Fresno takes in tens of millions in taxes for parks. They’re still ranked near-bottom among U.S. cities. -

Money is never the answer. Fresno a city with a massive deficit problem has found that out. It needs new, real leadership.

“Fresno voters initially rejected Measure P in 2018, as it failed to reach the two-thirds threshold at 52%. But the Fifth District Court of Appeal ruled that the measure only needed a majority vote, meaning the three-eighths-cent, 30-year tax was approved.

Fresno started collecting the tax in July 2021, and it brought in over $46 million over the last fiscal year.

Yup, a court, NOT the voters passed this measure to help the parks. The people knew it wouldn’t—so they voted against it, based on the rules. The court literally changed the definition of 2/3 (66%) to mean 50%–did they fail math? Obviously. Now the people are paying a tax they did not want—and getting what they thought—nothing. Corruption has many forms, including outcome based math.

Fresno takes in tens of millions in taxes for parks. They’re still ranked near-bottom among U.S. cities.

Fresno’s ranking in a parks survey has worsened since voters – via lawsuit – approved the 30-year Measure P parks tax that delivers tens of millions to city coffers annually.

by Daniel Gligich, The Sun, 5/22/25 https://sjvsun.com/news/fresno/fresno-takes-in-tens-of-millions-in-taxes-for-parks-theyre-still-ranked-near-bottom-among-u-s-cities/

Despite having a 30-year tax on the books to enhance Fresno’s parks, the city’s ranking when compared to the other large cities in the nation has not improved.

Trust for Public Land announced this week that Fresno once again ranks at No. 98 out of 100 on its 2025 ParkScore index, matching last year’s low ranking.

Flashback: Fresno voters initially rejected Measure P in 2018, as it failed to reach the two-thirds threshold at 52%. But the Fifth District Court of Appeal ruled that the measure only needed a majority vote, meaning the three-eighths-cent, 30-year tax was approved.

Fresno started collecting the tax in July 2021, and it brought in over $46 million over the last fiscal year.

Zoom in: Trust for Public Land was integral in organizing the local effort to pass Measure P, with Fresno’s low ParkScore ranking a black mark on the city.

Yet Fresno’s ParkScore ranking at 98th in the nation has actually gotten worse since Measure P was implemented.
Fresno’s ParkScore rank was at 92 in 2020, dropping to 97 in 2021 and 98 in 2023, where it has remained since.

Driving the news: Trust for Public Land calculates its ParkScore with six categories: acreage, access, investment, amenities and equity.

Fresno’s highest score came in the access category, with 66% of residents living within a 10-minute walk from a park. That still falls below the national average of 76%.
Measure P has driven an investment increase in the rankings for Fresno over the last few years, increasing from $62 per person in 2023, $86 last year and $99 this year, but the national average is still well ahead at $133 per person.
The city’s lowest score came in acreage, with parks making up only 2.5% of the city’s total area.
Fresno also scored low in the equity category, with low-income neighborhoods having 45% less space than high-income neighborhoods.
The amenities category further breaks down to consider basketball hoops, sport fields, dog parks, playgrounds, senior/rec centers, restrooms and splashpads. Fresno earned its least amount of points in the playgrounds subcategory, with 79 across the city, which totals 4.87 per 10,000 children.

Zoom out: The top five cities on the ParkScore index are Washington D.C., Irvine, Minneapolis, Cincinnati and St. Paul.

San Francisco was the second-highest California city in the rankings at No. 6.
San Diego, Sacramento, Fremont, San Jose, Oakland, Long Beach, Santa Clarita, Santa Ana, Stockton, Riverside, Anaheim, Chula Vista, Los Angeles and Bakersfield all scored higher than Fresno in the index.