Social justice groups in Fresno County are moving forward with their own version of Measure C.
Fresno’s Transportation for All” coalition held a press conference alongside Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer and Fresno City Councilman Miguel Arias on Wednesday to launch a citizen-led ballot initiative for the half-cent transportation tax.
The backstory: Transportation for All, a coalition of local social justice groups, played an influential role in the crafting of the tax measure’s renewal effort through the Measure C Steering Committee.
- After starting an independent outreach effort to gather information on Measure C, the group was awarded 12 seats on the 30-plus seat committee, leading to acrimony with City of Fresno representative Brooke Ashjian. Ashjian would later leave over disagreements with the group.
- The steering committee eventually recommended a 30-year plan with the following allocations:
- 65% for existing neighborhood streets
- 25% for public transportation
- 5% for regional connectivity
- 4% for transportation innovation
- 1% for administration
- Last week, after seeking to expedite review of the plan by Fresno County’s skeptical Board of Supervisors, the Fresno Council of Governments Policy Board voted to abandon the government renewal process.
The big picture: Transportation for All launched its initiative campaign on Wednesday to start gathering signatures. Representatives from Fresno Building Healthy Communities and Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability stood alongside Dyer and Arias at the press conference.
- The group pitched the same exact spending breakdown as the Measure C Steering Committee: a half-cent, 30-year sales tax with the same allocations – including a sizable 29% directed toward transit options, with 25% specifically entitled for public transportation and another 4% set aside for transit-related transportation innovation.
- Unlike a renewal of Measure C processed by FresnoCOG – which would require a two-thirds majority approval from voters – the measure developed by Transportation for All would require only a simple majority to be approved.
What we’re watching: Petition backers plan to gather 35,000 signatures by April to place the initiative on the November ballot.
