Four candidates are running in the June primary to represent the Tower District, Fresno High, the neighborhoods west of freeway 99 and other areas of District 1 on the Fresno City Council.
Councilmember Annalisa Perea, who has held the District 1 seat since being elected in 2022, opted not to seek reelection as she pursues a seat in the state assembly.
That leaves a retired flight attendant, an attorney-slash-community college school board trustee, an accessibility coordinator for the City of Fresno and a nonprofit executive director-slash-K-12 school board trustee to face off in a primary that could be decided that night or extend to a November runoff.
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District 1 is home to diverse neighborhoods, each with its own set of needs.
Among them are core parts of Fresno like the Tower District, which boasts walkability, a thriving nightlife and longtime small business corridors while also struggling with chronically vacant buildings.
The District 1 councilmember also represents many of Fresno’s residents living west of freeway 99, where infrastructure and basic amenities has sorely lagged even while the residential population has exploded.
The council just recently passed a new specific land use plan for the neighborhoods west of 99 that residents applauded, but that plan doesn’t solve the area’s infrastructure issues overnight, and the councilmember has their work cut out for them.
The winner will also join the council at a time when Fresno faces existential questions over the future of its core neighborhoods and patterns of sprawl, all of which has come to a head in debates over Mayor Jerry Dyer’s Southeast Development Area, or SEDA, proposal.
A candidate can win the D1 seat outright by carrying more than 50% of the vote in the primary. Anything short of that and the top two vote-getters will face off again in the November election.
Read more about where the candidates — ordered alphabetically by last name — stand on these issues below.
What does a Fresno City Councilmember do?
There are seven seats on the Fresno City Council representing distinct geographical areas.
The council makes decisions on the scope, direction and financing of city services, such as water, sewer, police and fire protection. They’re also in charge of approving the city’s four-billion annual budget that the Mayor prepares every spring.
The council also establishes policy that is administered and implemented by city staff, as well as land-use policies through the General Plan and zoning regulations.
Councilmembers serve four-year terms and have a two-term limit.
As of January 2025, councilmembers receive yearly compensation of $111,320. The council president is compensated at a rate 12.5% above that, or about $125,235.
Who is running in the District 1 Fresno City Council primary election?
Candidate: Monte Forkas
Job: Campaign consulting business owner, former flight attendant for SkyWest Airlines
Age: 58
Residency: Has lived in the Tower District for just under 25 years
Key Endorsements: None, he says, because he entered the race relatively late
Forkas said he’s a fan of Perea’s work representing District 1 and wants to pick up where she leaves off.
“People ask me, what’s your platform?” he said. “I’m like: to continue and finish what Annalisa started.”
What’s his position on the Southeast Development Area (SEDA)?
Forkas said he does not support SEDA in its current form.
“We have enough inventory in Fresno. And you know what? Come on. Building a million-dollar home out there is not going to solve our homeless issue here,” he said. “It’s not.”
Forkas said he wouldn’t support the current project because of its drain on schools and infrastructure and would only change his mind were those concerns addressed.
What’s his strategy for increasing housing in the city?
Forkas said he’s interested in exploring more modular and prefabricated housing models.
“I think we need to really study that,” he said. “I want to take a tour of it before I give 100% seal of approval, but, you know, there’s people out there that just want a one-bedroom house.”
What about affordable housing?
Forkas said he’s hopeful a slew of assembly bills to make building a house more affordable will pass to help with the process. That includes a package of bills aimed at boosting factory-built homes in the state and a new policy exempting urban infill housing development projects from the California Environmental Quality Act.
“We’re going to have to rethink this,” he said. “We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but we’re going to have to rearrange.”
What are his priorities for tackling homelessness?
Forkas said he wants the city to take a preventative approach and to partner with community-based organizations.
“We have databases. We can look at who is vulnerable to losing their home. We can look at it by utility bills. We can look at it by eviction notices,” he said. “It could be as simple as reaching out to these people, (asking) what’s going on?”
How will he balance the needs of District 1’s many distinct neighborhoods?
Forkas said he wants to open an office for constituent services west of the 99.
“There has to be,” he said. “Those people feel so isolated.”
How can the city hold vacant property owners accountable and incentivize development?
Forkas praised Perea’s pilot programs in the Tower District aimed at tackling chronically vacant commercial buildings — and said he wants to build on that framework.
“I don’t want to throw out the program,” he said. “I think it’s a great program. I think it’s a start. I want to make it better.”
