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  Hello everyone! Our Board of Directors meeting is coming up this weekend, and I wanted to personally invite everyone to join us, either in person or via Zoom. There has been a tremendous amount happening within Cal4Wheel over the past several months, and this weekend is a great opportunity to hear what's going on throughout the Association and see your Board at work. Before we get there, I want to take a moment to recognize what an incredible Sierra Trek we just had. Anyone who was there knows this year's event came with its share of challenges. Electrical issues, water problems, logistics, infrastructure—you name it. But once again, our volunteers stepped up, went above and beyond, and made it happen. From Warren Story, Glenn Reynolds, John and Renee Allen, Steve Egbert, Chris Silviera and many, many others along all the Sierra Trek volunteers working registration, meals, raffles, the bank, trails, water, cleanup and the thousand other jobs happening behind the scenes—thank you!  Sierra Trek happens because an army of volunteers shows up and gets the job done, and this year was an incredible example of that. One of the highlights for me was having members of the OHMVR Commission, State Parks, NF law enforcement, representatives from three county sheriff's departments, U.S. Forest Service personnel and others come to Meadow Lake and experience Cal4Wheel firsthand. Thanks to the tremendous work of Renee Allen, Rose Winn and everyone who helped make the visit happen, these folks weren't sitting across from us in a conference room hearing about what we do—they were standing in the middle of it. They met our volunteers, shared a meal with us, saw the event in action and even got a firsthand look at Fordyce and Winch Hill 5. Standing there with our members, volunteers, partners and representatives from agencies throughout California, I couldn't have been prouder to be part of Cal4Wheel - That is what this Association is about. There is plenty more happening—from land-use and legislative issues to our events, partnerships, Convention 2027 and the day-to-day work of moving Cal4Wheel forward—and we'll be talking about much of it at this weekend's Board meeting. If you can't make it in person, I encourage you to join us on Zoom. Our Board meetings are your opportunity to stay informed, hear what's happening throughout the Association and be part of the process. Thank you to everyone who continues to volunteer, participate and support Cal4Wheel. I hope to see many of you this weekend—whether you're sitting in the room with us or joining from home. …Till the next update - Josh Josh Epstein is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: August 2026 Board Of Directors Meeting Time: Aug 22, 2026 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87028383240?pwd=GiAVuOME1COnM49XLZVTzQSrLSTRwR.1 Meeting chat link https://us02web.zoom.us/launch/jc/87028383240 Meeting ID: 870 2838 3240 Passcode: 410808 One tap mobile +16694449171,,87028383240# US +16699006833,,87028383240# US (San Jose) Join by SIP • 87028383240@zoomcrc.com Join instructions https://us02web.zoom.us/meetings/87028383240/invitations?signature=Px5vRlSsj0ZX_dUscLXdeXu00P6oPC8W9N96T2q6oNQ

