With Measure C, Fresno County's forty-year half cent transportation sales tax, set to expire at the end of this year, a broad coalition of community and social justice organizations has launched a formal, citizen-led effort to preserve it. The move sets up a political clash with county leaders, who are floating alternative funding approaches.
Operating under the banner Moving Forward Together, the coalition has filed a notice of intention with the Fresno County Clerk to begin collecting signatures for a half-cent countywide sales tax dedicated to transportation projects. The proposed measure would appear on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The campaign is being led by community groups including the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability and is backed in part by a nonprofit headed by former Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin. Organizers moved quickly after government-led negotiations to renew Measure C collapsed earlier this month leaving no official county proposal moving forward.
Social Justice Groups and Fresno's Mayor Join Forces
In the absence of political leadership from the County Supervisors, the community stood up.
“Thousands of Fresno County residents came together to shape a vision for a better transportation future,” Veronica Garibay, co-director of the non-profit Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, said to local NPR station KPVR. “Over the last year…we visited every corner of our community to hear directly from residents.”
Like Measure C, the proposed successor would impose a half-cent sales tax per dollar and dedicate the revenue to transportation needs across the county, including local road maintenance, transit, and other mobility projects. Because it is a citizen initiative rather than a government-sponsored measure, it would require approval by a simple majority of voters rather than the two-thirds threshold that has tripped up past renewal efforts.
To qualify for the ballot, the coalition must submit roughly 22,000 valid signatures, but organizers say they are aiming for at least 35,000 to ensure qualification. Volunteers have begun signature gathering throughout the county.
Several community leaders have framed the effort as an attempt to preserve Measure C’s long-standing structure while broadening its appeal. Joan Eaton, a former board member of the Central Valley Community Foundation, said the proposal reflects a regionwide approach. “It reflects a commitment to transportation investments that are fair, practical, and benefit the entire region, not just one city or one interest group,” Eaton said. A previous effort to reauthorize Measure C failed after a campaign that said it spent too much of the City of Fresno.
Swearengin has publicly endorsed the initiative and contributed financially to the campaign. “We’re supportive of this effort and really grateful for the tireless work of so many volunteers and local government officials who have been at the table working hard together,” she told GV Wire. “They’re trying to figure out how do we build this measure and what is worthy of the voter support.”
Conflict Between Fresno County Electeds
At a Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, Fresno County Board of Supervisors Chair Garry Bredefeld instructed county staff to complete a legal and fiscal analysis of placing a countywide general sales tax on the November ballot instead — a tax that would not be restricted to transportation spending. Such a tax, Bredefeld said, could be used for “actually repairing and fixing roads, other capital projects, public safety,” and other county needs. At the same Supervisor's meeting, he argued that spending money on transit and bicycling projects doesn't benefit the community as a whole, just a few special interests.
While both Bredefeld and Swearengin are Republicans, Bredefeld is well to the right of Swearengin. The Supervisor occasionally goes viral for his rants against Pride, praise for federal Immigration, Customs and Enforcement actions, and work to remove diversity programs from L.A. County.
Supporters of the Moving Forward Together initiative counter that a general sales tax would eliminate voter-mandated protections that have defined Measure C for decades, including strict expenditure plans and guaranteed local return formulas. They argue that after years of stalled negotiations and failed renewal attempts, the citizen-initiative route is the most realistic way to protect transportation funding while reflecting broad community consensus.
The Conflict
The split between the County Supervisors and the community activists over the measure comes down not on whether or not the county should continue the gas tax for transportation, but on how the funds are spent.
Measure C was first passed in 1986 and was reauthorized in 2006. An effort to reauthorize the measure in 2022 failed. Even if supporters get a measure on the ballot, organized opposition by county supervisors could sink the measure. Citizen measures only need 50+1% of votes to pass.
The Moving Forward Together Coalition's measure breaks down how funds will be spent as follows:
65% — Existing neighborhood streets and roads (fixing pavement, potholes, safety, sidewalks and local infrastructure)
25% — Public transportation (bus operations and transit services countywide)
5% — Regional connectivity (major regional roadways, arterials, and interchanges)
4% — Transportation innovation (EV infrastructure, coordinated systems, fares for seniors/vets/disabled)
1% — Administration (oversight, audits, planning, compliance)
Bredefeld and his allies pushed for something completely different: a countywide general sales tax, not a transportation-dedicated Measure C renewal. He argues that by not tying the future allocations to a specific formula the Supervisors will be able to spend it where they deem it most needed instead of what people now believe will be needed decades from now.
Needless to say, such a measure would not have a set-aside for bicycle and pedestrian projects nor funding for transit expansion and operations.