For him, that would include removing criteria in the incentive program — which offers tax benefits to small businesses that set up shop in chronically vacant buildings — that exclude chains and franchises from qualifying.
“Why should Starbucks be eliminated if they want to set up shop?” he said. “I understand the need, but Starbucks, they’re good-paying. They have benefits. I don’t think they should be exempt.”
Forkas also said he’d also want to create a tiered-incentive system that would offer the greatest rewards to businesses that offer residents a place to gather.
“When I say ‘public gathering,’ I mean: restaurant, coffee shop, donut shop, yogurt shop. Those should be at the top of the priority,” he said, “as opposed to … a lawyer’s office.”
Does he support the city’s Eviction Protection Program?
Yes.
What’s his position on the city’s anti-camping ordinance?
Forkas said he isn’t a fan of the anti-camping ordinance and its broadness, though he added that he’ll have to see how the federal lawsuit against it plays out.
He said he believes more walking patrols from police could better address the issue of homeless encampments springing up — but that he also believes businesses “have a responsibility to protect their property” with private security, too.
“I think with more patrols, we can prevent it,” he said. “More walking patrols, more policemen out of their cars on the streets, walking the neighborhood, walking the blocks.”
Which transportation tax plan does he support?
Forkas is a backer of the Better Roads and Safe Streets proposal, which recently cleared a major hurdle toward appearing on the November ballot. The plan is backed by Mayor Jerry Dyer as well as other Fresno County mayors and multiple community-based organizations.
What transportation investments does he want to see for District 1?
Forkas said he supports expanding public transportation after hearing from some of his constituents in Tower about difficulty accessing bus stops close to their homes.
“I think public transportation is awesome. I’m so sorry that it’s looked down upon. I think we need to make it more New Yorkish, I guess,” he said. “Everybody takes public transportation over in New York — millionaires, billionaires and poor people.”
Forkas pledged to take a city bus from his residence in Tower to City Hall for his swearing in if elected.
How does he think the city can grow high-wage jobs?
Forkas said he’d rather see the city invest in local businesses than give up tax revenue to attract large corporations like Amazon.
“Jeff (Bezos) can do it on his own. He’s got enough money,” he said.
To that end, Forkas said he’s also a supporter of the city’s facade improvement program and wants to extend it.
How does he think the city can better handle air quality challenges for residents near industrial areas?
Forkas said he would oppose further industrial development in District 3 and West Fresno.
“They have just been dumped on, and enough is enough. We’ve got to stop this,” he said. “It’s documented, historic discrimination that’s taken place there.”
What’s his approach to improving public safety?
When asked what the most effective tool is for addressing residents’ public safety concerns, Forkas said he believes it’s all about “customer service,” something he honed both as a performer at Disneyland and as a flight attendant.
“On a plane, everybody’s coming on the plane — this person’s coming to go on their honeymoon, the next person’s going to a funeral. So you have to adapt,” he said. “You have to be adaptable.”
Does he support SB 54, the state’s sanctuary laws preventing local law enforcement from initiating contact with ICE?
Forkas didn’t speak to SB 54 specifically but said he’s opposed to the immigration enforcement tactics of the Trump administration and that he’s attended recent protests.
“I’m not comfortable with what I’ve seen,” he said. “The promise was that they were going to only go after the thugs and the murderers … and they’re not. They’re going after school teachers.”
How does he think the city can improve transparency?
Forkas said councilmembers need to be more present in the community to rebuild trust with constituents.
“Just showing up to ribbon-cuttings doesn’t do it for me,” he said. “You need to be out there.”
Who are some of his top funders?
Forkas has raised $3,331 for his campaign, although he contributed $2,057 of that personally.
“Since I had very little money in my campaign, I have to be very creative, and that’s where my theater background comes in handy,” he said. “I know how to stretch a dollar.”
That said, he has received small contributions from donors, including $100 from the founder of Casita Feliz.
Candidate: Rob Fuentes
Job: Assistant U.S. Attorney, Instructor, San Joaquin College of Law, and State Center Community College District Trustee
Age: 40
Residency: Lived in Fresno High neighborhood of District 1 since early 2025, before that lived in District 3
Key Endorsements: Mayor Jerry Dyer, Fresno City Firefighters’ Association, Central Labor Council, among others listed below
Fuentes said he’s the product of a farmworker family with grandparents who worked in the fields, as well as his parents when they were young.
“My overarching goal in my current position on the State Center Community College board, but also as a future council member, is to expand opportunities for working families,” he said, “and trying to create neighborhoods where all of our residents, regardless of their background, can live, work, play and ultimately thrive.”
