While the police take 47.5% of our taxpayers’ dollars, PARCS only gets 3.3%. Where are the priorities for families?
$251 MILLION—that’s how much of our hard-working taxpayer dollars the Fresno City Council allocated to the Police Department (FPD) for 2026. For 2027, Major Jerry Dyer is proposing to increase the amount to $263.7 million!
Budgets are not simply numbers on a page but moral and political documents that show us who and what we as a city value. The FPD’s general fund allocation has skyrocketed in the last 5 years, making it loud and clear who the Mayor and City Council believe deserve the lion’s share of our money.
As a father living in southeast Fresno, the City sinking millions of tax dollars into policing has been a bad investment for my family and represents a bad return for Fresno’s taxpayers.
Last year, WalletHub listed Fresno as one of the neediest cities in the U.S., with a poverty rate of 20.1%. That is almost double the national average of 12.5%.
Moreover, the average rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in Fresno is $1,633 per month, while the median household income is approximately $69,000. These economic pressures force families like mine to make tough decisions day in and day out.
As a father supporting a family of three on a low-income salary in southeast Fresno, I live through these hardships. With living costs rising faster than wages, I constantly make painful decisions about which bills we can pay or what days we can eat a full meal.
When I discovered how much of my tax dollars fund policing, I asked myself: Does policing help when I’m facing eviction? Does it put food on my family’s table? Does it help me train for a higher-paying job?
The answer is no and it made me realize that this is a deeper systemic issue.
Fresno’s Past (and Present) Racist Policies
For generations, many racist policies have shaped Fresno’s development, creating stark inequities between North and South. The redlining practices of yesterday have evolved into the budget priorities of today. These policies contribute to poverty in Fresno.
You would think that the Fresno City Council would be more receptive to proactive solutions that can uplift Fresnans from decades of strategic disinvestment. Instead, they pour a majority of our tax dollars (along with any imagination they have) into failed, reactive carceral approaches.
14.3% of Fresno families live in poverty. We are also in the worst 25% of counties in CA and the U.S., throwing more money into policing won’t change this.
With an observant eye for how the police are functioning in Fresno with all of those taxpayer dollars bolstering their operations, I came across research from Catalyst California and Fresno Building Healthy Communities that found the Fresno Police Department is riddled with racial bias.
Data shows Fresno PD disproportionately stops and tickets people of color for minor traffic violations, such as equipment or administrative issues that do not meaningfully advance community safety.
Furthermore, the systemic exclusion continues at City Hall. It took a Fresnoland investigation and a Fresno County Superior Court Judge to rule that the way the Mayor and the City Council have been negotiating taxpayer dollars away from the public violates California’s Brown Act—a clear disregard for taxpayer input.
Fresnans for a People’s Budget
To push back, I am organizing with Fresnans for a People’s Budget. We demand that the City Council deallocate the 25 sworn police officer positions currently funded by an expiring 3-year grant; the alternative is that the burden would be on the taxpayers.
This type of grant-to-general-fund pipeline has been a major contributor to the ballooning FPD budget.
Deallocating the funds would immediately free up $1.8 million from the general fund. This can be used to meet the needs of everyday Fresnans and keep $3.6 million off the books in the following years.
Every tax dollar we spend on absorbing the expiring grant positions is a tax dollar not available for parks, housing, youth programs, or job training.
We need a budget that truly invests in Fresnans as the #1 priority. Imagine if we redirected even a fraction of that $263.7 million toward research-backed, proactive investments proven to create safer, healthier communities—programs and policies such as:
youth diversion programs that keep our children engaged and supported (which costs a fraction of what we spend incarcerating them later)
rent control policies to prevent displacement that can lead to chronic homelessness
employment programs to address the economic insecurity that drives many toward desperation
If the status quo continues, we will face deepening inequality, continued over-policing of vulnerable communities and the perpetuation of intergenerational poverty.
Over half of Fresno renters are rent-burdened, but the city still wants to sink half of our budget into policing instead of addressing the root causes of poverty.
Each budget cycle that prioritizes policing over prevention pushes a better Fresno further out of our reach, especially for those Fresnans already on the margins.
This is our chance to flex our muscles and speak up. We need every person who believes in a more equitable budget to join the fight. Here’s how you can help:
Speak up at City Hall. If you cannot attend in person, leave an electronic public comment 24 hours before the meeting date and time. Save these important dates:
June 8 – June 12 public budget hearings; the FPD budget presentation is Wednesday, June 10
June 16 –councilmembers vote on budget motions
June 23–councilmembers final budget vote
Contact your representatives: Let them know our demands and where you would like to see our money spent instead.
Join Fresnans for a People’s Budget and other community organizations fighting for local budget justice. Follow us on Instagram @fresnans_for_a_peoples_budget or reach out to us at fresnansforapeoplesbudget@gmail.com
The budget is a moral document, and right now it tells a story of misplaced priorities and missed opportunities. We deserve a city where our families can thrive, our kids can play, and where we are invested in the people.
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