IN SEARCH OF DAY 2

I'm determined to recover my lost check that Governor Schwarzenegger sent me years ago. My next step is to contact DMV to determine what I need to do.

DMV
(800) 777-0133

I did some research and discovered that the car tax refund checks were mailed almost four years ago!! Holy shit! Has it been that long? Good lord, where has the time gone?? After a little bit of thought, I began to wonder if I cashed that check after all? I'm quite certain I did not, so rather than going back into my bank records, I decided to move ahead with the call.

DMV answered and I told them my story. The agent told me that if you missed your shot at getting the refund, they wouldn't offer it again. This thought worried me a little because when you think about it, checks don't last forever. You need to cash them within a certain time period or else they're gone. The agent also said that the money goes into a general fund when it's not cashed and that may be the end result. Still, she provided me with the Field Office Support Unit's number. She said they are in charge of any car tax refunds.

Field Office Support Unit
(916) 657-8035

The Field Office Support Unit was busy. And it stayed busy. So rather than waiting them out, I decided to contact the DMV's Media Relations office. Why the hell not? I kind of feel anal but at the same time wonder if this is what it's like being a journalist who's trying to track down some kind of lead. Or even better yet, a mysterious private eye doing his due diligence.

DMV Media Relations Office
(916) 657-6437
dmvmediarelations@dmv.ca.gov

Instead of calling them, I decided to send them an email. I'm too scared to call since I have family around me right now. I don't want them snooping in on my phone conversations. But you're only supposed to use the email for media inquiries. Oh well! I sent them a sorrowful email anyway.

As I looked at the press release a little more carefully, it was obvious that the State Controller's office was the one that issued the checks. Therefore, wouldn't it make sense to contact them?

State Controller, Los Angeles Office
777 South Figueroa Street, Suite 4800
Los Angeles, California 90017
(213) 833-6010 Office
(213) 833-6011 FAX

The office above is actually the Executive's office. Nevertheless, whoever answered the phone was helpful and gave me the number to the disbursement office which she said handles all checks.

State Controller's Disbursement Office
(916) 445-7789

Since it's Friday, I figured I'd wait until next week to continue my quest. I figured I'd probably get more help on Monday since everyone else is probably getting ready for the weekend. My tip on searching would be to start the conversation with "Happy New Year!" or some other happy note.