What’s his position on the Southeast Development Area (SEDA)?
Fuentes said he’s opposed to the current SEDA proposal.
He’s a proponent of growth only in a “thoughtful, clear-eyed manner that doesn’t repeat the mistakes of the past with respect to sprawl,” and that the mayor’s current SEDA proposal doesn’t fit those criteria.
“As a resident of an older neighborhood myself, and also, given that I’ve been proudly endorsed by the Fresno Teachers Association, I’m opposed to any proposal that is going to tie up the city’s general funds,” he said, “or that’s going to negatively impact our Fresno and Central Unified schools.”
He added that he could support a revised proposal if it had “strict safeguards in place,” including prohibiting the use of general fund dollars to build up the growth area’s infrastructure and implementing enhanced infrastructure financing districts, like the one the city currently has for Blackstone and downtown.
“I would support a proposal that creates needed, good-paying jobs,” he said, “that builds sorely-needed housing and that also — and I think this part’s important — provides the increased tax revenue necessary to do those infrastructure upgrades in infill areas in our older neighborhoods.”
When asked who should shoulder the cost of infrastructure in the growth area if it’s not coming from general fund dollars, Fuentes said developer fees “would be a big one.”
“Clawback agreements would be necessary,” he added, “but yes, it shouldn’t come from the city.”
What’s his strategy for increasing the city’s housing in the city?
Fuentes said his priority is infill development, both in older neighborhoods and in the neighborhoods west of the 99 freeway accounted for in the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan.
To boost infill development, Fuentes said he would promote up-zoning land in some areas to allow for more multi-family housing, eliminating height restrictions on properties in designated areas, increasing gap financing options for developers and prioritizing mixed-use development along major transit corridors.
Fuentes said he also supports the expansion of ministerial — or “by-right” approval — for development specifically in infill areas. The approach has split the city council in recent years, as city lawmakers have clashed over the dire need for more fast-tracked housing in the city versus how much of an opportunity residents should get to push back on new developments.
Fuentes said he wants to make sure this infill development comes in tandem with improvements to infrastructure in these areas — including roads, sidewalks, gutters, street lights and green space.
What about affordable housing?
Fuentes said he’d want to pursue Low-Income Housing Tax Credit opportunities from the federal government and take advantage of city-owned land and vacant private buildings to boost affordable housing stock specifically.
What are his priorities for tackling homelessness?
On top of fighting to keep shelters open despite declining state and federal funds, Fuentes said he wants to expand supportive housing with wraparound services, as well as rapid re-housing programs for the newly homeless.
As a councilmember, Fuentes said he’d start off by calling for a “comprehensive study of cities of comparable size and climate to Fresno” to see what’s worked and what hasn’t in terms of alleviating homelessness.
How will he balance the needs of District 1’s many distinct neighborhoods?
Fuentes said that while out canvassing, he’s already heard the diverse needs across different neighborhoods.
That reinforced his concerns about infrastructure — particularly roads and sidewalks — in the area west of the 99 not keeping up with the homes that have been built.
“I’m doing a lot of that outreach right now on the campaign trail,” he added, “but I want to make sure it continues as a councilmember, with town halls, with forums and even with, you know, just continuing to canvas neighborhoods at times, too.
“I know it’s not common for sitting councilmembers to continue to canvas, but that’s something I would like to do.”
Fuentes said he’d plan to both personally continue canvassing and ask his future staffers to help with that if elected.
How can the city hold vacant property owners accountable and incentivize development?
Fuentes said he’s a proponent of having both “carrots” and “sticks” to balance respecting property rights with holding the owners of long-term vacancies accountable.
Does he support the city’s Eviction Protection Program?
Fuentes said he supports the program and wants to evaluate if there are opportunities to strengthen it.
“For people that are placed in eviction proceedings, the odds that the person is going to actually be evicted is correlated strongly with whether that person has an attorney or not,” he said. “That tells me that in a lot of these cases, they’re being determined not solely on the merits of the case, but on whether the person has access to an attorney.
“I would want to look at, you know, are we closing that gap, at least in Fresno, within our jurisdiction?”
What’s his position on the city’s anti-camping ordinance?
Fuentes said he believes there needs to be some “accountability mechanisms in place” after hearing from residents and business owners who live near encampments.
“They talk about some of the trash that’s left over — even worse, some that will see defecation nearby, so there does need to be enforcement in that respect,” he said, “where people’s homes and businesses are respected.”
