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Fresno County Supervisor Garry Bredefeld speaks at an Aug. 6, 2026 news conference against a transportation tax that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law, putting it on the November ballot against a supervisor decision. Photo by Emi Obrero<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tpublished on August 6, 2026 – 4:11 PM Fresno County voters will decide the fate of a countywide <\/a>transportation tax this November after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that overrides a local board decision to keep the measure off the ballot.<\/p>\n Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1923 on Thursday, according to a news release. The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria and Sen. Anna Caballero through a \u201cgut-and-amend\u201d procedure with the former distressed hospital loan bill, places the \u201cFresno County Transportation Improvement Act\u201d on the Nov. 3, 2026 general election ballot, state officials said. The act is a successor to Fresno County\u2019s Measure C.<\/a><\/p>\n AB 1923 bypassed a recent order by Fresno County leaders to conduct further study on the \u201cBetter Roads, Safe Streets\u201d transportation tax \u2014 an order that effectively removed the measure from the November ballot.<\/p>\n Litigation threatened<\/p>\n Ahead of the bill\u2019s approval, county officials held a news conference Thursday at the Fresno County Hall of Records to argue against what they called Sacramento\u2019s election interference and to raise the possibility of litigation over AB 1923. The conference was led by Supervisors Garry Bredefeld and Buddy Mendes, Reedley Mayor Matthew Tuttle and Clovis Mayor Pro Tem Diane Pearce. They urged Newsom not to sign the bill.<\/p>\n The officials said the bill\u2019s implementation excluded local elected officials, disregarded traditional election law and targeted Fresno County specifically despite being passed by Sacramento politicians.<\/p>\n Each of the leaders said the bill would negatively affect transportation and road services for Fresno County residents and set a precedent for state override of local county authority.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is bigger than one road tax. This is about whether Fresno County governs itself, or if the political power and Sacramento connections can be used to overrule us whenever local voters and their representatives refuse to fall in line,\u201d Bredefeld said.<\/p>\n The Swearengin factor<\/p>\n The four officials said they believe the effort to place the tax on the ballot was directed by Ashley Swearengin, CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation and a former Fresno mayor, who they said had previously tried and failed to advance the measure on her own.<\/p>\n Their criticism of Swearengin centered on the foundation\u2019s alleged relationship with a nonprofit tied to Newsom\u2019s wife \u2014 a connection the officials said they believe created bias in favor of the bill. Swearengin could not be reached for comment Thursday.<\/p>\n Despite those allegations, the \u201cFresno County Transportation Improvement Act\u201d will now appear on the Nov. 3, 2026 general election ballot.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you Governor Newsom for signing this bill. Thank you for recognizing the voters of Fresno County did everything in their power to qualify this initiative for the ballot \u2014 despite a last-minute procedural maneuver by their own board of supervisors to delay and deny Democracy,\u201d Soria said. \u201cI am proud to announce the \u2018Fresno County Transportation Improvement Act\u2019 will appear on this November\u2019s ballot, just as the voters intended.\u201d<\/p>\n Fresno steps back\u00a0<\/p>\n
Written by Emi Obrero<\/a><\/p>\n