Over the past several days, there has been a great deal of discussion, concern, frustration, and speculation regarding AB 1613. Many of you have reached out directly to Cal4Wheel, and many more have voiced your opinions across social media platforms. First and foremost, I want you to know that we hear you. As President of the California Four Wheel Drive Association, I believe our members deserve an honest explanation of how we arrived at this point and where things stand today. The conversation surrounding OHV safety legislation did not begin with AB 1613. In reality, these discussions started several years ago in response to a growing number of serious accidents and fatalities involving off-highway vehicles. State Parks, safety advocates, recreation organizations, industry representatives, and other stakeholders recognized that there was increasing pressure for legislative action. Whether we liked it or not, there was a growing belief that legislation affecting our community would eventually be proposed and forced down our throats. Rather than sitting on the sidelines and allowing decisions to be made without input from the off-road community, numerous organizations chose to become involved in the conversation. Over the last several years, safety summits, stakeholder meetings, and working sessions were held involving organizations such as Cal4Wheel, CORVA, the American Sand Association, the BlueRibbon Coalition, AMA, MIC, State Parks, safety advocates, and many others. What began as a conversation about safety evolved into an effort to find reasonable solutions that balanced personal responsibility, public safety, and continued access to the lands and trails we all enjoy. One point that I believe is critically important for our members to understand is that the stakeholder organizations involved in these discussions did NOT submit the version of AB 1613 that is currently being debated. The stakeholder process was still ongoing. Numerous issues remained unresolved. Language was still being discussed, revised, challenged, and debated. While ideas and concepts had been developed, no final consensus language had been approved by the stakeholder groups, and no stakeholder-supported proposal was ready for introduction. The expectation among many participants was that these discussions would continue and that any future proposal would first be vetted through the stakeholder process before being introduced. Instead, legislation was introduced before that process was complete. The introduction of AB 1613 came as a surprise to many of the organizations that had been participating in the stakeholder discussions. More importantly, the language that was introduced did not reflect the consensus positions that stakeholders had been working toward. As a result, organizations such as Cal4Wheel, CORVA, ASA, and others immediately found themselves responding to legislation rather than helping finalize a proposal that had been fully vetted and supported by the stakeholder community. That distinction matters. Many of the concerns being raised today are concerns that stakeholders themselves had already identified and were actively discussing before the bill was introduced. The reality is that much of the work over the past year has not been focused on advancing the bill as introduced, but rather on attempting to correct, amend, and improve language that many organizations believed was not yet ready for introduction. I also want to be very clear about something else. Cal4Wheel shares many of the concerns being expressed by our members today. We are not dismissing those concerns. We are not ignoring them. We are not blindly supporting every aspect of the legislation. Quite the opposite. We have spent countless hours reviewing language, participating in discussions, identifying problems, proposing amendments, and working with partner organizations to improve the bill. Progress has been made in several areas, but significant concerns still remain and there is still work to be done. I have worked closely with the leadership of CORVA, ASA, BRC, AMA, MIC, and many others throughout this process. While there may be disagreements about strategy from time to time, I can tell you firsthand that these organizations care deeply about the future of off-road recreation in California. Nobody involved in these discussions spent years attending meetings, reviewing proposals, and volunteering their time because they wanted to make it harder for families to enjoy public lands. We became involved because we believed that if legislation was going to happen, the off-road community deserved a seat at the table and a voice in the outcome. That is still true today. I understand the frustration. I understand the anger. I understand why many people are asking hard questions. Those questions are fair. However, I would encourage everyone to seek facts before drawing conclusions. Social media often provides only a small piece of a much larger story. Before assuming that Cal4Wheel, CORVA, ASA, or any of the other stakeholder organizations supported every aspect of the bill as introduced, I encourage you to reach out, ask questions, and learn the full history of how we arrived here. The off-road community has always been strongest when we work together. Dividing ourselves, attacking one another, or assuming the worst of organizations that have spent decades fighting for access only weakens our collective voice at a time when we need it most. Cal4Wheel remains committed to protecting access, defending responsible recreation, preserving our public lands, and representing the interests of our members throughout this process. We will continue to participate in discussions, continue to advocate for meaningful improvements, and continue to keep our members informed as developments occur. This is not the outcome we expected, and it is certainly not where many of us believed this process would lead. Nevertheless, we are here now, and our responsibility is to work together to achieve the best possible outcome for the off-road community. Thank you for your passion, your engagement, and your continued support of California Four Wheel Drive Association. Respectfully,Josh EpsteinPresidentCalifornia Four Wheel Drive Association

I hope all of you are enjoying the great weather we’ve been having lately and are gearing up for summer! I wanted to send out a reminder and update regarding a few important upcoming items. First and foremost, our May/June Board of Directors meeting schedule has been adjusted slightly. As discussed and approved at Convention, we are transitioning away from the traditional Saturday/Sunday meeting format for this meeting and moving to a Friday/Saturday schedule. The Board Meeting will begin Friday morning, May 29th, at 8:00 AM in Sacramento. Friday morning will begin directly in Executive Session, where we will be addressing consulting contracts, employee evaluations, litigation status updates, and other related matters. We expect those discussions to continue into late morning. Following Executive Session, we will move into several operational items including: Treasurer’s Report Budget discussions SOP approvals Action item reviews Additional administrative items Our goal is to work through as much of the operational and administrative business as possible on Friday. We will reconvene again Saturday morning, May 30th, at 8:00 AM, where we will move into: Board and committee reports Corporate sponsorship program discussions and proposed changes Land use and advocacy updates Additional budget discussions and planning items Please note there are separate Zoom links for Friday and Saturday meetings. If you have any questions regarding the schedule or agenda items, please feel free to reach out to me anytime.   On another note, I also want to cordially invite everyone to attend the High Desert Roundup coming up Memorial Day Weekend, May 22nd–25th. Your opportunity to receive a free event t-shirt ends tomorrow night at midnight, so please make sure to get registered if you haven’t already. Keith Graham, our event chair, is still looking for: Help with kids games Additional raffle prizes Run leaders for several trail runs We’re working hard to make this a spectacular event and showcase both the beauty of the Barstow area and the incredible off-road opportunities surrounding the historic Slash X Café. Registration is still open, and we would love to see all of you out there. As a final note, for those attending Molina this weekend, if possible please consider bringing a couple raffle prizes with you. It looks like the weather is going to be fantastic and the wheeling should be even better. Be safe out there, have a great time and I hope to see many of you both at Molina, High Desert Roundup and at the Board Meeting in Sacramento immediately following Memorial Day Weekend. Thank you everyone. Friday Zoom Invite: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85156939943 Saturday Zoom invite: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87919603567  

