Finger-pointing and frustration fuel debate over Fresno County’s sunsetting regional road tax 

As the road to the 2024 presidential election nears its end, plans are already being set in motion for the issues that will take place in the following electoral race. Critically, a local transportation committee will attempt a last ditch effort to appeal to voters and renew a utilitarian county tax for the 2026 midterm elections. 

But questions among local stakeholders and elected leaders illustrate that the measure’s most important battle might not take place in 2026, but instead in the months of negotiations leading up to the tax renewal reaching the ballot. Most importantly, it seems, is the question about who should be in the room negotiating the language and promises of the new, final Measure C tax renewal bid. 

An example of what those negotiations could look like took place in a presentation on the progress of Measure C at last Thursday’s Fresno City Council meeting.  

The presentation was given by Terry Ogle, executive director of the Fresno County Transportation Authority, and Robert Phipps, executive director of the Fresno Council of Governments. 

A renewal could give the County $2.5-$5 billion in funding, a conservative estimate, Phipps said. With those funds, the County hopes to help repair roads — which data shows run the risk of falling into poor conditions without Measure C funds — as well as the possibility of more “forward-looking” transit options, like a light rail or a rapid bus corridor.

Fresno City Council Vice President Mike Karbassi said passing a regional transportation tax was crucial for regional road planning. Karbassi also serves as Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer’s alternate to the FCTA board. 

Karbassi highlighted the potential consequences of another failed renewal bid, particularly among the more rural jurisdictions.

“If Measure C didn’t pass, God forbid, it would be hard for this city,” Karbassi said. “Maybe we find a way to survive. I don’t know how some of these communities, like Fowler (or) Orange Cove, would make it. It would wipe out their entire public works budget.” 

Too many cooks in the kitchen?

Karbassi said a survey by FCTA highlighted large support from south Fresno residents, young voters and Democrats for Measure C’s recently failed renewal bid. He blamed local advocacy groups for the failure, accusing some groups of intentionally tanking the tax after not getting enough of what they wanted.

“Some of the advocacy groups that were trying to negotiate a different version of Measure C, I suppose didn’t get what they wanted, and basically targeted north Fresno voters who are conservative and appealed to them to kill that tax,” Karbassi said.

In particular, he said that groups like Leadership Counsel were engaged in “economic terrorism,” that stifled the success of Measure C, among other local issues. 

“…Leadership Counsel, for example, they are the reason why it is going to cost more to rent and buy homes in the City of Fresno,” Karbassi siad. “These are the same people that want to come to the table and negotiate with us and threaten us with lawsuits that end up hurting middle class and poor families in this community.” 

Groups like Leadership Counsel have been advocating for a more transparent and inclusive Measure C negotiating process, saying that it would help make the tax more reflective of the residential needs of the county. 

Karbassi later said, “I am not willing to cede any control to an unelected body. 

“To give that power away to unelected people with an agenda that we now learned get money, get funded from the Kresge Foundation, the California Endowment, and money from out of town to sue us into submission…I’m open to any community organization that wants to come to the table and negotiate in good faith, but if you’re gonna basically practice economic terrorism, I’m gonna completely shut you out.” 

Leadership Counsel did not respond to Karbassi’s “economic terrorism” accusations or his claims of sabotage, but, instead, issued a brief statement on the future of the transportation tax.

“(Thursday’s) Measure C workshop revealed two things,” the email said, “(1) We all agree that a transportation sales tax is critical to Fresno County, and (2) direct community participation is critical in shaping the next expenditure plan — which is why the Transportation 4 All coalition called for a participatory process and a community vote of confidence by Fresno County taxpayers in the Moving Forward Together framework before the plan made its way to every city council, the county Board of Supervisors, the Fresno Council of Governments, and the Fresno County Transportation Authority for approval. We look forward to working with Fresno County taxpayers to develop a plan that protects our future.”

Councilmember Miguel Arias, who touted his support for previous funds like Measure M and P, said he was against the most recent version of Measure C. Arias said that the room where the negotiations happen should not be shrunk if it hopes to pass, and the board should not engage in “one-room politics.”

Arias, who pointed out that the FCTA has already met with special interest groups like the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, the building association and the Rotary Club, said that the group should also make an effort to reach out to groups like Leadership Counsel and Fresno Building Healthy Communities “because that is the strategy to expand the room and the base of support.”

Arias also saw the influence of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce as a reason for failure. 

“If this measure is led by the chamber of commerce,” Arias added, “I can tell you that the vast majority of the elections they’ve weighed in have lost, both in supporting political candidates and campaign initiatives of taxes, Measure C being a recent example of it. The chamber is not what it used to be in terms of having a pulse on the diversity that Fresno now represents.”

The Fresno Chamber Of Commerce did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Arias also confirmed with Ogle and Phipps that about half the cities in the county already have their own self-taxation system for transportation, saying that a failure for Measure C would not cripple the more rural jurisdictions. He also said Fresno could consider introducing a city-based tax measure, as a way of keeping funds in-house and more centered on city-wide needs.

“The biggest losers if Measure C is not a county-wide measure are two constituencies,” Arias said, “the City of Clovis, because without Measure C they cannot fund their enormous expansion plans…and the (Fresno County Board of Supervisors), because without the measure they would actually have to charge development fees to maintain ag roads that are currently not maintained.”

Fresno City Council president Annalisa Perea said she supports a regional Measure C, also citing the potential consequences to smaller communities in the region. 

“It scares me to death if this measure is not passed.” Perea said. “…we have no choice but to pass this new measure.”

Councilmember Garry Bredefeld, who is currently campaigning for the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, said that aside from safety, the number one issue his current and would-be constituents complain about is street conditions. He said his support would be contingent on a commitment for road repairs. 

“I will tell you, short of that money being committed to fixing streets, not just building highways anymore, I’m not going to support it,” Bredefled said. “People have a right to have their streets fixed. It’s their tax dollars. And we’re talking 20, 30, 40 years where streets get ignored. It just can’t happen anymore. If Measure C does not commit the money to fixing streets and neighborhoods, I am going to strongly oppose it. It’s just that simple for me. ”

Wait, what’s Measure C ?

Measure C levies a half-cent sales tax on Fresno County residents, financing transportation projects throughout the region. County voters approved the measure in 1986 and then renewed it in 2006.

“Measure C has provided Fresno County with safe, efficient transportation infrastructure that has helped us better access healthcare, emergency services, education, jobs, and improve our quality of life overall,” Phipps said.

However, the most recent attempt to renew the tax was rejected by voters in the November 2022 midterm election. Needing two-thirds approval to pass, only 58% of voters supported the measure. 

Now, with Measure C set to expire in 2027, Fresnans will likely get one last chance to decide whether to keep the transportation tax — in the November 2026 midterm elections. 

Phipps said the conversation on renewal would be ongoing, and that the board will be listening to stakeholders from across the county in constructing the new measure. He also said that they have already been giving this presentation to other cities across the county. 

“Just know that we will be back,” Phipps said in closing. “This is the first of what we hope will be many visits — early engagement, robust engagement, robust conversation — and we will be seeing you and your constituents quite a bit over the next couple of years.”

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