Fresno County is challenging AB 1923 after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law forcing the Better Roads, Safe Streets measure onto the November ballot.
Fresno County is fighting back after the California Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom moved to force the Better Roads, Safe Streets tax measure onto the November ballot. The fight over the Fresno County road tax has quickly become a broader clash over who controls local elections and whether Sacramento can override county leaders when they object.
Newsom signed AB 1923 last week, requiring Fresno County to place the citizen-backed proposal before voters. County leaders had already triggered a 30-day review of the measure after three supervisors voted for that step, which they said was allowed under state election law. Critics argued the review was being used to slow the initiative and keep it off the ballot, but Board Chairman Garry Bredefeld said the dispute goes far beyond one tax plan.
Bredefeld said Thursday that the issue is whether Fresno County can govern itself or be overruled by state power and political connections in Sacramento. He said the new law strips away local control and leaves the county unable to direct its own affairs. Bredefeld also said the county may take the matter to court, adding, If we have to sue, we’re going to sue. He said that is his intention.
The measure at the center of the fight would impose a half-cent sales tax to fund roads and transportation after the current Measure C tax expires in June 2027. Because the initiative was submitted by citizens rather than by county government, it falls into a separate legal lane that could matter a great deal once voters start deciding its fate.
“Fresno County is challenging AB 1923 after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law forcing the Better Roads, Safe Streets measure onto the November ballot.”
Under existing California court rulings, a citizen-sponsored special tax can pass with a simple majority, while a special tax placed on the ballot by local government usually needs two-thirds approval. That difference gives the Fresno County road tax added importance, especially with Proposition 43 also headed to California voters in November. If Proposition 43 passes, citizen-sponsored special taxes would have to clear the same two-thirds mark beginning in 2027. A delay until 2028 could make the Fresno measure far harder to pass.
State leaders behind AB 1923 say they stepped in because the county supervisors were using the review process to stall the measure. Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria and state Sen. Anna Caballero both supported the bill. Soria called the move a win for the democratic process and a win for voting rights.
The legislation itself followed an unusual path. It began as a bill tied to California’s Distressed Hospital Loan Program, then lawmakers stripped out that language and replaced it with the Fresno County election requirement before sending it to Newsom, who signed it as an urgency measure. Bredefeld argues that the targeting of one county may run afoul of California constitutional limits on laws written for a single local government. AB 1923 tries to defend its Fresno-only approach by pointing to the county’s unique fiscal circumstances, including the coming end of Measure C.
The Better Roads, Safe Streets measure is now headed for the November ballot unless a judge steps in first. For Fresno voters and taxpayers, the outcome will shape not only how local roads are funded, but also how much say counties still have when Sacramento decides to intervene.
Frequently asked questions
What did Gov. Gavin Newsom sign?
He signed AB 1923, a law requiring Fresno County to put the Better Roads, Safe Streets initiative on the November ballot.
Why are Fresno County officials upset?
They say Sacramento overreached by forcing a local measure onto the ballot and interfering with the county’s control over its own elections.
What is the Better Roads, Safe Streets measure?
It is a proposed half-cent Sales Tax meant to fund roads and transportation after Measure C expires in June 2027.
Could the county take legal action?
Yes. Board Chairman Garry Bredefeld said the county could sue, and officials have hired an election-law specialist to brief supervisors.
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