Fresno County voters will decide the fate of a controversial half-cent transportation sales tax this November after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation requiring local officials to place the citizen-backed measure on the ballot.
The “Better Roads, Safe Streets” initiative would continue the county’s existing half-cent transportation sales tax for another 30 years. The current tax, known as Measure C, has been in place since 1986 and is scheduled to expire in June 2027.
Supporters gathered more than 32,000 signatures to qualify the proposal for consideration. Fresno County election officials ultimately certified that the initiative had collected enough valid signatures, but the Republican-controlled Board of Supervisors delayed formally placing it on the November ballot.
Supervisors voted 3-2 in July to conduct a 30-day study of the proposal. That decision pushed the process beyond California’s deadline for getting local measures onto the November ballot, potentially delaying the tax vote until 2028.
Democratic state lawmakers responded by advancing Assembly Bill 1923, legislation specifically designed to ensure Fresno County voters could consider the measure this November. The bill passed the state Senate 27-8 and the Assembly 54-16 before Newsom signed it as an urgency measure.
The law effectively overrides the county supervisors’ delay and requires the initiative to appear on the upcoming ballot. Fresno County officials have fiercely objected, arguing Sacramento is improperly interfering with local government and election procedures.
County supervisors have voted to sue California over the law. Board Chairman Garry Bredefeld and other opponents argue that Newsom and state lawmakers crafted special legislation targeting a single county after local elected officials exercised their authority to study the proposal.
The tax itself would raise an estimated $7.4 billion to $7.5 billion over three decades. Under the proposal, 65% of the money would go toward local streets and road repairs, while 25% would fund public transportation. Smaller rural communities would also receive guaranteed annual funding.
The political battle is particularly important because the measure was placed on the ballot through a citizen initiative. Under current California law, that could allow the special tax to pass with a simple majority rather than the two-thirds support generally required for local government-sponsored special taxes.
Supporters argue Fresno County cannot afford to lose the transportation revenue generated by the existing Measure C tax. Opponents contend that regardless of the merits of the proposal, Sacramento should not be able to override local officials and dictate when Fresno County holds an election on a local tax.
Unless the county succeeds in its legal challenge, voters will have the final say in November. Newsom’s intervention ensures that Fresno residents will decide this year whether to continue paying the half-cent transportation sales tax for another 30 years, despite the county supervisors’ attempt to push the decision to a later election.
The post Newsom-Backed Law Keeps Fresno County Half-Cent Transportation Tax on November Ballot appeared first on Real News Now.
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