At the same time, he added that he doesn’t believe the city can “arrest our way out of this.”
Fuentes said he’d want to see the results of a study on comparable city’s approaches to addressing homelessness before deciding whether to make any changes to the way the existing policy is enforced.
Which transportation tax plan does he support?
Fuentes said he believes both competing plans “have their pros and cons” but that he signed a petition to get the Better Roads and Safe Streets on the November ballot. He said he also plans to vote for it in the fall if it ultimately qualifies.
“Part of what sold me on that proposal was, in addition to its specifics, also looking at how broad the coalition was,” he said, “to help move it forward. That was important to me.”
What transportation investments does he want to see for District 1?
Fuentes said he wants to see expanded bus routes in his district.
“Representing Fresno City College on the State Center board,” he said, “I want to see more bus routes that help connect students from different parts of the district to Fresno City College.”
Fuentes also said he wants the city to explore more creative public transportation options, like the Fresno Hop Trolley and the potentially light rail, depending on the results of a feasibility study.
How does he think the city can grow high-wage jobs?
Building more housing will help attract more jobs, Fuentes said, as he’s discussed with the local building and construction trades leaders who have largely endorsed his campaign.
Fuentes is also a supporter of the City of Fresno’s project labor agreement with the local building trades unions.
Though that agreement hasn’t yet yielded as many local hires as the city hoped, Fuentes said that making sure more SCCCD students are aware of career paths in the building trades could help meet those goals.
“A lot of these trades provide access to good, really well-paying jobs,” he said.
How does he think the city can better handle air quality challenges for residents near industrial areas?
Fuentes said he would support a combination of incentives and enforcement to improve air quality around industrial sites.
“Incentives might include tax credits, for example,” he said, “that help certain facilities upgrade their facilities so that they’re cleaner.”
What’s his approach to improving public safety?
Fuentes said he supports increasing community policing to build trust, “so that community members have more regular interactions with their police force, as opposed to only interacting during calls to 911, for example.”
He said that would likely require a combination of priority shifting among the existing department and increasing the police department’s ranks.
“I know our department is pretty impacted right now,” he said.
In terms of paying for that, Fuentes said he would have to take a look at the numbers before deciding whether he could support a public safety tax to fund an expansion of the department — an idea Dyer has floated in recent years as the city struggles to plug multimillion-dollar holes in its budget year after year.
Fuentes said he also wants to expand the use of mental health professionals to better respond to calls from folks who are experiencing a mental health crisis.
That could come from strengthening and expanding partnerships with Fresno County, he said.
Does he support SB 54, the state’s sanctuary laws preventing local law enforcement from initiating contact with ICE?
Fuentes said he supports SB 54.
“I’m supportive of keeping our local law enforcement separate from ICE,” he said, “especially now, where I think some of the tactics that ICE has been using are tactics that even Mayor Dyer — who was police chief for decades — said at a national conference were tactics that local police forces stopped using decades ago.”
How does he think the city can improve transparency?
In addition to the town halls and regular canvassing he’d want his office to undertake, Fuentes said he believes more budget-related decisions should be made in full council hearings in front of the public, rather than in private meetings.
“There are some issues related to the decline of trust that are related to things that are real, but also things that are perceived,” he said. “I just think being as open and transparent as possible helps with both of them, whether it’s something problematic that’s real, or something that’s a perceived problem and may not necessarily be real.”
What endorsements has he received?
- Fresno Teachers Association
- Fresno, Madera, Tulare Kings Building Trades Council and its affiliated unions
- Central Labor Council
- Fresno City Employees Association
- Fresno Police Officers Association
- Fresno City Firefighters Association
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 100
- Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer
- Fresno City Councilmember Tyler Maxwell
- Fresno City Councilmember Nelson Esparza
- Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez
- SCCCD Trustee (and Fresno City Council District 5 candidate) Daniella Parra
- Former Fresno County Supervisor Henry Perea
- Fresno County Democratic Party
- Fresno County Young Democrats
Who are some of his top funders?
Fuentes has raised the second-highest donation total in this race, according to campaign contribution filings between from the beginning of 2025 through late-April 2026.
He’s received large donations from a number of labor union-affiliated PACs, fellow elected officials, business owners and developers. Among his donors are both backers and opponents of the SEDA project — a point Fuentes addressed following a candidate forum hosted by the Highway City Community Development, Inc. on April 27, stating that the election “will not be bought.”
