‘A piece of crap’: Opponents rev up to tear down Fresno Co.’s new $7 billion transportation tax measure

The fight against Fresno County transportation tax Measure S launched on Tuesday, with community leaders calling the 30-year, half-cent tax a scam. 

The Measure S opposition held a press conference in Clovis to formally launch their campaign, arguing the tax would be a terrible misuse of taxpayer dollars. 

The big picture: Former Fresno Unified Trustee Brooke Ashjian was joined by Fresno County Board of Supervisors Chairman Garry Bredefeld, Supervisor Buddy Mendes, Clovis Mayor Pro Tem Diane Pearce and Reedley Mayor Matthew Tuttle. 

The group focused their opposition on the tax’s heavy commitment to public transportation and bike lanes, with the speaker saying they are looking forward to coming up with a better plan once Measure S is defeated at the ballot in November. 

They also debuted their opposition website, measuressucks.com. 

Driving the news: When Fresno County Judge Jonathan Skiles ruled against the county in its lawsuit against Assembly Bill 1923 last month, Bredefeld said at the time that he was committed to challenging the measure in November. 

Bredefeld, Mendes, Pearce and Tuttle have all been outspoken opponents to Measure S. They held a press conference opposing the measure at the same time the Legislature was passing AB 1923 last month. 

Ashjian was one of the City of Fresno’s representatives on the Measure C Steering Committee last year. He opposed the Fresno Council of Governments’ decision to add 12 social justice members to the steering committee, leading him to be temporarily removed from the committee. While he was restored to the committee a few days after being removed, he resigned one month later, citing issues with the approach from social justice activists. 

The FresnoCOG-led Measure C renewal effort ultimately failed, and social justice groups took the measure crafted by the steering committee and submitted it to the ballot as a citizens’ initiative, meaning it just needs a simple majority to pass. 

Zoom in: Measure S has a 30 year lifespan and would impose a 0.5% sales tax, the same amount as the expiring Measure C. It will start to be collected in July 2027, immediately after Measure C expires. 

Measure S would collect roughly $7 billion over its lifespan. 

Under the plan, 65% of funding would go to road repair and maintenance while 25% would go to public transportation. The remaining money would be split up with 4% to regional projects, 4% to zero-fare transit, 1% to Fresno Yosemite International Airport and 1% for administration. 

The initiative operates on a “worst first” plan, meaning the roads that have the lowest Pavement Condition Index (PCI) scores will be addressed first. A study ordered by Fresno County found that Measure S would only be able to maintain the current average PCI of 65 under the “worst first” plan, yet the measure itself requires roads to be improved to an average PCI of 70. 

Measure S also requires the county to construct 120 miles of bike paths or protected bike lanes. 

What they’re saying: Ashjian compared the Measure S fight to David and Goliath, saying it is a scam perpetrated by Central Valley Community Foundation leader Ashley Swearengin, who has been a major supporter of the initiative. 

“This is about making sure no road gets built without more bike lanes and more buses, and the kicker – this is about $300 million going to nonprofit NGOs to promote buses, which nobody’s riding,” Ashjian said. “Lastly, no road gets built until the worst roads in the small towns of the county are fixed first. Fresno gets the short end of the stick. Clovis gets the short end of the stick. Effectively taking the City of Fresno’s tax dollars, shipping them elsewhere in the name of equity and not fixing ours, and they’re doing it right in front of our eyes.”  

Bredefeld said Measure S is not a continuation of Measure C, adding that it is a public transportation tax designed as a roads tax. 

“Look now at the Tower District, Blackstone Ave., Barstow Ave. between Cedar and First — they have already reduced car lanes and made bus and bike lanes that people don’t use,” Bredefeld said. “Measure S will create this throughout Fresno County. It will not fix roads as needed. There’s already $3 billion in deferred maintenance throughout the city and county. Decades of neglect. Measure S doesn’t commit the money needed to address this problem. It’s full of promises that will not be kept.” 

Bredefeld added, “The bottom line is this: A piece of crap is a piece of crap. It’s not better than having nothing. I would rather have nothing than a piece of crap. And what you sell to the public and they rip them off for 30 years – there’s no accountability. This is all about getting people out of their cars because they believe that people shouldn’t be riding in their cars, [the proponents] should be riding public transportation. I can assure you they don’t ride public transportation, but they want the little people to do it. That’s what this measure’s all about.”