Mere months after departing office, former Fresno County Supervisor Steve Brandau could become a factor in the four-dimensional chess at-play to secure a transportation infrastructure tax extension for the Valley’s largest county next year.
Brandau has reportedly been recruited by former Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin and her Central Valley Community Foundation to bridge the gap between the Fresno Council of Government’s Measure C Steering Committee and the social justice activist-backed Transportation for All initiative.
The back story: The effort to renew Fresno County’s half-cent transportation tax failed three years ago, leaving Measure C set to expire in 2027.
- Brandau was notably the only member of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to oppose the last-minute expenditure plan for the 2022 measure. He called the process of reaching a deal between the County and its incorporated cities a “shitshow.”
- His opposition to the plan would eventually be placed on mailers by Transportation For All opposing the 2022 Measure C attempt targeting north Fresno and Clovis Republican voters.
- At the time, Transportation for All attracted significant financial backing from Swearengin’s Central Valley Community Foundation, Fresno Building Healthy Communities, and the Northern California Carpenters Union,
Driving the news: The Fresno County Transportation Authority is trying again, exploring what a ballot measure would look like for next year in order to maintain a vital funding source for county roads and infrastructure.
- But the battle lines are already taking shape. The Fresno Council of Governments could move forward with an official renewal measure, which would require a two-thirds vote to pass.
- But social justice group and Transportation for All backer Building Healthy Communities could propose its own transportation tax that would need a simple majority vote, and another separate citizens initiative could also be in play that would put the focus of the tax almost purely on roads.
The big picture: GV Wire reported that Brandau has been contracted by the Central Valley Community Foundation – which holds a seat on the Measure C Steering Committee – to bring all sides together for a compromise and prevent multiple measures from going in front of voters in 2026.
What he’s saying: Brandau said he has started the process of creating conversations between both sides.
- “Before it gets too late, let’s bring the sides together,” he told GV Wire. “What does that mean? That means there’s going to be compromise on all sides. Now, if nobody’s interested in that, then we’ll probably have more than one measure on our ballot, which could mean disaster for Measure C.”
- He added that it is time to come together to pass the measure.
- “If I have to listen to and acknowledge both sides, I’m willing to do that,” Brandau told GV Wire. “But if Measure C goes away, then everybody can go down to Lowe’s and get their own little asphalt mix and patch their own potholes.”
