Fresno County Measure C replacement falls short in first signature review

Fresno County’s bid to put a Measure C replacement before voters hit a serious snag when the first random-sample review found too many duplicate signatures, turning a ballot drive into a race against the calendar. Better Roads Safe Streets submitted more than 32,000 signatures in April, but elections officials’ review of 977 names found about 77% valid and uncovered duplicates that forced a full count and left the campaign short of the certainty it needed.

County Clerk-Registrar of Voters James Kus said supporters still had a path forward, but only if they moved fast. The initiative needs 21,909 valid signatures to qualify for the November 2026 ballot, and Kus said staff would have to process more than 21,000 signatures before the July 14 deadline for the measure to survive. If the count does not finish in time, the only possible rescue would be an appeal and a special meeting of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.

That makes the setback more than a campaign technicality. Measure C has shaped how Fresno County pays for roads, congestion relief and transit planning for decades. First approved by voters in 1986 as a half-cent transportation sales tax, Measure C was extended in 2006, and Fresno COG says the current version expires in June 2027. Renewal materials prepared by the county projected about $228 million a year and more than $6.84 billion over 30 years if the tax is renewed, money that would continue to flow through programs affecting Fresno County’s 15 cities and the unincorporated county.

The signature review also sharpened the politics around the replacement effort. Campaign manager Andy Levine said he still believed the proposal would reach voters and called it a critical, “once-in-a-generation” chance to preserve transportation funding. Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer called the duplicate-signature finding disappointing, though not surprising. Supporters also face a difficult relationship with county supervisors, especially Chairman Garry Bredefeld, whose stance could matter if the campaign is forced into an appeal.

At the same time, a rival Measure C replacement is already in the field. The Fix Our Roads Plan was unveiled on February 17, 2026, by a coalition that included former Fresno County Supervisor Henry Perea, Clovis Mayor Pro Tem Diane Pearce, Reedley Mayor Matthew Tuttle and Fresno Building Trades Council chief Chuck Riojas. That competing proposal has fueled criticism from opponents of Better Roads Safe Streets, who argue the grassroots measure leans too heavily toward transit and bike spending instead of road construction.

For Fresno County commuters, city leaders and tax watchers, the immediate question is no longer just which plan is better. It is whether any replacement can clear the county’s verification process in time to decide how billions of sales-tax dollars will be spent after Measure C expires in June 2027.