Four candidates are running to represent southeast Fresno on the city council. Known by Fresno City Hall as District 5, the seat represents a giant swath of Fresno south of the 180 freeway and east of Highway 41.
The race is composed of one incumbent, a sitting community college trustee, a recent retiree and a salesman. Most of them oppose the current SEDA plan. They all think southeast Fresno needs economic development and more jobs. Only two candidates outlined clear and specific policy proposals addressing issues impacting the district.
Southeast Fresno is at a crossroads, especially with controversy over Mayor Jerry Dyer’s SEDA plan. Of equal importance is the Central Southeast Specific Plan, which impacts the very same district the four candidates are running to represent.
A candidate can win the District 5 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 in the November election.
Read more about where the candidates — ordered alphabetically by last name — stand on these issues below.
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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 5 Fresno City Council primary election?
Candidate: Jose Leon-Barraza
Job: Retired, former director of Fresno County’s Economic Development Department; current member of the Fresno PRAC Commission
Age: 76
Residency: Lived in southeast Fresno for more than 50 years
Jose Leon-Barraza is a longtime southeast Fresno resident. He spent years in charge of Fresno County’s Economic Development Department. He also used to run the Southeast Fresno Community Economic Development Association.
Leon-Barraza said he’s already made a difference in southeast Fresno even without being a sitting elected. For years, he and others pushed city leaders to come through on a promise to establish a regional sports complex in southeast Fresno.
Just last year, he noticed that southeast Fresno businesses were left out of the city’s facade improvement grants program. He pushed for eight businesses to get up to $25,000 to update their storefronts, which he said came together after speaking with Mayor Jerry Dyer.
What are his policy plans?
Leon-Barraza said his economic development background would come in handy if elected. He said it would make a difference in how he’d represent and advocate for southeast Fresno.
He said the City of Fresno could be actively addressing vacant properties across southeast Fresno by encouraging public agencies or local districts to acquire or rent them. Leon-Barraza said he wants to know if the city’s economic development department has checked that box.
“They should be doing outreach, so at least exhaust those possibilities,” Leon-Barraza said. “But Mr. Vang says that they are owned by the private sector and that the city cannot influence. That’s not true.”
What’s his position on SEDA?
Leon-Barraza said he does not support SEDA as it currently stands. He said that if the plan built in some kind of mechanism that would ensure continued and new investment in existing parts of southeast Fresno, he may support the project — but that’s not something it currently includes.
“I told the mayor that the ingredient that’s missing in the implementation of SEDA is that they have forgotten about the needs of the other parts of southeast Fresno, where we have pockets of poverty,” Leon-Barraza said.
He said city leaders need to still identify funding requirements, and ensure that taxpayers are not going to foot the cost of infrastructure for SEDA — which is projected to be in the billions.
“Demonstrate to us that resources that should go to District 5 are not going to be taken out of our neighborhoods and go to a new development that’s going to (increase) the need for fire stations, police stations, infrastructure, sewer lines, water lines, libraries, schools.”
Leon-Barraza also noted his disappointment that the Stop SEDA coalition didn’t channel its efforts into pushing for the adoption of the Central Southeast Specific Plan. He said the plan has been stalled and blamed incumbent Brandon Vang for where it’s at right now — even though Vang fought hard for the plan to be approved. It was tabled in a close 4-3 vote back in February.
However, when asked whether the Elm Rezone has anything to do with the specific plan being stalled (a lawsuit has since been filed against the City of Fresno over the matter), Leon-Barraza acknowledged that industrial developers pressuring the city to tie the zoning issue to the specific plan had a major impact on its current status.
Still, Leon-Barraza criticized Vang for not being “capable of influencing his colleagues.”
He added that Vang should have tried to create more pressure on the Fresno City Council to approve the Central Southeast Specific Plan by urging local unions and organized labor to get involved in the simmering political fight.
“Mr. Vang could have asked the unions to help him put pressure on the politicians, the councilmembers,” Leon-Barraza said, questioning why city leaders didn’t try to build a larger coalition of pressure to make sure central and southeast Fresno got the regional plan they deserve.
“You know what’s interesting? I’m probably the first person to raise that point.”
