Measure P is the heavyweight local issue on the ballot for Fresno city voters. It's a proposal to raise the sales tax by 3/8 of a cent for 30 years to build, fix and maintain parks and trails, and fund cultural arts. But it's also a scrap to decide Fresno's...
There's a Better Way to Make Fresno Sparkle. Vote 'No' on P.
Here’s something I believe people on both sides of the parks tax debate can agree on: We’ve got miles to go to make Fresno a vibrant, safe, and prosperous city for all. For decades, our elected leaders have struggled to make ends meet while facing annual budget challenges in which...
What Does Swearengin Say About Running for Mayor Again?
Ashley Swearengin has extinguished any ember that she may run again for Fresno mayor. “There is no chance! You will never call me mayor again,” Swearengin said, chuckling at GV Wire’s question Friday at a Measure P news conference. “I’ve done my time, I served my community. I’m loving life...
Parks Sales Tax Backers Say Plan Will Pay for 42 Cops
Advocates for a sales tax on the November ballot benefiting Fresno parks said Friday that the plan would allow for the funding of police officers. “If we allocate $5 million for the safety and security of our parks, that could hire 42 additional uniformed Fresno police officers working for Jerry...
Tax Vote Should've Been 50/50 For Parks & Police: Ashjian
It has been said, "Two men look through the same jail cell walls, one sees mud and one sees stars." Certainly, this is the way that I see the Fresno parks sales tax initiative. First, I think some background is in order. At the ultimate fallout of the Great Recession, Fresno's...
Swearengin Rallies Supporters as Parks Vote Looms
After more than 35,000 petition signatures were gathered for the Fresno Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Initiative, former Mayor Ashley Swearengin said it is imperative that residents pack Fresno City Hall on Thursday, Aug. 9, to support placing the measure on the November 2018 ballot. "We have reviewed the matter enough, it...
Parks & Public Safety Advocates Work Behind Scenes on Sales Tax
In what one City Hall insider described as a game of chicken, two sides advancing sales tax plans are attempting to work out a deal. Multiple sources tell GV Wire that Fresno for Parks, the Ashley Swearengin-led group advocating for a 3/8ths of a cent sales tax plan, has met...
Fresno Mayor Brand Endorses Public Safety Tax Ahead of Parks Tax
UPDATE: 5:32 p.m., Thursday, April 5 Fresno Mayor Lee Brand put his shoulder squarely behind a proposed sales-tax increase for public safety today in a statement emailed to GV Wire. "While the City of Fresno has many challenges, including parks and green space, my job as your Mayor is to...
Avoid the Collision Course. Try a Combined Parks & Public Safety Tax.
Thus far, Mayor Lee Brand and his two-term predecessor, Ashley Swearengin, have been on the same page. From cracking down on slumlords to downtown revitalization to attracting new business, Brand has carried on the Swearengin agenda. But now they're on a collision course. Swearengin very much wants to see Fresno...
Backers See a 'Green Light' for Fresno Parks Tax on November Ballot
Polling conducted by The Trust For Public Land shows "overwhelming support" for a sales tax aimed at improving and expanding the city of Fresno's park system, a California representative of the national nonprofit told GV Wire on Monday. "There's always a lot of work to be done before election day,"...