Newsom Approves Senate Minority Leader’s Off-Highway Vehicle Decal Program

State Sen. Brian W. Jones (R-Santee) said Tuesday that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed his bill to create special permits for off-highway vehicle (OHV) competitions in the state.

Senate Bill 708 will take effect Jan. 1 after proceeding through both houses of the state legislature with unanimous votes.

SB 708 establishes a special permit so Californians may operate certain off-road motorcycles at sanctioned events on public lands. It replaces the Red Sticker registration program that ended in 2021.

Jones argued that his bill provides a cost-effective and streamlined path to obtain identification decals while balancing “safety, responsibility and environmentalism.”

“For the past five years, my office worked with stakeholders and government agencies to perfect this program. OHV competitions have an important history in California and our new program will allow the sport to continue to thrive,” said Jones, the Senate Minority Leader, in a news release.

Such competitions had long been regulated through the Red Sticker program under the California Air Resources Board but it ended with no program to replace it.

Those who run the competitions faced confusion as rules fell to individual land managers, which led to inconsistencies in how they were applied statewide. The uncertainty negatively impacted local businesses, jobs and the economy of many rural and suburban regions that long hosted competitions, Jones said.

SB 708 is the fourth attempt by Jones to address the problem, dating back to 2020. Two years ago his SB 894 was vetoed by Newsom due to its fiscal impact on the Department of Motor Vehicles.

This year’s bill addressed the concerns from previous versions, including Newsom’s veto message, Jones said.

In addition to SB 708, Newsom signed two other measures authored by Jones this year.

SB 1048 provides flexibility for local planning departments and reduces potential expense to developments by clarifying that not all items, such as topographic lines, drainage, signage and lighting, are necessary for a site plan. SB 1225 helps streamline records under the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers.