Parks and Arts: The Battle for Measure P in Fresno
In the summer of 2018, a youth engagement group in Fresno, California, came up with a brilliant idea to organize an evening workshop with Southside teens on the needs of the community from their point of view. Out of the numerous proposals, Measure P was born as a citywide initiative aimed at raising funds for parks and arts within the city. However, the campaign was met with opposition from several quarters, including those in authority who believed that the proposed sales tax should serve police and firefighters instead. In the end, Measure P received 52% of votes from the public, raising $42 million in its first year alone.
The Battle for Measure P
The journey to launch Measure P was not an easy one as it was met with opposition from different stakeholders within Fresno. However, the eventual triumph of Measure P has become a significant milestone in the city’s history. The launch of Measure P faced stiff opposition from several quarters in the city. Police and firefighters, the local chamber of commerce, Lee Brand, the then Mayor of Fresno, among others, believed that the funds from Measure P should go to support them instead. The campaign for Measure P was also exposed to racial threats directed at black youth searching for signatures in Northside. The fight for Measure P was worth it, as it not only raised $42 million in its first year but also exposed the underlying issues that the city has been facing for a long time now.
An Initiative to Fund Parks and Arts
Celedón, Garibay, and other members of the youth engagement group realized that the city’s park-to-resident ratio was so poor that the medians of the streets were counted as green spaces. This poor ranking among the largest cities in the United States motivated them to launch Measure P. The initiative aimed at raising approximately $1 billion over a period of 30 years for parks and arts. The group’s argument was that parks and arts provided a way for kids to stay out of gangs, something that police and firefighters could not address alone. The argument was opposed by those in authority, including the then-Mayor Lee Brand, the police and fire department, and the local Chamber of Commerce.
A Campaign to Qualify Measure P for the Ballot
Backed by former Mayor Ashley Swearengin, Celedón launched a campaign to gather enough signatures to qualify Measure P for the ballot. This effort aimed to increase Fresno’s park spaces and improve its ranking nationally by addressing issues such as broken bathrooms, broken basketball hoops, and broken recreation programs. However, their efforts were met with strong resistance with some parties demanding 50% of the funds from Measure P for the police and firefighters. Despite these challenges, the campaign eventually succeeded and Measure P made it onto the 2018 ballot voted for by a simple majority.
The Impact of Measure P in Fresno
The outcome of the Measure P campaign was a victory for everyone in Fresno, including Mayor Dyer, who at the beginning opposed it as police chief. The initiative raised $42 million in its first year, and to date, it has raised more funds for parks and arts than initially projected. The success of Measure P has seen other county cities launch similar initiatives, with Clovis and Madera being the most recent. Today, Fresno is among the fastest-growing cities in California, and its parks and arts spaces have made it more attractive to potential investors and residents.
Conclusion
The launch of Measure P by the youth engagement group in Fresno provided an opportunity to address the city’s long-standing issues relating to its poor park-to-resident ratio. The campaign’s eventual success was a victory for everyone in Fresno, and today, the city’s parks and arts spaces continue to attract new residents and investors. The youth engagement group’s efforts to address the problems facing their communities have left an indelible mark on the city’s history. The journey to launch Measure P teaches us that we must never give up on initiatives that seek to affect positive change in our communities.
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That first summer Celedon asked his youth engagement group to host an evening workshop with Southside teens. Meet in the center’s library and bring enough Hmong sausage and rice to feed 40. Have the children talk to you about the needs of the community from her point of view. And keep it fun. “He got off to a slow start,” Celedon recalled. “And then a 13-year-old Latina raises her hand and asks, ‘Why don’t you talk about parks?’ And the whole children’s room lights up. ‘Yes friend. Parks,’ said another. ‘They stink'”.
And so began a citywide initiative called Measure P. The kids visited Southside playgrounds and parks and took inventory. Broken bathrooms, broken basketball hoops, broken recreation programs. Funding for the park in Fresno, never flat, had been cut by 53 percent. Builders balked at paying a citywide park fee. National rankings for urban green spaces found that, of the 100 largest cities in the United States, Fresno ranked dead last. Their park-to-resident ratio was so unfortunate, according to a study, that the medians of the streets were counted as green spaces.
Backed by former mayor Ashley Swearengin, who led the region’s largest community philanthropic foundation, Celedón launched a signature unit to qualify Measure P for the ballot. If passed, the sales tax would raise approximately $1 billion over the next 30 years for parks and arts.
Dyer, who was police chief at the time, strongly objected. So did Lee Brand, then mayor; the local Chamber of Commerce; and patriarchs of the Assemi family, the most influential farmers and home builders in the city. The streets were not safe, they argued. The only sales tax Fresno should consider was one to fund more police and firefighters.
The argument seemed absurd to Celedón and Garibay. Parks and the arts gave kids a way to stay out of gangs. Police and firefighters already controlled most of the city’s general fund. During the talks, the police and fire departments issued an ultimatum, demanding 50 percent of the funds from Measure P. “We tried to negotiate, but they wouldn’t budge,” Celedon said. “So we told them to go to hell.”
The campaign exposed such racism that black youth searching the Northside for Measure P were threatened. “You are knocking on the wrong door,” the owners told them. If they were concerned about their safety, they would rush back to “their side of town.” Celedon had to send her white friends to collect signatures on the Northside.
Measure P made it onto the 2018 ballot. Reflecting the city’s gulf, it received 52 percent of the vote. Sales tax measures almost always require a two-thirds vote. Celedon’s legal counsel argued that because Measure P was initiated by citizens and not elected officials, only a simple majority was needed. An appeals court agreed. Measure P, in its first year alone, raised $42 million. “Mayor Dyer couldn’t be happier,” Celedon said, noticing the change in his attitude. “Latino councilmembers who don’t always support our efforts are taking a victory lap.”
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