It’s been one of Fresno’s most popular taxes. Will voters support the zoo again in June?
Measure Z, the Fresno County sales tax that supports the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, will be on the ballot in June for renewal.
“As you all know, Measure Z will not raise your taxes. It is an extension of what already exists,” said Michelle Roman, the Fresno County Zoo Authority president in a news conference Wednesday. “Since 2004, Measure Z funds have literally transformed our zoo into a world-class zoo — I think something we’re all very proud of here in Fresno County and the Central Valley. The measure directly funds capital improvements, enhances operations, improves animal care, creates new exhibits as we’ve been seeing, and upgrades to the existing ones.”
This time, proponents are seeking a 15-year renewal of the one-tenth of 1% tax, and they’re trying to pass the renewal a few years earlier than when the previous extension expires.
Measure Z first appeared on the ballot in 2004. A year earlier, 10-year-old Angel Arellano wrote a letter to The Bee expressing her support for the zoo. That kicked off a fundraising drive that collected $700,000. That effort, along with work to privatize the zoo, led to Measure Z. The tax was approved again in 2014 and expires in 2025.
So far, the tax has raised $135 million, which has funded new exhibits such as Sea Lion Cove, African Adventure, and the Kingdoms of Asia, which will be complete next year. Measure Z also has funded upgrades to animal habitats such as the Reptile House, Tropical Treasures, Birds of Prey, and the King Cobra exhibit, Roman said.
The zoo authority is pursuing a 15-year extension to align with the zoo’s capital improvement plan, which includes some big exhibits, Roman said. Proponents are hopeful that Measure Z will face fewer hurdles at the ballot box in June rather than in November, when Fresno County’s transportation tax, Measure C, may also appear on the ballot.
In previous years, voters overwhelmingly supported Measure Z.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said Measure Z is key for keeping the zoo affordable and accessible, especially for underserved children in Fresno. The zoo also is a driver of tourism in the city and county, he said.
“Over the last 18 years, the zoo has proven that they’ve been a very good steward of the taxpayer dollars by building beautiful new habitats, keeping our animals safe, and most importantly, keeping our zoo affordable for people to be able to take advantage of and visit,” Dyer said. “Again, it’s a result of Measure Z that we are able to make this zoo affordable.”
Marie Slater, a retired teacher who has volunteered as a zoo docent for 30 years, said she’s watched Measure Z transform the zoo over the years. She said she remembers when 30 minutes was all you needed to see everything at the zoo.
“And then there was Measure Z,” she said. “Measure Z opened our eyes to a zoo that we never thought was possible in the city. Measure Z gave us hope that our animals were going to be safe. Measure Z provided funds to help build world-class exhibits that allow us to be an educational hub for generations to come.
She called on voters to again support Measure Z.
“We cannot allow the progress that has been made over the last 18 years disappear,” Slater said. “We need to keep going. So please join me and vote yes on Measure Z.”
The Fresno Chaffee Zoo endured the first year of the coronavirus pandemic without making a single layoff, according to its 2020 annual report, the most recent available. No animals contracted COVID-19 in 2020.
Attendance plummeted at the zoo in 2020 due to COVID-19 closures. In 2019, nearly 820,000 people visited the zoo. In 2020, attendance fell to about half that number. Nevertheless, the zoo still made a nearly $9 million profit in 2020 through revenue, support, and gains.
The Fresno Chaffee Zoo faced criticism recently from an international animal rights group that called the city’s zoo one of the 10 worst for elephants in North America. In its criticism of Fresno, the group, In Defense of Animals, cited the deaths of three Chaffee elephants in as many years.
The zoo pushed back against the criticism.
“Fresno Chaffee Zoo not only provides exceptional care to our elephants, but also supports the conservation of wild elephants through the Tanzania Conservation Research Program with our Fresno Chaffee Zoo Conservation Fund.”