Backers turn in 30,000 signatures for Fresno County road tax measure

A half-cent sales tax that could pay for road repairs, safer intersections and transit service across Fresno County moved closer to the November ballot on Tuesday, when supporters turned in more than 30,000 signatures at the county elections office.

The measure, called Better Roads, Safe Streets, is designed to replace Measure C, the long-running transportation tax that Fresno County voters first approved in 1986 and renewed in 2006. The current extension is set to run out on June 30, 2027, so the campaign is trying to lock in the next funding plan before the existing one expires.

Supporters say the proposal would keep transportation money flowing for another 30 years without raising taxes, while also adding annual fiscal audits and citizen oversight. They have framed the measure as a practical fix for the daily frustrations that shape life in Fresno, Clovis, Sanger, Reedley, Selma and Kingsburg, from potholes and traffic delays to unsafe crossings and uneven transit access.

The signature drive itself showed the campaign has become more than a talking point. By delivering more than 30,000 names, organizers put the question directly in front of election officials and closer to the countywide ballot that voters will decide on Nov. 3, 2026, during the Consolidated Statewide General Election.

If the measure qualifies, residents will be asked whether Fresno County should keep relying on a half-cent sales tax to fund transportation over the next three decades. Backers say the money would go toward road and sidewalk repairs as well as public transit, making the argument that the county needs a broader fix than short-term patchwork spending.

The stakes are especially high because Measure C has long been one of the county’s biggest transportation funding streams. Fresno Council of Governments materials tied to the 2022 renewal plan projected more than $6.84 billion in transportation funds over 30 years, with about $228 million a year expected in revenue. That scale explains why the coming fight is about more than one tax measure. It is about whether Fresno County keeps prioritizing the same mix of roads, sidewalks, buses and highway projects, or shifts toward a new balance.

County transportation planners say the renewal process for the 2026 ballot was shaped through community members, member agencies and a steering committee. But the political divide around the measure has already sharpened, with competing visions emerging over how Fresno County should spend its transportation money and which projects should come first.