Six Candidates Compete for Three Fresno City Council Seats — Mayor Dyer Warns of ‘Rough Last Two Years’ If Wrong People Win
Three Fresno City Council seats are on the November ballot, and none of the six candidates seeking them is an incumbent. Mayor Jerry Dyer, who terms out in January 2029, has publicly stated that the wrong outcome could mean “a rough last two years for me.”
“There could be a substantial shift in the direction that the council goes, and that scares me,” Dyer told the Rotary Club of Fresno in August. “If we don’t get the right people in there, with the desire to serve the people of Fresno, or they have an agenda that is not consistent with mine, then it’s going to be a rough last two years for me.”
The District 1 race pits former federal prosecutor and State Center Community College District Trustee Rob Fuentes, 41, against Jakara Movement leader and Central Unified School District Trustee Naindeep Singh, 48. The seat is open because incumbent Annalisa Perea opted to run for state assembly rather than seek reelection.
Singh led the June primary with 38.7% of the vote to Fuentes’ 36.5%, and as of this week Singh has raised $344,706 in campaign contributions — the most of any candidate this cycle — compared to $231,546 by Fuentes.
In District 3, state Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula, 49, faces Fresno Unified Trustee and nonprofit executive Keshia Thomas, 53. Incumbent Miguel Arias is termed out and running for the Area 1 seat on the Fresno Unified School Board.
Arambula received 30% of the primary vote compared to Thomas’ 27.6% in a seven-candidate field, and Arambula is well ahead in campaign contributions with $234,800 compared to $84,684 for Thomas.
The District 7 race features attorney and political consultant Nav Gurm, 26, against community advocate Ariana Martinez Lott, 39. Incumbent Nelson Esparza is termed out and running for the District 1 seat on the state Board of Equalization.
Just 20 votes separated Gurm — 39.7% — and Martinez Lott — 39% — in the June primary, but Gurm holds a sizable fundraising edge with $285,926 raised compared to $147,700 for Martinez Lott.
A fourth city council seat in northwest Fresno’s District 2 may also come open next year if incumbent Mike Karbassi wins his bid for the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, triggering a special election in 2027.
All six candidates are registered Democrats, meaning District 6 member Nick Richardson will remain the lone Republican on the dais no matter the outcome. Dyer, a Republican and self-described “fiscal conservative,” has endorsed Fuentes and Gurm, as has the Fresno County Democratic Party. Neither have endorsed a candidate in the District 3 race.
The candidates can be grouped into establishment Democrats and progressives. Fuentes and Gurm are in the former camp; Singh and Martinez Lott in the latter. Both District 3 candidates tilt progressive, but Arambula more so based on his legislative track record of expanding healthcare for residents without legal status and low-income housing tax credits for farmworkers.
A new political action committee, the One Fresno Coalition, and its financial backer, the Central Valley Council PAC — both started by political consultant Alex Tavlian — have contributed over $78,000 in the primary council races in both direct contributions and independent expenditures. The two PACs have financially backed all of the Dyer-endorsed candidates: Fuentes in District 1, Nav Gurm in District 7, and Danielle Parra in District 5 (who is in a runoff with incumbent Brandon Vang). They also backed Fernando Alvarez in District 3, where Dyer opted not to endorse in the primary.
The Central Valley Council PAC’s largest donor is Atlanta-based SPH Placements, LLC — owned by David Hanna, co-owner of the private equity and venture capital firm Hanna Capital, LLC — which contributed over $205,000. Mid-Valley Disposal gave $90,000, West Coast Waste gave $20,000, Granville Homes gave $40,000, developer Peter Stravinski gave $35,000, and American Ambulance gave $10,000.
The Fresno City Employees Association PAC, which represents over 900 white-collar city workers, kicked in $35,000 across the four contested council races, backing Arambula for District 3, incumbent Vang in District 5, Fuentes for District 1, and both Martinez Lott and Gurm in District 7. Their labor contract expires in December, leaving negotiating for the next council.
The city’s firefighters union spent over $30,200 in the June primary, backing Vang for District 5, Fuentes for District 1, and Gurm for District 7. Their contract is up for negotiation in June 2027, again leaving it for the next council to decide.
Local power couple Richard and Karen Spencer, who own Harris Construction, donated $22,700 in support of Fuentes in District 1 and AJ Rassamni in District 7. The Fresno Teachers’ Association — weighing in on city elections for the first time — threw in $20,000 to support Fuentes in District 1, Arambula for District 3, Vang in District 5, and both Gurm and Martinez Lott for District 7.
