The Assembly Transportation Committee recently gave unanimous bipartisan approval to Senate Bill 708, which is a significant step forward in Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones’ ongoing efforts to safeguard off-road motorcycle competitions in California.
For people in California who want to operate off-road motorcycles or off-highway vehicles at authorized events, Jones’ bill introduces a permit. This permit program aims to cater to competition motorcycles in particular, ensuring a more organized and regulated system.
The California Air Resources Board currently oversees the registration of all OHVs aside from competition motorcycles. However, the board has made a decision to discontinue the Red Sticker registration program in 2021, with no intentions of introducing a replacement program.
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Land management agencies and law enforcement authorities are currently facing confusion due to the lack of identification decal or sticker to differentiate between model year 2022 competition OHVs and newer ones, versus model year 2021 and older OHVs.
Jones stated that they have dedicated their efforts for the last five years to collaborate with OHV stakeholders and governmental agencies, such as State Parks and the Air Resources Board. According to Jones, SB 708 is an authentic consensus measure that enables OHV competition riders to pursue their sport in a secure and responsible way while contributing significantly to the recreational economies in rural and suburban California.
Senator Jones has made four attempts to pass this bill, with the previous three attempts being stalled. These attempts were made in 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively. Unfortunately, the latest attempt in 2022 was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom due to its potential fiscal impact on the Department of Motor Vehicles. However, in this latest attempt, Senator Jones has addressed the concerns raised in the previous bills, including those mentioned in Newsom’s veto message.
The unanimous passage of SB 708 in policy committee has paved the way for its consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Should it pass in this next stage, it will then proceed to the Assembly Floor for a comprehensive vote.
