The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is seeking grant funding to increase patrolling and enforcement of areas where illegal off-road vehicles are being used. The Sheriff’s Office continues to receive complaints about individuals on ATVs throughout the county, primarily in the Santa Ynez riverbed and surrounding areas bordering the City of Lompoc. These riders tend to damage private property and the environment. They are also violating several other state and county ordinances. The Sheriff’s Office plans to enforce laws in the Santa Maria riverbed and the Cuyama Valley, as well as locations in the south county area.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office applied to the State of California Parks and Recreation Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) 2023/2024 grant program. The preliminary application was submitted Friday, March 3, 2023. As part of the multi-step application process, there is an opportunity for public comment and feedback before the final application, due on June 5, 2023. From March 7, 2023, until May 1, 2023, the public can view the online grant application and submit comments.
To view the application, visit the California State OHV Grants and Cooperative Agreements program at ohv.parks.ca.gov. To make public comments on the application, click on “GRANTS” and then on “On-Line Grants Application (OLGA).” Then follow the directions on the menu bar on the left side of the screen.
This is the ninth year the Sheriff’s Office has applied for grant funding for OHV enforcement in Santa Barbara County.
