VoteNOon Measure S
Who’s watching the watchdog?
Measure S comes with an 11-member oversight committee. Every member is appointed by Fresno COG, the same agency that will control the money. The committee reviews audits and makes recommendations. Nothing in the measure requires COG to act on them. Test what you know below.
Test your knowledge on Measure S
How long would Measure S tax Fresno County?
Here’s what they don’t tell you
of Fresno County commuters ride the bus or other public transit to work, and less than 1% bike. Yet Measure S puts 25% ($1.85B) into buses and bike lanes.
Source · Census ACS 2020–24 ↗is when this tax ends. Measure C ends in 2027. This is a new 30-year commitment with a new structure.
Source · KVPR · 9/8/26 ↗of the ~$7.4B is set aside for audits and oversight. 65% goes to local roads.
Source · Yes on S FAQ ↗oversight members are appointed by Fresno COG, the agency the committee is supposed to watch.
Source · KVPR · 9/8/26 ↗is Fresno’s road-and-sidewalk bill: a $505M street backlog in early 2023 became $1.2B by June 2025, plus $300M in sidewalk needs, under the current tax.
Source · Fresnoland · 6/4/25 ↗is Fresno’s average pavement score (PCI, 0–100) from 2008 to 2025. Roads slipped from Good to Fair during Measure C.
Source · City of Fresno · item 26-673 ↗fewer FAX bus rides a year: 11.24M in 2005, 9.61M in 2024. Countywide, daily vehicle miles rose about 6% from 2021 to 2023.
Source · Fresno COG transit evaluation FY2024 ↗riders on board the average FAX bus in service (2024). FAX averaged 22 boardings per bus-hour in 2025, under its own standard of 25.
Source · Federal NTD 2024 ↗What they say / What the record shows
“Not a new tax, just a continuation.”
Measure C ends in 2027. Measure S is a new 30-year commitment through 2057, with a new agency in charge.
Source · KVPR ↗“An independent citizens oversight committee.”
All 11 members are appointed by Fresno COG. The committee reviews and recommends; it cannot stop a dollar.
Source · KVPR ↗“We need it because of a $5.4B maintenance backlog.”
That backlog grew under the current tax. The question is what changes this time, not how big the check is.
Source · Yes on S FAQ ↗“68,000 jobs and $13.5B in economic output.”
That figure is a projection from an analysis the campaign commissioned. Treat it like any forecast.
Source · Yes on S FAQ ↗“Citizen-led, with 32,000 signatures.”
Nearly $490,000 went to an out-of-state signature-gathering company, and the county found 22,205 of 32,562 signatures valid. AB 1923 was rewritten to put it on the 2026 ballot after supervisors voted to wait until 2028.
Source · Fresnoland ↗“A 10-year comprehensive review.”
Ten years is a long wait for the first course correction on a 30-year tax.
Source · Yes on S FAQ ↗“65% goes to fixing local roads first.”
25% ($1.85B) goes to transit, which fewer than 1 in 100 county commuters use. Roads are the headline; check the whole receipt.
Source · KVPR ↗Promised vs. delivered
What accountability should look like: the promise, what actually happened, and where the numbers come from. This is the scorecard the oversight committee isn’t empowered to enforce.
Follow the money
The Yes on S campaign reported raising about $1.247 million from January through June and spending $940,681, including nearly $490,000 to an out-of-state signature-gathering company. Three funders account for nearly all of it. The largest, the Central Valley Community Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) charity. Where did its $810,000 come from? It hasn’t said.
Since June, reported: Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, $75,000.
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I’m voting NO on Measure S on November 3. Send me one reminder before Election Day, nothing else.
