Earlier this year it appeared to me that Mayor Lee Brand had teed up the perfect sales tax proposal for Fresno: a half-cent divided between parks and public safety. But the Fresno City Council majority shot down the idea and now voters have a single option — a 3/8 of...
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...
Don't Blame Council Conservatives For Brand's Failed Tax Scheme
With all due respect to my colleague and news director Bill McEwen, he got it wrong in his June 29 column blasting three Fresno councilmen for putting their tax stance over public safety. The blame should be put squarely at the man who sets the budget, and hoped he could...
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...