Update: Recount effort for Orange Cove’s failed public safety ballot measure yield same result
UPDATE
The recount effort for Orange Cove’s public safety ballot measure results did not change the outcome of the March 5 primary election.
The manual tally conducted by the Fresno County election office on April 10-11 at the county’s elections warehouse yielded the same results. The special property tax failed by two votes. ,
The recount cost Orange Cove $5,500, according go the county elections office.
While the recount didn’t go in their favor, city manager Daniel Parra said the city will seek voter approval for the measure in the November general election.
“We’re going to go back at it again,” Parra said of the recount results. “Because if we don’t, we’re short on public safety and you can’t be short.”
Parra reiterates that Measure O was not a new tax, and it has been in place for 10 years.
“We’re just trying to continue it. And the only difference that we did was say that there’s no sunset because look how much trouble they’re having, this is going to be the third election to keep it here” Parra said.
Parra said small cities don’t have a lot of economic drivers so initiatives like Measure O are need it to be able to pay for the police officers.
Filing for a recount
After the Orange Cove’s public safety ballot measure to extend a special property tax failed by two votes during the March 5 primary election, the city is filing for a recount.
“I’m doing a recount. I’ll be filing for that later today,” said city manager Daniel Parra.
Parra said he will be going to the Fresno County election office Tuesday to file for a recount.
“Not only for a recount, but to look at the vote by mail that came after the election day. Verify signatures and postmarks, that kind of thing,” Parra said.
The county election office certified the March 5 primary election a little after 4 pm. on Friday, March 29.
The police and fire special tax measure in the city of about 9,600 residents tucked against the eastern foothills of the county failed to get the two-thirds threshold needed to pass.
The final vote showed the measure only got 66.42%. It required 66.667% to pass.
Orange Cove has charged a special property tax to support police and fire services since 2014. That voter-approved tax is set to expire in November.
“All we are trying to do was continue it again,” Parra said.
Measure O proposed extending the tax without expiration until repealed by voters.
The tax generates almost $264,000 a year through annual property tax assessments of $95 on each single-family residential property in the city, $65 per multifamily unit, $95 per agricultural parcel, $495 per commercial parcel, and $750 per industrial parcel.
Orange Cove has about 3,250 registered voters. The turnout for the primary was 16.55%, or 538 of 3,250 voters who cast a vote. There were eight voters who didn’t bother to vote on the measure.
Measure O received 352 (66.42%) votes in favor and 178 (33.58%) against.
On election night, Measure O was passing, but only by a margin of five votes out of almost 500 votes counted so far that night.
“Came pretty close. We almost got it,” Parra said. “It came down to the last day. Those ballots came in right at the end the last two.”
Parra said the cost of filing for recount instead of doing another special election would be worth the effort if the recount can flip the outcome around.
Orange Cove spent $50,000 on a November 2023 special election to extend the tax. That effort fell 8 votes short of passing.
Parra said 20% of the measure’s funds go to the fire department which is run by the county fire department, while 80% goes to cover two police positions.
The police department has 13 officers. Two of them would be eliminated if the measure fails.
“It’s not a new tax. It’s an existing tax. We weren’t adding anything to it. It was going to be identical to what they’ve always had,” Parra said. “It’s salaries for two officers.”
Parra said if the recount doesn’t favor the city, their last chance to try to pass the measure would be in the November general election without having any gap in funding for public safety.
“After that it goes away. We are in the last year,” Parra said,
While the city can reintroduce the measure again in the future, Parra said if they are not successful of passing it before it expires, the city is not going to get any funding in between until it finally passes again.
“We still have to pay officers. If that gap is there, then we can’t pay, it pays for about two officers a year,” Parra said.
Orange Cove has not always had its own police department. For a while public safety was run by the Fresno Councy Sheriff’s Department, according to Parra.
The police department was resurrected in 2009, he said.
Fresno County Election Clerk James Kus said the recount is schedule for April 10.
This story was originally published April 2, 2024 at 3:26 PM.