Donations to his campaign at or above $5,000 include:
- $10,000 from the Fresno Firefighters Legislative Action Committee
- $5,900 from the Fresno City Employees Association PAC
- $5,900 from the Fresno Police Officers Association PAC
- $5,900 from FUSD school psychologist Angela Barrera
- $5,900 from the law office of Kevin G. Little in Fresno
- $5,900 from developer Richard F. Spencer
- $5,900 from Councilmember Tyler Maxwell
- $5,000 from the Central Valley Council, a committee for which political consultant Alex Tavlian is listed as principal officer
- $5,000 from the California Real Estate PAC
- $5,000 from the Fresno Teachers Association PAC
- $5,000 from Karen A. Spencer, wife of developer Richard Spencer
- $5,000 from Fresno’s Electric Motor Shop
Candidate: Joe Hinojosa
Job: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator for City of Fresno
Age: 42
Residency: Born and raised in Fresno, lived in Tower District for nearly 20 years
Key Endorsements: None, but he says “there’s no one for me to serve, except my neighbors”
This would be Hinojosa’s first time holding elected office — and he wants to break the pattern of “repeated individuals” dominating local politics.
“We can elect the same people over and over and get the same results,” he said, “and question it, or we can have a different voice.”
What’s his position on the Southeast Development Area (SEDA)?
“I’m definitely not for SEDA,” Hinojosa said.
“I think we already have a large enough sphere of influence,” he added, “for where we can do housing.”
Instead, he said he wants to see a focus on infill development, particularly in the neighborhoods west of the 99 freeway.
What’s his strategy for increasing housing in the city?
Hinojosa wants to diversify housing stock within city limits.
“We are really sold on the single-family homes,” he said, “that are 2,000 square feet, and the price is $400,000. One of the things that I hate is that we don’t have anything that would be considered a starter home available anymore.”
He pointed to the duplexes, triplexes and four-plexes in the Tower District as an example of more diversified housing options. He said he also wants to see smaller options, like studio apartments and ADUs.
Hinojosa is also supportive of ministerial or “by right” approvals for housing development and believes some high-profile instances where the city has fought developers who followed the rules — particularly in the case of an apartment complex proposed off of Herndon and Marks that residents fought — is a big part of what makes developers wary about building here.
“How would that incentivize people building, for instance, apartments or building by right when we are creating a process, and then pulling the rug out from underneath them?” he said. “It just doesn’t work.”
What about affordable housing?
Hinojosa said it’s a shame the city got to a point last year where it lost its “Pro-housing Designation” from the state.
He said he would never turn down housing grants from the state to support affordable housing.
He would also continue the work his city department, public works, regularly undertakes partnering with developers and other organizations, including local school districts, to co-apply for grants that support housing.
What are his priorities for tackling homelessness?
Hinojosa said he’s concerned about the rising rates of homelessness among seniors nationally, and wants to create a grant program to help them pay for small upgrades to stay in their homes.
“There’s often little things, like they don’t have a ramp to get into the front door,” he said, “or the handlebars that are needed in the bathrooms.”
Hinojosa said that could also look like assisting seniors with their water or electric bills, or “whatever it may be to make sure that seniors are able to stay in their homes and enjoy their retirement.
“They’ve worked all their lives for this, and sometimes it feels unfair that they’re losing those moments.”
How will he balance the needs of District 1’s many distinct neighborhoods?
Hinojosa sees District 1 as one of the most “dynamic” in the city.
“We have Tower District, which is known as the most walkable community in Fresno,” he said. “And then we have the least walkable community, which is everything west of 99.
“Then we have the industrial areas around freeway 99,” he added, “and then we have some neighborhoods that are forgotten just east of 99, in my opinion.”
To assess those needs while canvassing, he’s hosted multiple “sangria nights” in the 13 different neighborhoods he’s broken the district into.
“I don’t put the address or advertise it wide out. I go out and I knock on 200 doors, and I give a flyer saying, ‘Hey, we’re holding this in your neighborhood, so I can hear what you need and what you want.’”
These have helped reveal problems he didn’t know about before, including a problematic Airbnb in the neighborhood near the train tracks southwest of Shaw and West.
“I wouldn’t hear that,” he said, “unless I was having a community meeting in that specific neighborhood.”
How can the city hold vacant property owners accountable and incentivize development?
Hinojosa said he wants to lower the code enforcement fees for the owners of vacant properties that have burnt down so it’s no longer a “lost cause” for them to redevelop it.
“We spent $40,000 to demolish the house, but now we’ve been taking care of the vacant lot because the property owners, it’s a lost cause for them,” he said. “It doesn’t pencil out.”
