What is Measure S?
Measure S is a Fresno County citizen-initiative ordinance, the Fresno County Transportation Improvement Act, that would impose a half-cent (0.5%) sales tax for transportation for thirty years, from July 1, 2027 through 2057. It is on the Tuesday, November 3, 2026 ballot and passes with a simple majority.
How much would Measure S cost?
The rate is half a cent on each dollar of taxable retail sales countywide. The county's fiscal impact statement estimates about $120 million in the first year; over thirty years the projection is roughly $7.4 billion.
Is Measure S a new tax or an extension of Measure C?
It is a new tax under a new ordinance. Measure C, approved in 1986 and extended in 2006, expires on June 30, 2027 no matter how the vote goes. Measure S would start the day after at the same rate, with a new allocation, a new thirty-year term and a new agency in charge. The rate would not go up compared with today; the commitment would be new.
Where would the money go?
65% to local streets and roads, 25% to public transit, 4% to regional streets and highways, 4% to access and innovation (including free fares for some riders), 1% to Fresno Yosemite International Airport and 1% to administration and audits. The percentages are fixed for thirty years.
Does every city get money for roads?
Yes. Under the local roads share, each of the county's 15 cities and the county itself would receive $400,000 a year first. The remaining local money is split 80% by population and 20% by miles of maintained road, so the largest cities receive most of it.
Who would control the money?
The Fresno Council of Governments (Fresno COG), whose policy board is made up of representatives of the county and its cities. The Fresno County Transportation Authority, which has administered Measure C, would be eliminated.
Who appoints the oversight committee, and what can it do?
All eleven members of the Citizens Oversight Committee are selected by the Fresno COG policy board, the same body that allocates the money. The committee reviews financial and performance audits, recommends actions and expenditures and meets publicly at least quarterly. It cannot halt spending, move money between categories or compel a response to its recommendations.
How did Measure S get on the ballot?
Supporters filed 32,562 petition signatures and the county validated 22,205. The Board of Supervisors voted to place the measure on the 2028 ballot. The Legislature then rewrote AB 1923, introduced earlier in 2026 as a hospital-loan bill, into an urgency law requiring a November 2026 vote. The county challenged the law and lost in superior court on August 31, 2026; it said it would not appeal.
Who is funding the Yes campaign?
Through June 2026 the Yes committee reported raising about $1.247 million and spending $940,681, including nearly $490,000 paid to an out-of-state signature-gathering firm. Three funders provided nearly all of it: the Central Valley Community Foundation ($810,000), the Carpenters Regional Council PAC ($250,000) and Fund for a Better Future, Inc. ($150,000). Since June, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability has reported $75,000.
How many people in Fresno County ride the bus to work?
According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2020–24), about 0.8% of Fresno County workers commute by public transit and about 0.4% by bicycle; about 85% drive alone or carpool. Inside the City of Fresno about 1.2% use transit. Measure S would dedicate 25% of revenue, about $1.85 billion, to transit for thirty years.
Are you against buses and bike lanes?
No. We are against locking $1.85 billion into one category for thirty years with no ability to move money to what is working. Fresno Area Express carried 11.24 million rides in 2005 and 9.61 million in 2024, and averaged 22 boardings per bus-hour in fiscal 2025 against its own standard of 25. Transit should earn its budget with results, like everything else.
How bad are Fresno's roads right now?
The City of Fresno's street repair backlog was $505 million in January 2023 and about $1.2 billion by June 2025, plus roughly $300 million in sidewalk needs. Its average pavement score fell from 72 in 2008 to 64 in 2025 on the 0–100 Pavement Condition Index, and about 26% of pavement is rated poor or very poor. That happened under the current Measure C.
What happens if Measure S fails?
Measure C continues collecting until June 30, 2027 exactly as scheduled. Nothing already funded is cancelled by a No vote. The county and cities keep the option of bringing a better-structured measure, with independent oversight, to voters at a later election.
What did the 2022 Measure C renewal do?
In November 2022 a thirty-year Measure C renewal received 58.2% yes but needed two-thirds and failed. Measure S returned as a citizen initiative, which needs only a simple majority.
When and how do I vote?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Fresno County voters receive a ballot by mail and can return it by mail, at a drop box or at a vote center. Registration deadlines, vote center locations and the official voter guide are published by the Fresno County Clerk / Registrar of Voters.
Who is behind this site?
United for Fresno, a local committee. This site is not affiliated with any other campaign, including the Yes on S campaign or other No committees. Every number on the site links to a public source, and no individual is named anywhere on it.