Fresno council candidate demands state investigation into botched DUI arrest days before election

November 4, 2026 Adrian Voss

Fresno City Council District 1 candidate Naindeep Singh called Monday for California Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate his Oct. 24 arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence — an arrest Fresno police walked back three days later after two toxicology tests showed no drugs or alcohol in his system.

Singh’s attorney, Kevin Little, said at a press conference that the timing of the arrest, 10 days before the Nov. 3 election, and the speed with which news reached local media raise questions about election interference. Little said he wants to know how information about the arrest was circulated so quickly and widely.

“We demand a thorough and independent investigation,” Little said. “One that gets to the bottom of what transpired, not just what transpired, but also how it transpired, and even more important, perhaps how it was circulated in the dark of night so quickly and so widely.”

Singh was pulled over the night of Oct. 24 in Fresno’s Tower District for expired registration tags, according to Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto. He was cited for driving under the influence of a drug after failing six of eight field sobriety tests, Casto said.

Two urine tests — one Singh commissioned himself and a second expedited at Fresno police’s request — showed no traces of drugs or alcohol. Singh was cleared of all charges Oct. 27 and received public apologies from both Casto and Mayor Jerry Dyer.

The following day, District 1 residents received a mailer showing an AI-generated image of Singh taking a sobriety test and accusing him of driving under the influence of drugs. The mailer was paid for by Fresno Healthy Communities, a political action committee funded entirely by Central Valley Council, according to campaign finance reports. Central Valley Council lists Alex Tavlian as its principal officer. Fresno Healthy Communities attempted to retract the mailer in a statement sent to local media.

News of Singh’s arrest was first reported by a local community blog that sourced the information from Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz. Janz’s office does not normally have oversight over criminal arrests — the City Attorney’s Office does not handle DUI cases — but it does have specific oversight roles in local elections.

Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias called for an independent investigation into the incident at a news conference Thursday, specifically questioning any contracts between the City Attorney’s Office and Tavlian, who is involved in multiple political action committees that have produced attack mailers on candidates in the 2026 and prior elections. One of those PACs, Central Valley Council, has made campaign contributions to Rob Fuentes, who is running against Singh for the District 1 council seat.

Janz responded by calling for an investigation into Arias for interference with his office and potential Brown Act violations. “My office follows the City Charter and the law,” Janz said, “and we will continue doing our job without getting dragged into Councilmember Arias’ political theater.”

The Fresno Police Department and the City Attorney’s Office announced hours after Monday’s press conference that the police investigation into Singh’s arrest is closed and body camera video taken during the traffic stop could be released within a week.

Little indicated it was too early to say whether he will file a civil suit against the city on Singh’s behalf, or whether a libel suit will be filed against the organization that produced the mailer.

The Breakdown

Singh was pulled over Oct. 24 for expired registration tags and cited for driving under the influence after failing six of eight field sobriety tests.
Two toxicology tests — one commissioned by Singh and one expedited by police — showed no drugs or alcohol in his system. Singh was cleared Oct. 27.
News of the arrest reached local media quickly, sourced from City Attorney Andrew Janz, whose office does not handle DUI cases but does have oversight roles in local elections.
A mailer accusing Singh of driving under the influence was sent to District 1 residents the day after news broke. The mailer was paid for by a PAC funded entirely by another PAC that lists political consultant Alex Tavlian as its principal officer and has donated to Singh’s opponent.
Singh’s attorney has asked the state Attorney General’s Office to investigate. Councilmember Miguel Arias has called for an independent investigation into the City Attorney’s Office’s contracts with Tavlian.
Janz has called for an investigation into Arias for interference and potential Brown Act violations.

What This Means for You

This story centers on whether an arrest 10 days before an election was handled properly by the officials voters elect to run the city — the mayor, the police chief who reports to him, and the city attorney the council appoints.

You vote for mayor and city council, and the council appoints the city attorney. The handling of this arrest — how it happened and how it became public — involves those offices.

What You Can Do

The Nov. 3 election for Fresno City Council District 1 is Tuesday. Singh is running against Rob Fuentes. Body camera footage from the traffic stop could be released within a week, according to the Fresno Police Department and City Attorney’s Office.

What to Watch

The material identifies the following parties and their roles: Singh, whose arrest was quashed; Janz, whose office does not handle DUI cases but confirmed the arrest to media; Tavlian, whose PACs have spent money on mailers attacking council candidates including Singh; Fuentes, Singh’s opponent, whose campaign has received contributions from a PAC Tavlian runs; and Arias, who has called for an investigation into Janz’s contracts with Tavlian.

The material does not state what, if any, contract exists between the City Attorney’s Office and Tavlian or his affiliated entities.

Fresnoland submitted a public records request for all written agreements between the City of Fresno and multiple political consultants, including Tavlian, between January 2025 and July 2026. The city requested a deadline extension in late August, promising an update by the end of September. As of the material’s date, Fresnoland had not received any further updates from the city on that request.

Arias has called on Janz to disclose his contracts with Tavlian and affiliated entities and to terminate those contracts. Arias said he has requested that information from Janz unsuccessfully. Janz has not responded to questions about those contracts.

The material does not state what Tavlian’s role is, if any, in Janz’s office or what services his firms provide to the city.

The material does not state whether Janz or anyone in his office knew about the arrest before it became public, or how Janz learned of it. The material does not state who leaked the arrest information to the blogger Janz confirmed it to, or when that leak occurred relative to the arrest itself.

The material states that Janz’s office refused to release body camera footage and the police report, citing an “ongoing investigation,” even after Police Chief Casto said the investigation is closed and the footage could be released. The material does not state what investigation Janz’s office is referring to or why his office is withholding records the police chief said could be made available.

The material does not state whether the officers who conducted the traffic stop and field sobriety tests followed department procedures correctly. Casto has said the officers did nothing wrong and that no political motivations were in play, but the material does not state what evidence, if any, supports that conclusion beyond Casto’s assertion.

Why was Singh, a police critic and candidate for office, arrested on a DUI charge that two toxicology tests immediately contradicted? An independent investigation could determine the answer. The material does not state what evidence would prove or rule out political motivation, racial profiling, or a connection between the arrest and the mailer that followed.