Does he support the city’s Eviction Protection Program?
Yes. “I love the Eviction Protection Program,” Hinojosa said.
He said he sees it as one of the key preventative, rather than reactionary, policies in the city to keep people from becoming homeless.
What’s his position on the city’s anti-camping ordinance?
Hinojosa said the lack of data collected by the city regarding the outcomes of the ordinance so far, as reported by Fresnoland, makes it difficult to assess the program.
But he called the language of the ordinance somewhat “gray.”
“At the end of the day,” he added, “I don’t know if it did anything to change much.”
Which transportation tax plan does he support?
Hinojosa said he thinks people may underestimate the reach out Measure C funding, not just in Fresno but across all the cities in the county.
In his work for the city, he’s applied to grants using Measure C dollars as matching funds — and without those, he said, the city would have to “spend millions of dollars out of our general fund dollars to match the grants.”
For that reason, he’ll support any successor plan.
“There’s going to be people that say: vote yes on this one, no on that one,” he said. “I’m vote yes on both.”
But his slight preference goes to the Better Roads and Safe Streets plan, backed by Mayor Jerry Dyer and others.
“That one went through the right processes,” he said, “from my understanding.”
What transportation investments does he want to see for District 1?
Hinojosa said he wants to see microtransit options expanded to address the fragmented public transit access west of the 99 freeway.
Specifically, he pointed to Omaha’s approach to microtransit as a potential model for improving the westside’s access.
The midwestern city’s metro service functions like many rideshare apps, where users are able to choose their pickup and dropoff points, according to Nebraska Public Media. The aim is to help connect those residents to more robust public transportation hubs.
How does he think the city can grow higher-wage jobs?
Hinojosa said stemming Fresno’s brain drain is part of what will help uplift the community, so kids don’t feel like they have to leave the city to pursue their dreams. A big part of that, he said, would be making the path to opening a new business clearer and easier.
He also said he would support bringing more light industrial development to the area between the 99 and 41 freeways, south of Jensen — while also navigating the negative effects of development for the residents and churches located there.
How does he think the city can better handle air quality challenges for residents near industrial areas?
In terms of remediation for residents, Hinojosa said that can take a couple of different forms, from increasing green space and mature landscaping around residential areas as a buffer to updating routes for industrial vehicles.
He said remediations should be offered to businesses in some cases, too, such as relocation assistance.
What’s his approach to improving public safety?
Hinojosa said improving the economy is one of the most effective ways to encourage public safety — something not entirely in the city’s control.
Outside of that, he said building trust between community members and law enforcement is important, especially so that people feel safe calling the department.
In an election forum April 27, Hinojosa pointed to San Jose Police Department’s Community Service Office Program as a model for the “different type of police officer” he wants to invest in.
Does he support SB 54, the state’s sanctuary laws preventing local law enforcement from initiating contact with ICE?
Hinojosa said he doesn’t support cooperation with ICE except in cases where an undocumented immigrant is convicted of serious or violent crimes — the same exception written into SB 54 that allows local law enforcement’s cooperation, but not the initiation of contact, with ICE.
“I’ve not met one individual, one resident, that says they want criminal illegal immigrants. No one’s ever said that,” he said.
“But we are proud of our immigrant backgrounds. We’re proud of — even if they are here illegally — the work that they carry out.
“I’m not a believer in separating families,” he added, “creating a further burden when there was no burden to begin with.”
How does he think the city can improve transparency?
As a councilmember, Hinojosa said he would release quarterly updates on how he spent his council district budget.
He said his office would undertake that in addition to the transparency portal the city is creating in the wake of Fresnoland’s investigation into how city officials had handed out millions in contracts worth $100,000 or less with no public oversight.
Hinojosa also said he believes more of the city’s budget process should happen in the public eye.
Who are some of his top funders?
Hinojosa provided Fresnoland with a copy of his Form 460 detailing fundraising totals and itemized donations in 2026, which wasn’t available to view on the city’s campaign document portal as of May 4.
He has raised $2,323 as of mid-April, representing mostly contributions from family and friends, Hinojosa said. His largest contribution, $500, is from the City of Fresno’s Sustainability Manager, Anne Kloose.
Candidate: Naindeep Singh
Job: Executive Director of nonprofit Jakara Movement, Central Unified School District trustee
Age: 47
Residency: Born in Baltimore, moved to Fresno as toddler, returned to Fresno after college in 2016, has lived west of 99 for nearly a decade
Key Endorsements: Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, Fresno Unified Trustees Andy Levine and Susan Wittrup, Working Families Party
Singh said at an April 27 candidate forum that he’s running out of “deep angst and frustration” over how city leaders operate.