When asked if he’d be able to do what he thinks Vang should’ve done, Leon-Barraza said he could.
“When you are an incumbent, you have a lot more leverage,” he said.
Which transportation tax measure does he support?
Leon-Barraza said he supports the Better Roads Safe Streets sales tax initiative for transportation infrastructure improvements over the next several decades.
What’s his position on homelessness in Fresno?
Leon-Barraza said he supports the city and the Fresno Police Department continuing to ticket and arrest unhoused people for camping in public.
He said Fresno County should up the number of shelter beds they fund for unhoused people. But he said the more serious issue is that he doesn’t think the city or county are doing enough to prevent homelessness in the first place.
“We’re just dealing with the conditions as we see them now and no prevention mechanisms,” Leon-Barraza said. “I have interacted with people that are having a hell of a time finding employment, and those in my mind are candidates to become homeless if we don’t give them the right assistance.”
When asked what solutions he had in mind for homelessness prevention, Leon-Barraza’s main idea was that the City of Fresno needs to begin providing workforce development for people at risk of losing their housing or jobs. He said providing training so that people work on their “soft skills” would help prevent homelessness.
What’s his position on the Eviction Protection Program?
Leon-Barraza initially said he’s not supportive of the Eviction Protection Program, but after learning that the program only helps people facing illegal evictions — following a detailed intake process that makes that determination — he changed his answer.
Leon-Barraza said that as long as there’s an intake process that identifies whether illegal evictions are taking place, the City of Fresno should keep the program funded.
What’s his position on housing?
Leon-Barraza said the way to increase Fresno’s housing stock comes down to getting more federal funding. However, the Trump Administration is going in the opposite direction, cutting funding to local government during his second term in office.
The City of Fresno has sued the federal government twice over that.
Leon-Barraza also said he strongly supports the City of Fresno putting more of an effort to help prospective homebuyers afford a home through a Down Payment Assistance Program.
“Rental housing is important, but also we should promote more home ownership,” Leon-Barraza said.
What’s his position on ministerial zoning?
Leon-Barraza said neighbors should always have a say in what goes in their neighborhoods. He does not want them to be taken out of the approval process.
“I am a strong believer that the neighbors to a site should have a say on what goes into their neighborhood,” Leon-Barraza said.
What’s his position on rent control?
Leon-Barraza is not supportive of rent control. He said safety net programs like the federal Housing Choice Voucher program, formerly known as Section 8, is enough to help renters.
He added that rent control is too one-sided and could leave investors vulnerable.
“The possible damage that rent control could cause is that it may discourage investors from wanting to build more affordable housing because they are being controlled on how much they would charge on rent,” Leon-Barraza said.
How would he bring high-wage jobs to Fresno?
Leon-Barraza didn’t have any clear ideas for how to specifically increase the number of high-wage jobs in Fresno.
However, he said he would ensure the city’s Economic Development Department is more assertive in reaching out to current businesses. He also said the process to obtain business permits needs to be expedited.
If that happened, he said that would lead to more jobs in Fresno.
“Business retention is also very important,” Leon-Barraza said, “and our economic development unit should spend more time visiting our existing businesses before they decide to leave our city.”
What’s his position on public safety?
Leon-Barraza said the city should provide grants to businesses to help them purchase surveillance equipment.
“That’s an example of what the city could do for small businesses,” Leon-Barraza said.
What’s his position on Fresno’s budget transparency?
Leon-Barraza said he wants to see the City of Fresno’s budget negotiations open to the public, so all can observe. Today, it remains something done in private.
As a sitting member of the PRAC Commission, he said he was disappointed that in years past, its Cultural Arts Subcommittee was an ad-hoc committee that convened in private. He said he is supportive of public pressure to make it open to the public.
“I felt that that committee should be a standing committee,” Leon-Barraza said.
