To the surprise of many, Fresno's ambitious Measure P ballot initiative not only failed to attain the two-thirds vote it needed to pass, it didn’t even receive a simple majority of votes in favor. With 100% precincts reporting, 51% of Fresnans voted "no" on P. The measure would have raised the...
Step Up, Fresno: Vote 'Yes' on Measure P!
I am a new reader of GV Wire, so it was with great interest that I turned to your Voter Guide. I was quite shocked to see the content of the “No” commentary on Measure P. First, the opponents of Measure P are not giving Fresno residents much credit: They...
Fresno Parks Tax Advocates, Foes to Meet in Public Forum on Thursday
Advocates and opponents of a new tax to support public parks in Fresno will debate the issue in a public forum Thursday night. Measure P would raise the local sales tax by 3/8 percent and generate close to $38 million per year to build, upgrade and maintain parks across Fresno for...
With Crime This Bad, Now Is Not the Time for a Parks Tax
This is the reality of life in Fresno, and it doesn't matter where you live. Every time you park your car, you wonder if a window will be smashed and everything inside will be stolen. This has happened to me twice in the last year. You go to work every...
Letter Perfect: Why P is for Parks and Z is for Zoos
Is it a coincidence when a local ballot measure is assigned the perfect letter to entice voter support? In Tulare County, that may be the case. There, voters will be asked to form the Yettem-Seville Community Services District. The ballot designation? Measure Y. The Yettem-Seville measure is asking voters to...
Arias Says Ethics Complaint Is 'Character Assassination'
Fresno City Council candidate Miguel Arias is the subject of another ethics complaint. And he's responding by assailing "the ultra-conservative folks in Fresno" he says are his critics. The Fair Political Practices Commission, the state agency in charge of compliance with election laws, confirmed to GV Wire that it received...
Parks Sales Tax Measure Is on Ballot. Earning Voter Support is Next.
And now the next challenge begins. After months of fundraising, signature gathering and verifying by Fresno for Parks, voters will have the opportunity to vote on a sales tax benefiting parks, trails, and related programs. In the City Hall lobby, supporters of the sales tax celebrated. Central Valley Community Foundation...
Is a Simple Majority Vote Enough to Pass Parks Tax?
(Update, 8/08/18: an interpretation from City Attorney Douglas Sloan is now included) After months of signature gathering and deadline hustling, the final decision on whether Fresno voters will decide on a parks tax takes place Thursday (Aug. 9). But questions have emerged on just how many votes are needed in...
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...
Fresno Parks Tax All But Assured To Be on November Ballot
UPDATE: 12:40 p.m., Tuesday, July 24: This story has been updated to include why the Fresno for Parks sales-tax proposal is not on the Fresno City Council agenda for this week. A measure to raise the sales tax to boost Fresno parks is all but assured to be on the November ballot....