registration at a flat $73 and move routine work online or to county offices.
The Sacramento Bee reported that ending the state DMV would need support in the Legislature. California’s base registration fee is already $73. Higher bills come from other charges tied to a vehicle’s value.
Responses to the Sacramento DMV Video
Some viewers treated the bill as too high and backed the cap. One wrote, “It’s highway robbery, literally,” saying they pay $1,500 a year to register two paid-off trucks in California. Another called it “utterly ridiculous” and said, “California just loves ripping us all off.”
A third said the DMV had charged their family almost $300 to $400 and added, “You got me and my family’s vote.”
Others compared California with fees elsewhere. One commenter wrote, “Good Lord — even Illinois doesn’t charge that much!!”
A Texas driver posted a same-day receipt of $18.50 for inspection and $76.75 for registration. One person asked, “Where does all the money they collect go?”
Local coverage of the September announcement showed a split that does not appear only on X. Palm Desert resident Matt Vogel told KESQ it would help his pocketbook, but added, “I’m sure they have to consider how they’re going to make up the lost revenue.”
A spokesperson for Democratic opponent Xavier Becerra, Jonathan Underland, told the Los Angeles Times that Hilton would need a Democratic Legislature to pass the plan, and said, “Steve is in for a very rude awakening.”
It is not clear whether the Sacramento stop will move the registration debate beyond the campaign trail. The clip continues to circulate as viewers weigh the $1,085 bill against Hilton’s $73 pledge.