Endorsements
Community leaders:
Eddie Valero, Tulare County Supervisor
John Leal, former Trustee of the State Center Community College District
Venancio Gaona, Latino Educational Issues Roundtable
Members of Association of Mexican American Educators
Melinda Salcido, Grammy Award Winner Artist
Humberto Campos, Hispanic Soccer League
Alfredo Guzman, Fuego Professional Soccer
Dr Esmeralda Diaz, Organización Las Panchas
Pedro Navarro, Community Advocate
Business owners:
Manuel Morales, El Paso Furniture
Margarita Higareda, Maggie’s Candies
Jose Valadez, Country Fare Cafe
Eddie Naranjo, Pro Smog Check
Neighborhood groups:
Sunnyside/IRS Building Neighborhood Group
Roosevelt High School Alumni
Calwa Neighborhood Group
Friends of Southeast Fresno
Neighbors:
Janice & Russell Kramer
Dr. Nellie Neri
Rubén Elias
Rose Caglia
Silvia & Ralph Salcido
Bob Bethel
Henry Salazar
Ivan Dorantes
Silvestre Arias
Jose Angel Navarrete
Candidate: Danielle Parra
Job: Trustee at State Center Community College District, Vice President of Communications at Vista Consulting
Age: 27
Residency: Grew up in Fowler, moved into District 5 about five months ago
A little about the candidate:
Danielle Parra comes from a working-class family. Her father is longtime Fowler city Councilmember Daniel Parra.
“The life of serving the public is not new to me,” Parra said. “I’ve been so grateful to be a part of his journey since 2006.”
Parra said she went to grade school in Reedley, and later in Fresno. She got her bachelor’s degree in public relations at Fresno State and got a masters degree in public administration at San Diego State through an online program.
She was elected to the State Center Community College District in 2020.
On her accomplishments so far and future policies:
When asked about her biggest accomplishments after more than five years as an SCCCD trustee, she first mentioned the districtwide project labor agreement she and her fellow trustees are putting in place.
However, she acknowledged it isn’t complete and is still “in the first phase of negotiations.”
“Being able to put something in place like this,” Parra said, “where we’re creating apprenticeship opportunities for working class families, for students wanting to get into the trades, while having an opportunity to get college credit and finish their associates at the same time is going to be a huge milestone for us. I’m really looking forward to that.”
What’s her position on SEDA?:
When asked whether she supports the current SEDA proposal as it stands today, Parra initially declined to take a stance on the matter.
However, she later clarified that she does not support the current version of SEDA that the Fresno City Council tabled in December.
But Parra sees a lot of positives in SEDA. She said Fresno needs to grow and there aren’t many places to do that other than in southeast and southwest Fresno.
“I do think that it (SEDA) would bring amenities to the community that are not existing nearby,” Parra said.
When asked about how the city should cover the several-billion-dollar projection just for infrastructure costs, she said it shouldn’t come out of the city’s general fund, and it shouldn’t come from taxpayers either.
“I think it should be funded through the proper development fees,” Parra said.
But when asked what percentage of those infrastructure costs should be covered by developers or through development fees, Parra didn’t have an answer.
“I don’t have a percentage to give you,” Parra said. “I don’t want to say something that’s astronomical.”
Parra also said she doesn’t want to pit neighborhoods against each other competing for the same resources. However, when asked how she would ensure that, she didn’t have an answer.
When asked whether she could think of other revenue sources to pay for SEDA, she said she didn’t have an answer for that either.
She also said she thinks the public does not have the right information about SEDA.
“I’ve been canvassing and walking,” Parra said. “I have had a few people address it and there’s some misconceptions. They’re like, ‘We don’t need SEDA, we need increased transportation on Kings Canyon.’ And I’m like, yes, we do. These are two different funding pods to two different things, and it’s hard to educate the public on that.”
How would she bring high wage jobs to Fresno?
Parra said Fresno needs jobs, and that means finding the right employers and companies to attract to Fresno. That means Fresno needs more industry, Parra said.
“When you increase our industrial investments, that’s when more jobs come in,” Parra said.
She said it would be smart to attract manufacturing and automotive industries to Fresno, but specifically companies that are going to stick around in the future.
“I don’t have any specific companies, but I think companies based in manufacturing and production would be best,” Parra said. “This is where a skilled workforce is being built — so having manufacturing or production companies.”
Which transportation tax does she support?
When asked which of the two transportation sales tax initiatives she supports, Parra said she couldn’t say.
“Now between the two, I don’t quite have a stance on it yet because I don’t know if they’re both going to the ballot,” Parra said. “We’ve seen one get all the signatures. We’ve seen one not there yet.”
