Measure S Campaign Launches With Promise of Road Repairs and Free Bus Fares — Supervisor Calls It a ‘Scam’

The campaign for Measure S officially kicked off Wednesday with mayors, students, and teachers urging Fresno County voters to approve a half-cent sales tax they say will repair roads and keep buses running. If it passes in November, your bus fare could disappear — if you’re a student or veteran — and the county would have funding for street repairs for the next 30 years.

But Fresno County Supervisor Garry Bredefeld stood firm against it, calling Measure S “a scam” that spends too much on public transit and not enough fixing the roads your family drives on every day.

The measure made it onto the ballot after months of legal fights. Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer and Clovis Mayor Vong Mouanoutoua both spoke in favor of it at Wednesday’s launch. Council Member Miguel Arias pointed to Manning Avenue as an example of what the measure would fix. “They’ll tell you it’s a disaster,” he said.

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Dyer warned that without Measure S, the city would cut weekend and evening bus service — no buses after 8 or 9 PM on weeknights — and stop most neighborhood street repairs. He said about 200 Fresno city workers could be affected. “We can’t afford to go backward in our community,” he said.

The City of Fresno created a backup measure, Measure D, in case Measure S didn’t make the ballot. Both will appear in November, but Dyer said only one can take effect, and he’s urging voters to support Measure S. He said he’s not aware of any active campaign for Measure D.

Bredefeld argued the measure locks the county into a 30-year commitment without knowing what transportation will look like even five years from now. “It’s Measure S for scam,” he said. “This is basically a measure that is, the focus is to get people out of their cars and riding buses and scooters and bicycles.”

He agreed roads need repairs but didn’t say how the county would pay for them if Measure S fails. When asked, he said, “We’re going to have to get back to the drawing board and come up with a real plan to fix people’s roads.”

Close to 10 million people use Fresno’s FAX bus system. The “Yes on S” campaign has raised about $1 million so far and expects to reach $2.2 million. Bredefeld said opponents are planning ads against the measure but need to raise money first.

The Breakdown

• Measure S is a countywide half-cent sales tax that would last 30 years, replacing the current Measure C funding when it expires.
• 65% of the revenue would go toward road repairs, 25% toward public transit, and 4% toward new transportation programs.
• The City of Fresno would receive an estimated $65 million to $75 million per year for street and sidewalk repairs.
• If it passes, bus fares would be free for students and veterans.
• Voters will receive two ballot cards this November because of the number of measures — 16 total, including two countywide measures.

What This Means for You

You’ll vote on Measure S in November, and that vote decides whether a half-cent sales tax funds street repairs in your neighborhood for the next three decades — or whether those repairs stop. If you ride the bus, your fare could become free if you’re a student or a veteran.

If the measure fails, Dyer says weekend and evening bus service gets cut, and the city stops fixing neighborhood streets — the roads outside your home, not just the main thoroughfares. Bredefeld says the measure spends too much on transit and not enough on roads, but he hasn’t said where the county would find the money to fix streets without it.

Your vote decides which version of Fresno’s roads your family lives with.

What You Can Do

The “Yes on S” campaign is canvassing this weekend. The Fresno County Elections Office is finalizing ballot layouts now.

What to Watch

A 30-year tax commitment is a long time to lock in a funding split, especially when Bredefeld argues we don’t know what transportation will look like five or ten years out, let alone thirty. Is 25% for public transit the right number, or is Bredefeld right that this measure forces a vision of transportation — bikes, buses, scooters — that doesn’t match how many Fresno families actually move around?

The other tension: Dyer says 10 million people use the FAX system, but Bredefeld says buses are running without riders. Both can’t be true. Who’s riding those buses now, and does free fare for students and veterans actually get more families onto transit — or does it subsidize a system that serves some riders while pulling money away from roads?

Bredefeld admits roads need fixing but won’t say where the money comes from if this fails. That’s worth asking directly: if not this measure, then what? Waiting for “a real plan” means waiting while roads get worse. But approving a 30-year tax without knowing whether the spending split actually matches how your family and your neighbors get to work and school is a real risk, too.