Assemblyman calls for “Bump and Grind” trail support

An effort to reopen the entire “Bump and Grind” trail above Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert is moving forward in Sacramento.

But Assemblyman Brian Nestande says he needs local support to get state more state lawmakers behind his bill, AB 880.

Nestande said Friday, “It’s an uphill battle in as much as we’re overturning a state bureaucratic decision, which is not easy to do. So we need a lot of support to show the agency got it wrong.”

The California Department of Fish and Game closed the top of the very popular hiking and biking trail last year to protect endangered Bighorn sheep.

But critics say it cited no studies to justify the action.

Now the department is talking about fining people who enter the area.

Nestande, R-Palm Desert, and fellow Assemblyman, Democrat Manuel Perez D-Coachella are both behind the reopening effort.

They’re asking the public to write letters or email the state capitol in support of AB 880.

The Coachella Valley Association of Governments will also discuss whether to support the bill next week.

Nestande asks people to send a letter to his office at the state capitol at:

P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249

He also says people with questions can call his office at 760-674-0164.