  I hope this update finds you all well and out enjoying some fun and exciting adventures! I just wrapped up a marathon week that started with attending the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, where our very own Rose Winn was presented with the Bob Ham Land Use Award. Several of us from the Association were there to cheer her on and celebrate this incredible and well-deserved recognition. Following that, I attended the NAMRC Conference, which was outstanding. It was great to see so many first-time attendees alongside familiar faces. The day was filled with meaningful discussions about land use issues from across the nation, brainstorming new strategies, and strengthening partnerships. The enthusiasm and collaboration in the room were truly contagious — a powerful reminder that when we work together, our collective voice becomes that much stronger. Next, I had the opportunity to spend a day at SEMA. While attendance seemed a little lighter than usual for opening day, it was still an incredible experience. After taking care of some personal business, I made my way to the West Hall to visit our booth — and it looked amazing! A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to represent Cal4 and help showcase our stunning Raffle Vehicle, which drew a ton of attention. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to pull this off every year, and I’m so grateful for the hard work and dedication that makes it possible. After logging about 36,000 steps (and what felt like another ten miles to the monorail), I finally made it back to the hotel — tired but proud — and started preparing for Panamint Valley Days. With the cancellation of Operation Desert Fun, all hands were on deck to make this year’s Panamint Valley Days one to remember — and it absolutely delivered! I want to publicly thank Bonnie Ferguson and Jeff Godde for their incredible leadership as Chair and Co-Chair, and Mr. Starksen for organizing a raffle that reportedly brought in over $16,000 in donations! The weather couldn’t have been better — we even had an impromptu air show above camp on Thursday and Friday, which was spectacular. The turnout was impressive, and it was great to see Past President Jim Bramham join us to celebrate his “everlasting” 50th birthday on Saturday evening. A big thank you as well to everyone who traveled from near and far to attend this year’s event — I spotted several Central District clubs and even a few members from the Hi Landers in attendance! As I get ready for the upcoming November Board of Directors Meeting, I want to remind everyone that the meeting will be accessible via Zoom (link below). Also, Convention 2026 registration will be opening up this week! Along with that comes the opportunity to nominate your favorite club or member for awards. For more information, please reach out to Steve at the office. And don’t forget — award nominations are due no later than December 31st. The way this year has been flying by, that deadline will be here before you know it!   Josh Epstein is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.Topic: November 2025 Board Of Directors MeetingTime: Nov 15, 2025 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/89128874217?pwd=m7VcNg4R5UMm0VBcymzNGzss2KIdBX.Meeting ID: 891 2887 4217Passcode: 557910One tap mobile+16699006833,,89128874217# US (San Jose)+16694449171,,89128874217# USJoin instructions https://us02web.zoom.us/meetings/89128874217/invitations?signature=vSEi6EXivhNWf9y2sfaj40c2uPmGLQ1kWSXpf8itjeI

Hello all! I hope this message finds you all well and enjoying the last bits of spring before we jump right into summer. There are a couple of things I wanted to get out to you as soon as possible. Hi Desert Round UP! Online registration closes this Sunday and we would love to see you come out and support a great event @ Slash X café in Barstow.   As always, Tony and his incredible crew at GenRight Offroad are sponsoring this event and will be leading couple of great trails, plus a new one, DEATH STAR! This is not for the faint of heart. We’ll have games on Sunday like always and we’re looking for clubs/individuals to help with games and to bring a raffle prize with you! Slash X will be serving food for dinner on Saturday/Sunday evening as well as their famous breakfast burritos before you head out on the trails Saturday! There is still time to register and you can register here: https://cal4wheel.com/hi-desert-round-up If you can help with games or have some raffle prizes, please reach out directly to me: josh@cal4wheel.com The May/June Board Of Directors meeting is the following week (May 31/June 1) and for those of you that cannot make it in person at our office in Sacramento, there is a zoom option: California 4-Wheel Drive May/June 2025 Board Of Directors Meeting Time: May 31, 2025 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84803953739?pwd=cafxGOGK5Wpls1gzqbVw85ihol6v3H.1 Meeting ID: 848 0395 3739 Passcode: 520293 If I can help with anything, my door is always open: josh@cal4wheel.com …till the next update - Josh

