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Members of Fresnans for a People\u2019s Budget at the Children\u2019s Movement residents\u2019 summit on Nov. 15, 2025. Photo by Mars Santos<\/p>\nMembers of Fresnans for a People\u2019s Budget at the Children\u2019s Movement residents\u2019 summit on Nov. 15, 2025. Photo by Mars Santos<\/p>\n
Who gets to decide what safety looks like in the city of Fresno and how are taxpayer dollars used to build that? A new advocacy group, Fresnans for a People\u2019s Budget (FPB), formed to bring awareness to these simple, yet powerful questions. As the next budget cycle approaches, that conversation is growing louder as the FPB amplifies its message.<\/p>\n
According to its Instagram, the \u201cFPB aims to reallocate and reinvest in community care and reduce police spending and fund resources the community needs to thrive & prosper.\u201d Nearly a year in, the group has focused on base building, community engagement, awareness and education, creating spaces where residents can understand the City\u2019s budget and engage in discussion.<\/p>\n
The idea to found the group occurred when nearly a dozen Fresnans brought their concerns to the Fresno City Council on April 10, 2025, over a consent agenda item to \u201cApprove the renewal of the Fresno Police Department Annual Military Equipment Use Report as originally required by Assembly Bill 481, codified under Government Codes 7070-7075.\u201d<\/p>\n
AB 481, a state law passed in 2021, was created to increase local government transparency, accountability and community control over militarization in local law enforcement.<\/p>\n
Community members argued that the City Council failed to ensure statutory prerequisites that were satisfied before renewal, specifically, Government Code \u00a77072(b), which states that \u201cwithin 30 days of submitting and publicly releasing an annual military equipment report, the law enforcement agency shall hold at least one well-publicized and conveniently located community engagement meeting, at which the public may discuss and ask questions regarding the annual military equipment report.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commenters asserted that the law requires a separate, well-publicized community meeting designed for dialogue and that a standard City Council meeting does not allow for that opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cRenewing [the] AB 481 [requirement] on consent, without the required review and without the mandated community meeting, would mean approving military equipment out of compliance with state law,\u201d said one commenter who introduced herself as Ariana.<\/p>\n
Despite the public\u2019s rebuttal and request to postpone the consent item to a future date, the City Council approved renewal anyway, and the motion passed unanimously.<\/p>\n
Fueled by feelings of disappointment and that their concerns were dismissed by the City Council, several attendees decided to meet and discuss next steps. Born of frustration, conversation and the desire to make Fresno a better place for all people, the FPB was conceived.<\/p>\n
\u201cA handful of us quickly realized that the City Council was not interested in what we had to say, so we wanted to get more folks together to really understand how militarized [the] Fresno PD is and how much of our taxpayer dollars are fueling that,\u201d said Elvia Olea, outreach co-lead for the FPB.<\/p>\n
The early meetings involved residents sitting together, learning together and asking critical questions. How much of the City\u2019s budget goes to policing? Who decides? Where does that money come from? Who benefits? Who doesn\u2019t?<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we think of decision-making in City Council it doesn\u2019t feel like residents are engaged or considered,\u201d noted Olea. \u201cOur biggest priority has been educating constituents on facts on the budget so they have a say on budgeting decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
As members dug into the numbers, they discovered that the Fresno Police Department receives roughly half of the City\u2019s General Fund. For many people, this was the first time they had seen that figure laid out clearly. The budget, once abstract and inaccessible, suddenly felt personal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so much that we don\u2019t have the privilege to learn about or know about as regular residents,\u201d Olea explained. \u201cAnd so this past year, we have been really pushing transparency and education.\u201d<\/p>\n
The FPB has hosted monthly meetings, participated in podcasts and interviews, tabled at community events, and organized forums designed not just to inform but to invite imagination.<\/p>\n
Short-term goals include increasing engagement in the upcoming budget cycle and creating more opportunities for residents to envision alternatives to heavy police investment through art shows, tabling events and community education.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have all the answers,\u201d Olea said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to promote as if we hold all the answers. It\u2019s really important for residents to be part of that envisioning and designing of a new Fresno.\u201d<\/p>\n
That \u201cNorth Star,\u201d as she describes it, centers on a holistic approach to public safety, one that prioritizes community care and shifts away from carceral systems. Long-term goals include expanding direct services for unhoused residents, youth investment and opportunity, mental health access, food accessibility, childcare support, economic development and infrastructure improvements in neighborhoods long impacted by redlining and neglect.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe solution shouldn\u2019t be more policing,\u201d says Olea. \u201cThe solutions should be basic care.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Olea, the work is also deeply personal. As a mother who takes her child to the park and walks Fresno\u2019s sidewalks, she sees the stakes every day.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is the Fresno that I want my son to grow up in?\u201d she asked. \u201cWhat are the things that I want him to have access to? What ensures that he has upward mobility, that he has resources?\u201d<\/p>\n
Moving to Fresno as a transplant, she felt the visible presence of policing and the uneven distribution of resources. Joining the FPB for her was about stepping into responsibility as an organizer, resident and mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no perfect system. Sometimes voices are overlooked,\u201d she said. \u201cWe really try to be intentional about the ways in which we engage residents. It isn\u2019t just us pushing an agenda.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want folks to be part of this conversation for the greater good, for the future of Fresno.\u201d<\/p>\n
*****<\/p>\n
Mars Santos (they\/she) is an educator, writer and community organizer based in Fresno County. Contact them at ironicsaintmars@pm.me.<\/p>\n
Take Action!
Fresnans for a People\u2019s Budget holds public meetings monthly. To learn more, follow their Instagram @fresnans_for_a_peoples_budget.<\/p>\n
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