“For far too long, the decisions made by ruling classes in Fresno have never really been about the residents,” he said. “They’ve been about special interests. My hope is to just have a regular resident that’s on a mission to transform our community and to really put people first.”
What’s his position on the Southeast Development Area (SEDA)?
“There’s no way that I can support SEDA,” Singh said. “There’s no way this community supports SEDA.”
That’s especially true for him as a resident living west of 99, Singh added, where there’s space for the city to grow yet sorely lacking infrastructure.
“We have roads that are in atrocious conditions. We have sidewalks that are nonexistent. When it rains, as it did yesterday,” he said, alluding to severe storms on April 21, “we have students having to wade through a seeming river just to get to school.
“Why would we be interested in investing in a new part of town, when the conditions for the residents of today is subpar?”
It comes down to who the city wants to put first, he added: developers or residents.
“I think the mayor is missing the fundamental question that he owes the residents of Fresno,” he added, “of whose Fresno is he actually supporting? That of a few developers, or the residents that have built the city, created this city, love this city and want this city to thrive?”
What’s his strategy for increasing housing in the city?
Singh said infill development is his priority. That includes multiple forms, including apartments, condos and ADUs among homeowners who want to add them to their properties.
He also supports the recent expansion of ministerial approval for new development in office-zoned districts.
As for new houses, he’d like to see that development focused on the westside.
“We already have a growth area,” Singh said, “which is west of 99.”
Overall, he thinks the city council needs “the courage to follow their own rules, and not bow to the NIMBYs.”
What about affordable housing?
Singh reiterated that the city needs to increase housing stock for all income levels to deal with its overall supply issue.
“The market is only doing the high-end,” he said.
What are his priorities for tackling homelessness?
In addition to strengthening the city’s Eviction Protection Program, Singh said he wants to bring forward a bridge grant program so the city can help residents with one missed rent payment to prevent them from becoming homeless.
According to Singh’s campaign site, these would consist of payments of up to $1,500 “designed to keep people housed while protecting small landlords from unnecessary losses.”
Singh also said he’s hopeful that the use of CARE Courts will expand locally to help the unhoused who are suffering from mental illness and substance abuse disorders, though he acknowledged the county has much greater control over that.
How will he balance the needs of District 1’s many distinct neighborhoods?
Singh said his approach is “knowing that the expertise lies in the community and not pretending that I know things that I don’t.”
He’s hosting 17 meet-and-greets across the different neighborhoods of District 1 on the campaign trail, and said he wants to continue holding these kinds of meetings if elected.
“My desire on council is to create people’s budgets where the community directly gets to participate in choosing how infrastructure dollars are used,” he said, “how decisions are made, and my desire is to continue to be accountable to the residents of District 1 and little else.”
How can the city hold vacant property owners accountable and incentivize development?
Singh supports short-term lease subsidies and slashing red tape for entrepreneurs to fill vacant buildings, according to his campaign site.
Does he support the city’s Eviction Protection Program?
Yes. Singh wants to see the Eviction Protection Program strengthened with a larger, dedicated budget and greater outreach to make residents aware of it.
“Many District 1 residents share their frustration with questions around our houseless communities,” he said, “but one of the most important preventative things that we can do as a city is increase our eviction protection so that future generations and future people do not end up without houses.”
What’s his position on the city’s anti-camping ordinance?
Singh said it’s important for the city to address the issues created by encampments but without “imposing on people’s civil rights.”
“Everybody has rights in this city. No one should have more. No one should have less. That includes,” he said, “our homeless community.
“I have heard from both police officers as well as community members,” he added, “that there needs to be a lot more conversation about what’s appropriate.”
Which transportation tax plan does he support?
Singh supports the Better Roads and Safe Streets plan.
His organization, Jakara Movement, is part of the community coalition that helped conduct outreach to thousands of Fresno County residents to inform priorities for the Measure C successor plan.
“For No. 1, it is actually qualified, and I don’t even believe the second one really would qualify,” he said as to why he supports Better Roads and Safe Streets.
“No. 2, I, firsthand, witnessed the amount of support, community involvement, community engagement and the number of people that participated when they were gathering their information.
“No. 3,” he added, “I currently serve as a school board member, who has, firsthand, seen when you don’t have adequate sidewalks, proper roads, that even get to schools, and it is this measure that puts schools first.”
