Safety Bill is Dead
The OHV safety training bill AB1613 died last month in the Senate Appropriations Committee. This was a big shock to me and many others in our community. The agency that would administer the mandated training, the Off Highway Motor Vehicle Division of State Parks, was very supportive of the bill. So what happened? CORVA released an email shortly after the bill died taking credit and a victory lap:

ACTION ALERT: 

VICTORY: AB 1613 Is Dead — California’s OHV Community Was Heard!

Dear CORVA Members,

We have great news for California’s off-road community:

AB 1613 is officially dead.

Your voices were heard. CORVA members spoke up, we carried your concerns directly to decision-makers in Sacramento, and they listened.

AB 1613 originally began as something the OHV community could be proud of — an effort centered around safety, education, and responsible recreation. Unfortunately, as the bill moved through the legislative process, it changed significantly. Key provisions that the majority of the OHV coalition had worked on and agreed to were not reflected in the direction the legislation ultimately took.

What I find troublesome is the contents of a CORVA action alert email sent on May 28 2026:

Dear CORVA Members,

CORVA is extremely proud to announce that AB 1613 successfully passed the California State Assembly floor yesterday afternoon with a strong 41–17 vote and now advances to the California State Senate for continued consideration — one step closer to the Governor’s desk.

This represents a significant milestone for the future of Off-Highway Vehicle recreation, rider education, and responsible public land stewardship throughout California.

For several years, CORVA Board Members, along with our Land Use Consultant Ted Cabral, have been actively engaged in this process from the very beginning. Through extensive stakeholder meetings, policy discussions, coalition-building efforts, and direct collaboration with legislators and the California State Parks OHMVR Division, CORVA has remained at the table advocating for balanced, practical, and workable solutions that protect both public access and public safety.

Early in the year, CORVA asked for the bill to be amended to include street legal vehicles in the training mandate. We understand that there was significant pushback from the four-wheeling community after the amendment.

The safety bill is dead this year, we will see what next year brings.

Roadless Rule
In 2001 President Clinton directed the Forest Service to protect areas in national forests that contain parcels larger that 5,000 acres that have no roads. This rule was implemented and affected 58,000,000 acres, including 71,000 acres in the Cleveland National Forest. The rule forbids road construction in these areas in an effort to protect wildlife and water, and prevent mining development and the taking of trees for lumber. While it does allow some fire fuel load reduction activities, no roads or fire breaks are allowed. President Trump has recently asked the Forest Service to look into this rule, so a comment period has been opened to hear how the public feels about the rule.

The off-road vehicle community does not like certain aspects of this rule. We do appreciate that forests are not allowed to be clear cut, but we love roads, especially dirt roads. We also believe that if mineral resources that can contribute to American independence are found in these areas, responsible extraction should be considered. We believe that roads in forests are good because they allow better fire prevention activities. Restricting roads has also led to economic loss for rural communities. We believe that roads in and of themselves are not bad and they should not be banned outright.

Carnegie
Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area is getting its general draft plan rewritten because of a lawsuit filed by a disgruntled neighbor. The judge in the lawsuit ruled that State Parks did not create enough alternatives in the original draft plan and must remake the draft with more alternatives. A comment period has been opened, and we will be looking at the proposed alternatives and submitting comments.

Lost Lizard Fun Run
Our favorite desert event is fast approaching; click here to sign up. We are deep in preparations and everything is looking great! We have a super route planned, loads of raffle prizes, including both kid’s and woman’s buckets, seven fun checkpoints and food vendors at basecamp. This will be a run following a very well-marked route in the desert right by Superstition Mountain. Our base camp will be at The Dip just west of Huff Road a half mile north of Wheeler Road.

Ed Stovin, Director of Land Use
San Diego Off-Road Coalition