Opponents of Measure E, the first of its kind county sales tax, gather at Fresno State

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Opponents on both sides of the aisle joined together to fight Measure E on Monday.

Just feet from Valley Children's Stadium, a group of Republicans, Libertarians, and Democrats said they opposed the proposed tax.

"At a time when the cost of living is on the rise, Measure E is not the right solution for Fresno County taxpayers," Democratic Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria said.

If passed by voters in March, Measure E would add a new county sales tax for 25 years. That new tax would add one cent on most $4 purchases.

"We believe this is a regressive tax; it's going to hurt everybody," Dee Barnes of the Fresno County Democratic Central Committee said. "This is the wrong way."

The tax revenue -- more than $60 million a year -- would go to a long list of projects benefiting Fresno State, including the football stadium.

The "Yes on Measure E" group says the Bulldogs' home needs more than $160,000,000 for modernization, but the campus changes would not stop there.

"Two-thirds of the academic buildings on the Fresno State campus are over 50 years old, and they have not been properly maintained," supporter Tim Orman told Action News.

The opponents agree the campus needs maintenance and upgrades, but they say problems at a state school do not need a county solution.

"The people of Fresno County should not be burdened with a tax increase to pay for improvements that the state should be doing of its own," former Republican Congressman George Radanovich said. He is a candidate for the State Assembly.

Orman disagrees with Radanovich; he says Fresno reaps the benefits.

"80 percent of Fresno State graduates stay here (and) become the nurses that take care of us when we're sick, the teachers who educate our children," Orman said.

Measure E was first on the ballot -- and failed -- in 2022.

Now, supporters need half of all voters plus one vote for Measure E to pass in the March election.

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