Fresno Mayor Lee Brand announces he is withdrawing sales tax increase initiative

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Mayor Lee Brand announced Thursday that he will be withdrawing the sales tax initiative he proposed to the council.

Brand said in a statement that, "There are deep, wide and immediate needs throughout our City and while I completely believe that the people of Fresno deserve a chance to vote on what their City looks like and feels like over the next 15 years, I do not see any chance that five members of the City Council will vote to put this measure on the November ballot and give our voters that opportunity."

Brand's proposal would have provided up to $50 million a year in funding for police, fire, and parks. If passed by voters, the Fresno City sales tax would have risen from 7.9% to 8.45% for the next 15 years.