Every election, we ask the public to participate. We ask people to stay informed, sign petitions, and make their voices heard. When they do exactly what the law requires, government has a responsibility to honor that effort.

This discussion is not about whether you support or oppose the Better Roads Safe Streets initiative.

It is about ensuring the people of Fresno County have the opportunity to vote and decide for themselves, rather than having that decision determined by government timing or procedural delays.

Luis Chavez
Fresno County Supervisor

Fresno County Certified the Initiative to Qualify

The Fresno County Elections Office has already certified that the initiative gathered enough valid signatures to qualify for further consideration under California law.

The public did its part. Now government has a responsibility to do its part.

This situation was avoidable. The County had approximately six months to initiate the required fiscal impact study but did not begin that work until July 14.

Because the study allows up to 30 days to complete, it is expected to return after the Aug. 7 state deadline for placing measures on the November ballot. Those two business days could determine whether Fresno County voters have the opportunity to vote this November or must wait until March 2028 to vote on the exact same measure.

That may sound like a minor scheduling issue, but it isn’t. It could determine whether voters get to decide this November, before the current Measure C expires and millions of transportation dollars are lost, or whether they must wait nearly two years to vote on the exact same measure. California law provides a solution.

If three members of the Board of Supervisors call a special meeting on or before Aug. 7, the fiscal study can be received, and the board can preserve the public’s right to vote this November. Supporting that process does not require supporting the initiative itself.

It simply requires supporting the public’s right to decide. Whether you support the measure or oppose it is ultimately beside the point. If you believe it should pass, make that case to the voters. If you believe it should fail, make that case as well.

Democracy works when citizens, not government delays, decide the outcome. As an elected official, I always bring it back to what matters most: the people we serve.

‘Cuts Will Affect and Hurt All of Our Constituents’

These cuts will affect and hurt all of our constituents. According to county information, delaying a replacement transportation measure until 2028 could mean more than $100 million in lost revenue and at least 90 county positions.

Our current estimates suggest the direct impact could exceed 300 city and county jobs and approach 500 private-sector positions countywide. Deferred road maintenance already totals about $2.6 billion and could exceed $6 billion within the next decade without a local transportation measure. Behind every one of those numbers is a person. It’s the parent replacing a tire after hitting another pothole.

It’s the senior traveling to a medical appointment on deteriorating roads. It’s the commuter spending more time in traffic because needed improvements were delayed. It’s neighborhoods waiting for sidewalks, safer intersections, and safer bike lanes. Every year, roughly 100 people are killed and another 300 are seriously injured on Fresno County roads. Our roads rank among the most dangerous in the nation.

Poor road conditions also cost drivers thousands of dollars in vehicle repairs, with pothole damage alone estimated at up to $2,000 per driver each year. The city and county settle trip-and-fall claims and deadly roadway fatalities in the millions of dollars each year. They are everyday realities for Fresno County families. Transportation investments are about more than pavement. They improve safety, reduce congestion, support local businesses, create jobs, prevent accidents, and save lives.

Questions About the Process

There are also legitimate questions about the process. The initiative proponents submitted an independent economic impact study prepared by the same consulting firm that analyzed previous transportation measures. County staff also acknowledged they had never before been asked to prepare this type of fiscal study. If independent analyses were sufficient in the past, it is reasonable to ask why the process changed so late in the timeline.

That independent study projected approximately 68,000 jobs and $13.5 billion in economic activity over 30 years if the measure ultimately passes. Whether those projections prove accurate is for voters to evaluate alongside the county’s analysis.

The point is simple: voters deserve the opportunity to weigh the facts and make that decision themselves. Roads are not Republican or Democrat. Potholes don’t care who you voted for. Families driving their children to school, seniors traveling to medical appointments, and workers commuting every day all depend on safe, reliable roadways.

This is the most consequential measure our community will decide. It can literally save lives and ensure the basic tenet of our democracy is honored: one person, one vote. Ultimately, this decision belongs where it has always belonged — with the people of Fresno County.