Golden State Today

Santa Barbara, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is seeking grant funding to provide increased patrolling and enforcement of areas where illegal off-road vehicles are being used. According to the Sheriff’s Office, complaints have been received regarding individuals on ATVs causing damage to private property and the environment, particularly in the Santa Ynez riverbed and surrounding areas bordering the City of Lompoc. These ATV riders are also reported to be violating various state and county ordinances.

In response to these ongoing issues, the Sheriff’s Office has applied to the State of California Parks and Recreation Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) 2023/2024 grant program. The preliminary application was submitted on February 27, 2024, with plans to continue enforcement in multiple locations across Santa Barbara County, including the Santa Ynez River, the Santa Maria riverbed area (Sisquoc River), the Cuyama Valley, and other areas in the south county region.

As part of the grant application process, there will be an opportunity for public comment and feedback until the final application deadline on June 5, 2024. The public can view the online grant application and submit comments from March 5, 2024, to May 6, 2024, on the California State OHV Grants and Cooperative Agreements program website at ohv.parks.ca.gov. This marks the tenth consecutive year that the Sheriff’s Office has sought grant funding for OHV enforcement in Santa Barbara County.

Sheriff's officials are encouraging community members to engage in the public comment period and provide feedback on the grant application to support efforts in addressing illegal off-road vehicle activities in the region.