Pro-Measure C: Fresno County tax measure will prioritize equity in fixing local roads
Over the last 16 months, 80 local leaders representing diverse sectors of Fresno County and from both rural and urban communities have participated in the Measure C renewal process. These leaders have brought unique perspectives from various sectors of our economy, including health care, education, local government, emergency services, environmental organizations, law enforcement, agriculture and more. This diverse group of stakeholders formed our committees that have focused on identifying and evaluating transportation needs in our county.
As part of that discussion, committee and community engagement has remained a key focus to gain clarity and common ground. However, to assume every person will agree with every aspect of a potential 30-year countywide measure can be straining — but it’s important to take a step back and remember why we all began this process, and why this funding is essential for every corner of our community.
Measure C was first passed in 1986, again in 2006 and is now up for reconsideration by Fresno County voters in 2022. Each of the three measures reflects its time — and none of the measures look like their predecessor.
In this current renewal effort, our focus — supported by the input from nearly 10,000 residents, stakeholders, cities and the county — is on local neighborhoods to ensure that we have a transportation system that connects people with where they need to go, whether that be to work, to the doctor, to school or to the grocery store.
Poorer neighborhoods and rural communities have fallen behind in funding for basic road repair and maintenance, and are called out separately in this new measure to ensure additional resources to support their needs. The level of deterioration on roads in many of these communities contributes to worsening air quality itself. A renewed Measure C would prioritize better road maintenance in disadvantaged neighborhoods, emphasizing local control over how best to invest these transportation dollars.
The proposed renewed Measure C addresses climate change and environmental realities facing all of us, with more electric vehicle support, new technologies, better data collection and innovation for ideas we cannot yet even imagine. It provides for active transportation investments — safe routes to schools, sidewalks, bikeways, trails and increased access for people with disabilities.
A side-by-side comparison of the needs of local community groups and the Measure C draft in its final stage align on 95% of the issues.
Beyond the “things” included in the proposed measure, the principles on which it is based are equally as important. Underlying every program, every category of funding, every discussion about neighborhoods or transit, is a commitment to equity.
We are here today, proposing a renewed measure focused squarely on local neighborhoods and local roads — not because we assume, but because we have listened and know what our residents, including those from the most disadvantaged communities, have prioritized. We understand that as we improve the streets outside our front doors, it will be easier to drive, ride a bike, walk or take a bus to work or school, that the air will have less dust and pollutants, and that our neighborhoods will improve by that investment.
The community groups opposing this measure would have you believe that we agree on absolutely nothing. That is simply not true. To be fair, the proposed Measure C does not go far enough for some — and, conversely, it goes too far for others. The nature of common ground is to find that spot where a measure like this can do the most good for the most number of people, neighborhoods, businesses and communities.
The common ground is out there. Measure C has been good for Fresno County and renewing Measure C will continue that good work.