Why doesn't California DMV automatically renew your drivers?
The reason is that the Federals have different ID requirements from California to get a Real ID. Most of us, for instance, didnt need to provide the level of documentation that is now required which makes sense as it was only required for, well, driving in California. You can still get a regular ID at the DMV but you wont be able to use it for identification in areas the Federals control like airport security.