A bill that would add numerous regulations for off-highway vehicle (OHV) events on public land entered the Senate Monday for the third time in three years, with supporters hoping the bill would get through both houses and will be signed by This time the governor.<\/p>\n
Senate Bill 894, authored by Senator Brian Jones (R-Santee), would end the requirement for motorcycles to have special identification devices and the associated fees, effective January 2024. Other OHVs, such as ATVs, would not be exempt. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) would also ease the way for issuing and renewing competition markings for newer vehicles after 2021. These newer OHVs would also incur a special fee of $42, with funds going to a Department and Recreation trust fund to be used for OHV matters. Exemptions for silencers, spark arrestors, mufflers and other noise control devices would also be significantly reduced, resulting in quieter competitions.<\/p>\n
SB 894 is almost identical to previous iterations of the bill, both also authored by Jones. in August 2020, SB1024<\/a> was passed in assembly a day before the end of the session, but due to an onslaught of economic and COVID-19 related bills, The bill did not make it to a crucial Senate vote in time<\/a>. A year later it was tried again SB227<\/a>, but once again the bill got off to a late start. Shortly before a critical Assembly budget bill, thanks to a host of other bills, SB 227 was placed in the suspense file and never reappeared.<\/p>\n This time, the bill for a new OHV program was deemed urgent by many proponents. The California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Red Sticker program, which previously allowed off-road competition, ended last year without a replacement. Things have been in disarray since its demise, with some areas still displaying stickers, others not, and many unsure if the off-road competitions are legal.<\/p>\n Because these contests often bring economic benefits to many rural and unincorporated areas of the state, and many are still recovering from the COVID-19 economic downturn, SB 894 aims to bring back a program and bring back fully erased contests to those areas with noise reduction measures in place allay any noise concerns of local residents.<\/p>\n “As the saying goes, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day,'” Senator Jones said Monday. \u201cOHV stakeholders, government agencies and many others have been working hard on this issue over the past several years. Over the past year, the environmental community has joined these discussions, and we have been able to work out a compromise that overturns their previous opposition. Unfortunately, the Assembly Budget Committee kept the bill in committee. Our cross-party coalition looks forward to bringing this year’s measure to the governor’s desk for signature.\u201d<\/p>\n Support for SB 894<\/p>\n The bill received support from many outdoor and OHV groups such as the Coalition for Public Access and the California Motorcycle Dealers Association, with many locals near popular competition areas and OHV riders supporting the bill.<\/p>\n \u201cWhenever we come into town, the shopkeepers are always happy to see us,\u201d said Matt Hollander, a San Bernardino County ATV racer and instructor. “It can be strange to see a bunch of people who look like punks keep entering convenience stores, gas stations or other businesses, but whatever concerns they have are usually forgiven when we see thousands of sales at one place do the day. Auto parts stores too, we usually go there too.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the bad days of COVID, when we did this as one of the few safe social distancing activities, we were a godsend to many who were struggling. We’ve made these big orders at a few restaurants and one even asked if we were joking because they haven’t had an order that big in years.<\/p>\n “It’s fun for us and it benefits a lot of people. This has seemed like a no-brainer to me over the last few years. Besides, we really need it now.\u201d<\/p>\n There is currently no Senate or Assembly objection to the bill. SB 894 is expected to be submitted to a Senate committee in the near future.<\/p>\n
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