Fresno and Hercules residents will vote on June 4 on ballot measures that indicate how far some of California's ailing municipalities must go to fix their shaky finances, Reuters reported on Friday. In Fresno, a city of 500,000 in the state's Central Valley, Mayor Ashley Swearengin is seeking support for a measure to privatize residential garbage collection. The plan would save money by eliminating about 120 city jobs and raise at least $14 million in fees over several years from a private garbage contractor. On the same day, Hercules, a city of 24,000 in the San Francisco Bay area, will vote for the second time in two years on a tax increase, this time a rise in utility service charges. If the measure fails, the city says, it may have to shut down the police department and contract with the county sheriff for law enforcement.