What transportation investments does he want to see for District 1?
After hearing repeated concerns from District 1 residents, Singh said he’s going to advocate for talking with residents first before installing bike lanes on a residential road.
“Make sure that they’re actually in the appropriate places,” he said, so that we’re not making top-down decisions.
“West of 99,” he added, “it’s actually just having roads, period. The conditions of the roads are so bad compared to the rest of the city — and I’m talking within the city, not in the county spaces.”
How does he think the city can grow high-wage jobs?
As a councilmember, Singh said he would bring forward a “Fresno First” procurement policy to ensure millions in dollars of city contracts that go out each year go primarily to local businesses.
“The City of Fresno gives some points already during its bidding process to Fresno-based companies when pursuing city contracts,” he said. “I think we need to lean into that much, much more.”
On his campaign site, Singh also outlines plans to build a “Youth Green Ambassador Corps” for District 1 high school and college students, which would hire students to work on city projects like “climate-resilient landscaping” and “data-driven tech solutions at City Hall.”
Singh said he wants to emphasize support for small businesses and entrepreneurs rather than luring companies from out of town to set up shop in Fresno.
“If we invested in industries and most important(ly) people that we have here, we are going to be able to develop higher-paying jobs, more small businesses and different types of industries. The city has always bet on attracting someone here, and has never bet on the people that actually live here. And I think that needs to change.”
How does he think the city can better handle air quality challenges for residents near industrial areas?
Singh said the city needs to be a “real facilitator” of conversations between businesses and residents and to “not just do any one group’s bidding.”
What’s his approach to improving public safety?
Singh said he’d advocate for the police department to prioritize neighborhood beat patrols.
“I think people want to see folks walking Tower, and not just during a period of time or during a particular event,” he said. “I think that would actually increase feelings of public safety.”
When asked whether that would come from shifting priorities in the department as is or adding police, Singh said the city has “already allotted budgets to this.”
“I think it’s just making sure that we’re fully implementing all the promises we’ve already made,” he said, “to both our police and our residents.”
Singh also emphasized that even while public safety concerns for residents continue, rates of major crimes such as homicide have also reached historic lows in the city recently, mirroring national trends.
Does he support SB 54, the state’s sanctuary laws preventing local law enforcement from initiating contact with ICE?
“Yes,” Singh said. “I believe that local law enforcement’s primary role is to secure the safety of the residents of Fresno, and immigration officers have other roles.”
On Singh’s campaign website, he said he also wants to bring forward a sanctuary city policy for Fresno that “ends local cooperation with ICE and makes it clear: our city will not help separate families.”
How does he think the city can improve transparency?
Building trust with constituents is less about providing opportunities for residents to share their thoughts, Singh said, and more about councilmembers “voting the way that you’re promising community you’re going to vote.”
“I think trust is broken, not because there aren’t places to talk,” he said. “I think it’s (that) most residents know that the decisions made at city council are to the benefit of a few insiders at their direct expense.”
The city’s secret budget meetings, he added, illustrate why there’s such a breakdown in trust.
“Budgetary decisions, which should be the most transparent, the most open and the most full of community engagement,” he said, “are happening behind closed doors.”
What endorsements has he received?
- Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria
- Fresno Unified Trustee Andy Levine
- Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup
- Central Unified Trustee Jaspreet Sidhu
- Working Families Party
- UFCW 8
Who are some of his top funders?
Singh has amassed the largest total campaign contributions in this race at $197,407, according to campaign contribution filings between from the beginning of 2025 through mid-April 2026.
He’s received a number of small donations from individuals, plus large donations from physicians, attorneys and business owners in Fresno County and other parts of the state, as well as in New Jersey.
Donations to his campaign at or above $5,000 include:
- $5,900 from Southern California-based attorney Jasdeep Atwal
- $5,900 from Madera-based civil rights attorney Pawanpreet Dhaliwal
- $5,900 from Kaiser physician Simren Claire, based in Livingston
- $5,500 from Selma business owner Harry Gill
- $5,500 from Fresno social worker Amandeep K Dhillon
- $5,500 from the Chann Family Limited Partnership in Madera
- $5,500 from Fresno physician Ujagger Dhillon
- $5,500 from Bains Law Offices in Fresno
- $5,500 from Fresno physician Asha Pritpal Sidhu
- $5,500 from Modern Medicine, Inc. in Clovis
- $5,000 from Diesel Fuel Stop Inc. in Clovis
