The Fresno campaign asking voters to support a new half-cent sales tax for transportation projects countywide spent nearly $500,000 collecting signatures on its way to qualifying for the ballot.

Among the other expenses, the Better Roads, Safe Streets campaign, now officially called Yes on Measure S, paid $112,456 to a law firm and also reported paying its campaign manager $90,000 over a six-month period, raising some questions from critics.

Measure S is currently on the Nov. 3 ballot, although a lawsuit may change the date to March 2028. The tax, if approved, would replace the current Measure C that expires on June 30, 2027. The new measure garnered enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Campaign finance reports filed with the county show expenses and the biggest contributors for the Measure S campaign.

Overall, the campaign reported raising $1,247,050 from Jan. 1 through June 30. Over the same period, it spent $940,681 on the campaign effort. (Documents can be viewed here and here.)

The reports provide details of campaign spending, including $90,000 for campaign manager Andrew Levine, who is also a Fresno Unified trustee and a lecturer at Fresno State.

The campaign also spent $490,000 for an out-of-state firm that specializes in gathering signatures—The Outreach Team based in Ithaca, NY.

The state of California, the Fresno County election clerk and the campaign are currently defending a lawsuit in court, brought by Fresno County over the timing of the ballot measure. The lawsuit asks the court to move the tax measure to the ballot in March 2028. The Measure S committee, however, wants to keep the election on the Nov. 3 ballot this year, so if approved by voters there’s no gap in sales tax revenues.

At issue in the lawsuit is the legality of an 11th hour state bill signed by governor Newsom this month that overrode the decision by the Fresno County of Supervisors to effectively delay the ballot measure until at least March 2028.

Before the lawsuit was filed, the Measure S campaign paid Sacramento-based attorneys Olson Remcho $112,456 with another $6,000 due, according to the campaign filing. It’s unclear what those expenditures entailed, but they do not include any legal costs associated with the current lawsuit, which was filed in August. The next campaign filing is due Sept 24.

Henry R. Perea, a former Fresno city councilman and Fresno County supervisor who currently serves on the state High-Speed Rail board, criticized the out-of-town fundraising and spending listed in the filing.

“What’s in it for them? Who is really behind the measure?” Perea said.

Perea also criticized the Measure S campaign for not banking locally. The campaign finance reports show more than $700 interest earned with First Foundation Bank, with several branches in California, but none in the Central Valley.

Perea has been against the Measure S plan and supported a rival plan called “Fix our Roads” that did not collect enough signatures. It would have directed more of the sales tax money for roads and less for mass transit and bike lanes than the “Better Roads, Safe Streets” plan. Perea also testified this month in Sacramento against the bill that overrode the supervisors’ decision.

If passed, Measure S is estimated to raise $7 billion over the 30-year life of the proposed tax measure. Like the current tax, Measure S would pay for road repair and subsidizing public transportation, but with different allocations.

Campaign manager earns $90,000

As part of the Measure S effort, the campaign has paid Levine $75,000, with another $15,000 due. Campaign reports do not specify exactly when payments were made.

Levine is also co-director for the Center of Community Voices at Fresno State. And he’s a consultant for the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability. His financial disclosure form lists income between $10,001 and $100,000 for each position — lecturer, co-director and consultant. Levine voted against a pay increase earlier this year, that more than doubled a trustee’s compensation to $54,000 per year. The increase passed by a 6-1 vote.

Levine did not respond to The Bee’s request for comment this week for this article.

In a statement to The Bee, the campaign said the compensation reflects fair pay for the quality of the work and long hours.

“When you are asking someone to essentially put much of their professional and personal life on hold for 10 months and, at times, work 80-hour weeks, you have to expect to compensate that person fairly for the level of commitment, responsibility and expertise involved. We are very grateful Andrew was willing to take on that role and dedicate the time, experience and energy necessary to manage a campaign of this scale and importance,” the campaign said.

Others in the field were skeptical.

Cameron Forgey, a Central Valley political consultant who is working on the Rob Fuentes for Fresno City Council campaign, called Levine’s pay “a head scratcher.” He said the campaign’s message already resonated with voters, with fundraising already behind the effort.

“Fifteen thousand a month is serious money anywhere, especially in Fresno, more than enough to retain a seasoned Sacramento firm to quarterback this with battle-tested results. Maybe two,” Forgey said.

Forgery said he intends to vote for Measure S.

Alex Tavlian, who has worked on several campaigns for Republican and Democratic candidates and is executive director of The San Joaquin Valley Sun, said “It depends” on the complexity of the job. He pointed out that the Measure S campaign, also known as Better Roads, Safe Streets, did not have a program of TV or other media advertising and also used specialized firms to collect signatures.

“Then, yeah, it’s probably a bit much,” he said. “If it was a front-loaded deal, that’d be something different entirely.”

Tavlian said he opposes Measure S.

Veva Islas, a Fresno Unified trustee and Levine’s colleague, defended the pay. She said she supports Measure S but is not with the official campaign.

“He probably isn’t the only consultant campaign manager who’s ever made that amount,” she said. “I am in favor of everything that we have to do in order to get this measure passed. The community deserves this measure.”

Who are the biggest contributors?

The Central Valley Community Foundation, the nonprofit run by President/CEO Ashley Swearengin, who is also a former mayor of Fresno, contributed $810,000, the largest contribution during the reporting period.

The next biggest contributor was the North Coast States Regional Council of Carpenters Issues PAC at $250,000. The group represents 57,000 members in the construction industry.

Fund for a Better Future Inc., contributed $150,000, the third most from any group.

Alfredo Gonzalez, California director for the fund, said his group works on conservation, climate, and community issues, and has worked on projects in the Central Valley. Funding Measure S supports those goals, he said.

“When we give people better transit options, we reduce air pollution and improve public health. We reduce sprawl, and we protect open space in nature. We reduce carbon pollution from cars and trucks that are causing climate change. So we think it’s a smart approach to investing in infrastructure in the region,” Gonzalez said.

Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability contributed $75,000 on Aug. 13. On its website, the group lists its mission as working “alongside the most impacted communities to advocate for sound policy and eradicate injustice to secure equal access to opportunity regardless of wealth, race, income, and place.”

The Leadership Counsel’s co-director, Veronica Garibay, is one of four people named in the county’s lawsuit because she was one of four signers of the notice of intention to collect signatures, submitted to the Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters.

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, Clovis City Councilmember Lynne Ashbeck and Joan Eaton, a former CVCF board member, also signed the notice of intention and are named as defendants. In court papers defending the lawsuit, Olson Remcho lists the campaign, Garibay, Ashbeck and Eaton as clients, but not Dyer.

Central Valley economist Joseph Penbera, through PenberaParis, LLC, was paid $9,500 for polling and survey research, with another $32,250 still owed, according to the campaign finance filing.

Several groups are also listed as “non-monetary contributors,” such as Leadership Counsel, CVCF, and Fresno Building Healthy Communities. Most of their work is listed as consulting, marketing or staff time.

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