However, both proposals’ details have been available to the public for months, including the specific split between what percentage of sales tax revenue would go towards roads compared to transit and other uses.
Parra didn’t know the percentage splits for either proposal. When asked which of the two proposals would benefit District 5 more, she did not have an answer.
“I still can’t quite take a stance,” Parra said, once again saying she needed to know if either would be on the ballot in order to decide where her support goes.
However, when asked what transportation projects she’d like to see take shape in District 5, she said she wants to increase public transportation and bus routes. Only one of the proposals puts money toward public transit.
What’s her position on homelessness?
Parra said Fresno is not getting the fair amount of money that it should be getting from the state to address homelessness.
“The issue comes down to funding, and we do all we can do here in the city and the county,” Parra said. “Our housing department, our nonprofits — I mean nonprofits are severely just underfunded in general.”
She also said she’s supportive of the city’s treatment first program for unhoused people, even though a year and a half later, the program doesn’t have a single success metric that city officials want to talk about.
“Being unhoused shouldn’t be a crime,” Parra said. “They shouldn’t be arrested. I think the ones being arrested are bad actors. We need to look into that.”
She said that she supports the treatment first program continuing at the City of Fresno.
What’s her position on the Eviction Protection Program?
Parra said she supports the Eviction Protection Program.
“I think it’s a resource being used for tenants. Not everyone understands law or what they’re doing in these scenarios,” Parra said. “So to have the city support on that I think is very beneficial to tenants.”
What’s her position on housing?
Parra emphasized the need for more single-family housing in Fresno.
“I mean homes now start at almost half a million (dollars),” Parra said. “By investing in more single-family homes, that number could get stabilized and it wouldn’t be as high.”
When asked how she would try to increase housing in Fresno, she said SEDA would provide that for the City of Fresno.
“There’s only so much land we have, right?” Parra said. She mention of infill developments.
What’s her position on rent control?
Parra said she does not support rent control for Fresno.
“If you enforce something like rent control, those investments (from landlords) aren’t made, maybe on time or in the same manner, to the same extent,” Parra said. “It’s reasons like that why I don’t support it.”
What’s her position on the transparency of Fresno’s budget process?
Parra said the city’s budget negotiation process should be public.
“Whether it’s funding for a park, funding for street lights or sidewalks or whatever it is, these are things you’re bringing as a councilmember forward on behalf of the residents,” Parra said. “So I think that they should be able to see why or why not it’s being funded.”
She added that knowing where tax dollars are going increases trust.
“When you have a budget, it’s the people’s budget, right?”
Endorsements
Fresno Chamber of Commerce
Fresno Democratic Party
Central Labor Council
National Women’s Political Caucus
Latinas Lead
Plan Parenthood Mar Monte
FMTK Building Trades Council
Operating Engineers Local 3
Plumbers and Pipefitters UA 246
Painters Local 294
IBEW Local 100
Sheet Metal Workers Local 104.
Fresno City Councilmember Tyler Maxwell
Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez.
Candidate: Brandon Vang
Job: Fresno city councilmember representing District 5, elected in the March 2025 special city council election
Age: 54
Residency: Has lived in the same southeast Fresno home for 17 years.
A little about the candidate
Brandon Vang isn’t coming in with the typical amount of experience a normal incumbent would have. He’s so far served just over a year on the Fresno City Council ever since he won the 2025 special election for the District 5 city council seat outright, with 50.19% of the vote.
Prior to that, he spent nine years on the Sanger Unified school board. He and his family first came to Fresno many decades ago as Hmong refugees in the 1970s during the CIA-led Secret War in Laos.
Vang is a graduate of McClane High School.
On his accomplishments so far, and future policy proposals
Vang said he has only been in office for just over a year, and therefore, hasn’t yet been able to create the kind of change he wants to.
He said he understands the needs in southeast Fresno, describing them as improved infrastructure and economic development. Vang said even two full terms on the city council isn’t going to dramatically change the reality of southeast Fresno.
However, he said he still wants to make a difference if re-elected, this time for a full four-year term on the council. One way to make a difference would be bringing economic development to southeast Fresno, specifically the Kings Canyon Corridor.
