Fresno County transportation planning done right means careful listening to residents

A breakdown in communications has led to division in our community — again — and a major political battle is brewing. At issue is the renewal plan for Measure C, our countywide half-cent sales tax for transportation and the upcoming decision by the Fresno County Board of Supervisors on whether to place it on the November ballot.

That division led to a breakdown in respect at the most recent Fresno County Transportation Authority board meeting. In Bee reporter Gregory Weaver’s July 20 article, several elected officials leveled unfair, inaccurate attacks on leaders of community-based organizations like the one I’ve had the honor of heading for the past six years.

Fortunately, I’ve identified the problem. It’s a common one in my field, and I know from experience that people of goodwill can work together to overcome this basic misunderstanding. The debate comes down to elected officials’ belief in public outreach through community surveys and voter polls vs. our organizations’ preferred approach: community engagement.

Our critics include Lynne Ashbeck, the Clovis city councilmember who served for 18 months as the renewal committee co-chair. Her remarks at the end of the FCTA meeting, while painful to repeat, bear attending to. To overcome the breakdown in communication, we must listen deeply to each other and reflect sincerely:

“When one of the CBO leaders was saying the measure didn’t do this or that, and [was] asked could you then please describe what the interests and needs of your constituents are, the answer was, ‘Oh, I don’t know. I live in Clovis.’ To me, that said it all about the engagement of those folks in our process.”

I am that person, and as a Clovis resident, I’m one of Ms. Ashbeck’s constituents. County supervisors Buddy Mendes and Steve Brandau joined in the unwarranted attack, which is consistent with their record of disrespect for community advocates, and Ashbeck’s misunderstanding is clear to me now.

She didn’t grasp my meaning, misquoted me, and misjudged me and my colleagues. For many years now, I’ve been organizing in rural Fresno County around issues of importance to residents, including transportation, and have interfaced extensively with local agencies. But I would never claim to represent “constituents” and said so at a Measure C steering committee meeting. I’m not a politician, and I don’t have constituents; nor does our organization have members. That’s not how community organizing functions, but it’s clear to me now that local politicians don’t understand our work.

My point was that true community engagement means the Measure C renewal committee or its subcommittees should meet with and listen directly to the community at meetings on evenings and weekends throughout the county. And not just once, but in an iterative process lasting 12 to 18 months in which residents in every community have ample opportunity to have their voices heard and provide feedback on the development of the plan at each stage.

Dozens of organizations from across our community have publicly called on elected officials in charge to wait until 2024. Firm in our belief that “Fresno can do better,” members of the Transportation4All.org coalition have requested the Measure C priority list be based on direct community input.

Please join us on Aug. 9 at the County Hall of Records for the supervisors’ vote. We can — and must — do better.