SACRAMENTO–Senator Brian Jones (R-Santee) has introduced Senate Bill 227, a measure to save off-highway vehicle competitions in California.
Competition off-highway vehicles have long been registered through the Red Sticker program under the California Air Resources Board, according to Sen. Jones.
The program has allowed competition off-highway vehicles to operate in the state for the past two decades. However, the Red Sticker program is set to end this year with no plan to replace it. Without a new program, off-highway vehicle competitions and practice riding on public lands will be put to an end in California at a great loss to local businesses, competitors, and a storied tradition of competition, Sen. Jones warned.
He added that funding for environmental work and law enforcement will also be lost. SB 227 creates a new, off-highway vehicle identification program under the California Department of Parks and Recreation that is narrowly tailored for legitimate competitors only.
“This measure is a result of extensive collaboration last year between OHV stakeholders and all the affected government agencies, including CARB and State Parks,” stated Senator Jones. “Off-Highway competitions are a treasured sport that play a key role in the economies of suburban and rural California, which is of great importance given the current economic downturn. SB 227 will allow OHV competitors to continue their long history in a prosperous sport with safe practices.”
SB 227 is a reintroduction of Jones’s SB 1024 from last session, which was on the verge of a Senate concurrence vote when the legislative session adjourned at midnight on August 31, 2020.
The Senate bill is sponsored by the Coalition for Public Access and is waiting for a referral to a policy committee. It is a bipartisan measure co-authored by Senator Hueso (D-San Diego), Senator Hurtado (D-Fresno), Senator Dahle (R-Bieber), and Assemblymember Frazier (D-Fairfield).