   PRESS RELEASE March 26, 2025   Court of Appeal Rules Against Coastal Commission, Protects OHV Use at Oceano Dunes     On Monday, March 24, 2025, the Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District of California, Division 6, ruled that the California Coastal Commission acted outside its jurisdiction in March 2021, when it ordered the California Department of Parks and Recreation to eliminate off-highway vehicle (OHV) use at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicle Recreation Area (ODSVRA), located near Pismo Beach, California.   According to the Court, the Commission’s attempt to terminate OHV use at ODSVRA was in conflict with the County of San Luis Obispo’s existing Local Coastal Program (LCP), which, among other things, expressly allows OHV use at ODSVRA as part of its recreational element. Under the California Coastal Act, the County LCP – not the Coastal Commission’s policy preferences – controls what activities can take place within the County’s coastal zone, including Oceano Dunes. The Court of Appeal’s decision follows nearly four years of litigation, in which three OHV-focused organizations – Friends of Oceano Dunes, EcoLogic Partners, Inc., and the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) – sued the Coastal Commission over its attempt to shut down OHV use at ODSVRA. Though Friends of Oceano Dunes and EcoLogic/SEMA filed separate lawsuits, both sets of plaintiffs argued successfully that the Commission’s action in March 2021 was inconsistent with the County’s LCP, resulting in a violation of the Coastal Act. The Court of Appeal’s decision confirms that OHV recreation at ODSVRA is a lawful use under the County LCP and the Coastal Act generally. The Coastal Commission can either accept that decision or appeal the matter to the California Supreme Court, which grants review in about 3 percent of the petitions it receives.     ###

  Hello all!  I hope all of you are enjoying these first days of Spring and are getting ready to get out of the house and onto the trails! Since the last time I have sent an update out, there has been a lot going on behind the scenes which has taken an incredible amount of time on not only myself but the entire Association. Stephen Chickos, our new office manager is settling in great with his new position and if you have not had the pleasure to speak with him, feel free to give him a call at the office and introduce yourself. The office is running at full speed and Steve is doing an incredible job! I want to congratulate Dirk Starksen on his election to State Treasurer and welcome Kenneth O’Brien as your new Central District VP and Russ Chung as your new South District VP. Thank you very much to Davey Rocha and Don Rybarczyk for their years and service to this Association. Thank you to Chris Silveria for his continued support as North District VP which all were ratified at this past Convention in February. Thank you very much to Debbie Stephens and Rene Allen for all your hard work and to each and every one of the volunteers who put so much into this year’s convention to make it a great time! There are some really great events coming up, like Molina Ghost Run and Hi Desert Round Up! – Which registration is now open for these events and I would love to cordially invite each and every one of you to come out and enjoy some great times up in the mountains or down in the desert where there are trails to accommodate each and every one of your interests. Please check out our website, cal4wheel.com for more information, or, feel free to reach out to me personally. With this update, there will also be a Request For Proposal (RFP) for the IN Gear Editor position as the contract comes up the June and we’re looking for any qualified applicants to send a proposal to us to review. We will not be sending out RFP’s for the Webmaster or NRC as they are on a 2-year contract. In closing, we had a huge win at Oceano Dunes this week with great efforts by Friends of Oceano Dunes and EcoLogic Partners to protect continued access to the Oceano Dunes – Our official statement to be included with this update. Its been a tremendous amount of work for all involved and a fight that is nowhere near finished. As always, if you have any questions, concerns or want to let us know how we’re doing, feel free to email me: josh@cal4wheel.com   …..Till the next update  - Josh

I Hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather and beginning of winter.  I am just getting back from a spectacular time at Panamint Valley days this past weekend and wanted to thank Bonnie Ferguson and Jeff Goode for the great time and spectacular weather!  A special thanks to all of you that lead runs and to everyone that volunteered in one way or another!  PVD is always a great time and the family and I had an awesome time exploring the area and spending time with our Cal4 family.   As we progress forward at the office, our new Office Manager, Steve Chickos first day was yesterday and we're working with Steve on getting him up to speed as quickly as possible so when contacting the office, say hello to Steve and wish him luck!  As Steve settles into his new position, our famed interim office manager, Jim Bramham will be getting back to retired life along with Shirley and I wanted to publicly thank Jim and Shirley for all their hard work and help with this office transition.  We all appreciate your patience as we continue working forward and look forward to hearing ideas on how to improve from all members.   Coming up this weekend is the November Board Of Directors meeting being held at the office in Sacramento, however, we will have a zoom meeting option for this meeting those of you that are unable to attend in person.  Thats all for now, so, till the next update...     Josh Epstein is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.   Topic: Cal4Wheel November 2024 Board Of Directors Meeting Time: Nov 16, 2024 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)   Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88370760650?pwd=M6jGcm2UMtaahyl3nUaX7CMqwaWE4X.1   Meeting ID: 883 7076 0650 Passcode: 331030   ---   One tap mobile +16694449171,,88370760650# US +16699006833,,88370760650# US (San Jose)   ---   Dial by your location • +1 669 444 9171 US • +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) • +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) • +1 719 359 4580 US • +1 253 205 0468 US • +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) • +1 360 209 5623 US • +1 386 347 5053 US • +1 507 473 4847 US • +1 564 217 2000 US • +1 646 931 3860 US • +1 689 278 1000 US • +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) • +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) • +1 305 224 1968 US • +1 309 205 3325 US • +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)   Meeting ID: 883 7076 0650   Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbtQvkvi9T

Hello everyone, I hope you are all healthy and getting ready for this heat to finally end. If you haven't already heard, there is a new era here at the office and we're searching for a new office manager.  In the interim, volunteers have filled these positions and have been handling the day-to-day operations.  We have compiled a list of duties that the new Office Manager will be handling and are ready to send this request for applications out to the world.If you, or someone you know is interested in this position and have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly: josh@cal4wheel.com   This summer gave us an incredible Sierra Trek and Hi Sierra Poker Run with strong attendance and was very well received.  Here in the South, we had a great showing at Sand Sports Super Show and Off Road Expo recently and as we progress into fall/Winter, there are more incredible events to attend such as Operation Desert Fun which registration closes October 8th and Panamint Valley Days in November with Winter Fun Festival happening in January, topped off with Covnention 2025 in February! - Registration is open to all of these events and I strongly encourage and hope you can attend these awesome events and someone is going to win a beautiful 2024 Bronco and that should be you!  Tickets are available online and through your District BOD members.  Be on the lookout for the annual mailer for the Win A Bronco Tickets!   If you have any questions about anything to do with the Association, I am an open book - Please feel free to reach out to me: josh@cal4wheel.com    

Hello all! I hope this message finds all of you in great health and you are packing up to head to two incredible events in the coming weeks, Sierra Trek and High Sierra Poker Run! I have three, small bits of information I wanted to get out to all of you: 1) There has been an incredible amount of ‘un-subscribes’ from messages like this or others from the Association regarding upcoming events, news, etc. What can we do to not make you hit that button? We are very aware that every one of us gets an incredible amount of spam and we do our best to make sure we don’t spam you with repetitive emails – is there something we’re doing wrong? Where can we improve on that front? Email me: josh@cal4wheel.com 2) I want to welcome Belltech and JE Reel Driveline Service as your two new corporate sponsors! If you need suspension items/accessories or the best driveline for your vehicle, please consider Belltech or JE Reel for you project! 3) Last, the August Board Of Directors meeting is fast approaching and in the essence of being mindful of our members money, I have decided to host this meeting virtually and this is your official invitation to come join us for a Saturday as the Board conducts business. And the best part, its absolutely free to attend! I truly hope to see all of you at Trek next week and at HSPR a couple of weeks after – Go out and enjoy these lands were all fighting to keep open for all of you! Josh Epstein is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: August 2024 BOD Meeting Time: Aug 17, 2024 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88033690493?pwd=a8aIlPFuUIC5uGhZOSkeFwoPtkDx9Y.1 Meeting ID: 880 3369 0493 Passcode: 778503