A bill that would keep the off-highway vehicle destination
Hollister Hills open for another 10 years has passed through the
state Legislature and is awaiting the governor’s signature.
Hollister – A bill that would keep the off-highway vehicle destination Hollister Hills open for another 10 years has passed through the state Legislature and is awaiting the governor’s signature.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not taken a position on the bill, which would continue funding off-highway vehicle areas throughout the state, according to his press office.
If Schwarzenegger does not sign the bill, Hollister Hills could shut down after its state funds expire Dec. 31.
Last week, the California Assembly passed the bill unanimously and the state Senate voted 30-5 to send it to the governor’s desk.
Roy Stearns, a spokesman for the California Department of Parks and Recreation, which oversees the state’s Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division, said those in favor of the bill are hopeful the governor will sign it.
“It took much kicking and screaming to keep everyone at the table to forge this compromise,” Stearns said.
Stearns said Hollister Hills is one of the top off-highway vehicular areas in the state and that it makes sense to manage it appropriately.
“That’s part of your economy down there,” Stearns said Tuesday from his office in Sacramento.
Hollister Hills officials declined to comment Tuesday, pending the governor’s decision on the bill.
The bill would place fiscal management of off-highway vehicular areas in the hands of the division itself instead of a nine-member commission, Stearns said.
It would also extend the sunset for state funds from five to 10 years. A coalition of off-highway vehicle riders opposed previous versions of the bill that included a five-year sunset for funds.
“That really gives us the stability for long-range planning,” Stearns said.
The green sticker fee, paid when riders register off-highway vehicles, would double under the new bill from $25 to $50 every two years, Stearns said.