One issue looming over the races is the Southeast Development Area plan (SEDA), a Dyer-endorsed plan to add 9,000 acres and an estimated 45,000 homes to the city’s southeast flank. Dyer has said he hopes the current council passes an industry-heavy portion of SEDA known as “south SEDA” by year’s end. South SEDA has a total projected cost of $672 million, of which developer fees would cover $233 million. However, it is unclear whether the mayor has the necessary votes, meaning the matter could extend into 2027 and the new council.
All six council candidates have voiced opposition to SEDA during public forums and on questionnaires, but to differing degrees. Singh, Martinez Lott, Arambula and Thomas have taken the strongest anti-SEDA positions. Fuentes and Gurm, who have accepted campaign donations from developers, left open some wiggle room depending on funding sources.
In June, Dyer told The Fresno Bee he supports candidates who align with his views on public safety, homelessness, downtown revitalization, business policy and “smart growth.” “Smart growth” could be code for the Southeast Development Area or SEDA, the material notes.
If elected, Singh and Gurm would be the first people of the Sikh community to serve on the Fresno City Council. And unless Martinez Lott prevails, the seven-member body would be all male.
The Breakdown
- Three Fresno City Council seats are on the November 2026 ballot: District 1 (central and west-central Fresno), District 3 (southwest and south Fresno including downtown), and District 7 (east-central and parts of southeast Fresno). All three incumbents are termed out or running for other offices.
- The races feature establishment Democrats (Fuentes, Gurm) against progressives (Singh, Martinez Lott), with both District 3 candidates tilting progressive. Mayor Dyer has endorsed Fuentes and Gurm; the Fresno County Democratic Party has also endorsed both.
- A new PAC, the One Fresno Coalition, and its financial backer, the Central Valley Council PAC, have contributed over $78,000 backing Dyer-endorsed candidates. The Central Valley Council PAC’s largest donor is an Atlanta-based private equity firm ($205,000), followed by waste management companies ($110,000 combined) and local developers ($75,000 combined).
- City employee unions and the firefighters union have spent heavily backing specific candidates, with labor contracts expiring in December 2026 and June 2027, leaving negotiations for the next council to decide.
- All six candidates have voiced opposition to the Southeast Development Area plan (SEDA) to varying degrees. SEDA’s industry-heavy “south SEDA” portion has a total projected cost of $672 million, of which developer fees would cover $233 million. Dyer wants the current council to pass it by year’s end; if they don’t, the next council decides.
What This Means for You
The November outcome determines the ideological composition of the Fresno City Council for the next four years. The next council will negotiate city employee and firefighter contracts (expiring December 2026 and June 2027), and decide whether to approve SEDA if the current council does not pass it by year’s end.
What You Can Do
The general election is November 3, 2026. Fresno voters in Districts 1, 3, and 7 will choose between the candidates listed above. Campaign finance filings for each candidate are available through the City of Fresno’s website.
What to Watch
The Central Valley Council PAC’s largest donor is an Atlanta-based private equity firm that has never donated in Fresno before — who is David Hanna, what does his firm do in Fresno or the Central Valley, and why is he putting $205,000 into local council races?
The PAC’s other major donors include waste management companies that hold city contracts (Mid-Valley Disposal, West Coast Waste) and local developers (Granville Homes, Peter Stravinski). California’s Levine Act limits companies doing business with the city to $500 in direct candidate contributions, but a PAC allows larger contributions even when the donor has a direct stake in policy decisions the council makes. What policy outcomes do these donors expect for their investment?
City employee and firefighter union contracts are up for negotiation within the next council’s first year, and both unions have spent heavily backing specific candidates. Do those candidates have a track record of supporting labor, or is the endorsement based on something else?
The Fresno Teachers’ Association spent $20,000 on council races for the first time, citing concerns that SEDA could close up to 11 Fresno Unified schools due to enrollment losses. How do the candidates they backed plan to balance that concern against the mayor’s push for SEDA?
All six candidates voiced opposition to SEDA, but Fuentes and Gurm — both Dyer-endorsed and both recipients of developer donations — left open “some wiggle room depending on funding sources.” What does that mean in practice?
SEDA’s total projected cost is $672 million, of which developer fees would cover $233 million — where does the remaining $439 million come from, and does that qualify as the “funding sources” that would change their position?
As of this week, Singh has raised the most of any candidate this cycle ($344,706), but recent history shows more money doesn’t necessarily mean more votes — in 2024, Nick Richardson won despite being outspent 7 to 1. Will the same hold true for any of these three races?
