DMV WORKERS DEMONSTRATE : WILSON, UNIONS AT ODDS OVER PLAN TO CONTRACT OUT.

Byline: Virginia Gonzalez Daily News Staff Writer

State employees picketed a San Fernando Valley Department of Motor Vehicles office Saturday in opposition to efforts to contract out government services to private businesses.

The protest, organized by the California State Employees Association and Service Employees International Union, blamed Gov. Pete Wilson for the privatization efforts.

``It's important for the public to know what Wilson is trying to do to the people of the state by bringing the private sector into state-run offices and driving us out,'' said Joe Chacon, a DMV employment program representative who joined about 50 other state employees from various agencies who carried signs.

In a statement, the protesters said tens of millions of dollars have been lost by botched efforts to privatize contracts for computer systems, printing and highway reinforcing.

Wilson's press secretary Sean Walsh defended the governor, saying that efforts to contract with private companies can save taxpayers money. He said that the San Fernando Valley protest was an example of union politics.

``State government in California is too big, too bloated and spends too much of its taxpayers' dollars,'' Walsh said. ``If the private sector can perform a function for less money, more efficiently and provide a better product, then let market forces work.''

He called the criticism of Wilson ``typical rhetoric from the public employees unions who care more about union politics than they do about citizens' tax dollars.''

``Government should not be in the business of wasting hundreds of millions in excess costs to further the union desires of workers,'' Walsh said.

Walsh acknowledged there have been problems with some state contracts given to private firms, but often the problems resulted from inadequate supervision by bureaucrats, he said.

``In many of these instances, state workers are responsible for oversight of these projects, and we must do a better job of seeing that projects are completed properly, on time and under budget,'' Walsh said. ``What you should blame is the bureaucrats who didn't properly supervise the projects.''

Waving signs and chanting anti-privatization slogans, numerous DMV employees made clear their concerns, specifically outlining six reasons not to privatize in a flier passed out to people conducting business at the Van Nuys Boulevard facility.

Topping the list was confidentiality concerns that would put people's Social Security numbers and other classified information - only available through the DMV - into the wrong hands and create an avalanche of fraud- and safety-based dangers. Those include information that could be used to stalk or harass someone.

State employees also identified the lack of investigative units to oversee driving schools or license production, lucrative tactics to get more money for each service, false accusations by Wilson that the changes save taxpayer money, and the results of past state actions that were said to save taxpayer money but didn't.

``We're providing immigration services - we've already got to verify green cards, we handle parking tickets, tax services and even help nab child support violators by suspending their (driver's) licenses. And we just can't let our training and expertise go down the drain just because Wilson wants to reward backers of his campaign by awarding them jobs,'' said Rosie Travens, a DMV field representative who sported a purple T-shirt that read, ``Wounded - In the Line of Duty at DMV.''

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PHOTO Members of two unions picket the DMV office in Arleta in a dispute with Gov. Wilson over privatizing some DMV tasks.

Gus Ruelas/Daily News