“If we can bring economic viability to that area, to southeast Fresno, imagine the pride that the business owners and the patrons will have,” Vang said.
City leaders have tried to incentivize new businesses to open up along the Kings Canyon Corridor, but it had very minimal results as recently as 2023.
Yet Vang said he still wants to try his hand at rolling out incentives to see if there’s still a way to attract new businesses to that street. That includes an idea to offer facade improvement grants to local businesses there.
“Attracting is great but at the same time, helping these establishments to be successful in the long term,” Vang said.
He added that he’s already set his sights to improving both road quality and green space in and near the corridor’s several miles. Vang also said the city should directly help small businesses with the cost of adjusting to yet another street name change, this time back to Ventura, Kings Canyon and California.
However, he clarified that would be more of a hope, and not a certain proposal on his end at the moment. He explained that the funds at the City of Fresno are scarce, since it’s currently in a budget deficit.
Right now, the City of Fresno is not in a budget deficit. The Fresno City Charter actually requires the city’s mayor to prepare a balanced budget every year. It also requires the Fresno City Council to approve a balanced budget every year, too.
However, in the weeks leading up to the annual June budget process, Mayor Jerry Dyer, especially in recent years, emphasizes a projected budget deficit that he says impacts which programs get funded. However, at the end of each of those strenuous budget processes, he and the city council have consistently ended up with a balanced budget after making a number of cuts.
What’s his position on SEDA?
Vang is against SEDA as it currently stands today.
He said he’s had countless opportunities to speak directly with voters while campaigning both this year, and last year.
“SEDA is going to impact the people who live in District 5 the most,” Vang said. “And so I have a duty to listen to my constituents and see what their thoughts are on SEDA.”
He emphasized that the vast majority of District 5 residents are against SEDA. He said he agrees with the many concerns over SEDA, including its staggeringly expensive infrastructure costs.
“It’s still unknown whether it’s going to be the city that’s going to foot the bill or is it new residents who are going to foot the bill?” Vang said.
When asked if he would support a South SEDA alternative, instead of the entire SEDA proposal, he noted that the definition of SEDA — as it’s currently defined before the city’s Planning and Development Department — would need to change.
“There’s a lot of ifs in there, but the initial step is, you know, listening to the constituents,” Vang said.
He added that there’s a lot of opportunity for infill development in District 5, and he wants to see that take shape.
“I want to ensure that we grow smart, and that we don’t grow in the dark,” Vang said. “Meaning that we take input of the people and listen to them.”
How would he bring high wage jobs to Fresno?
Vang said the cost of living in Fresno has skyrocketed, and that means Fresno needs high-wage jobs.
“I think the city has to think outside of the box,” Vang said.
However, Vang does not currently have any specific plans for how to make that happen. His best idea at the moment is to collaborate with the city’s Economic Development Department to identify companies and employers they could attract to Fresno.
Vang said Fresno has a reputation of not being a business-friendly city, and said that needs to be changed first.
What’s his position on transportation?
Vang said Fresno needs a Measure C tax renewal or a sales tax that generates revenue for the Fresno region’s transportation infrastructure needs.
He declined to take a clear position on which of the two competing proposals he supports and said he would need to do more research into them.
“I don’t have details on the other one — the county(‘s),” Vang said. “I don’t know if there are going to even be two on the ballot in November.”
What’s his position on homelessness?
Vang said he has visited Fresno’s homeless shelters, and said that if anyone has solutions to homelessness, he’s ready to listen and understand them.
“But so far, I haven’t had any better ideas than what the city is doing,” Vang said.
He added that there are enough homeless shelters in Fresno, and the city needs to continue supporting them.
“In the next couple of years, we’re going to go back to the pre-covid funding from the federal government,” Vang said. “But the reality is, we have enough as of today to operate and to serve that community.”
What’s his position on the Eviction Protection Program?
Vang said he’s wary of how many people are being squeezed out of the rental market in Fresno.
He said the Eviction Protection Program ensures everyone plays by the same rules.
“I am in favor of the Eviction Protection Program,” Vang said, “and I hope that there will be money for this upcoming fiscal year to continue that program.”
What’s his position on housing?
Although Vang voted for ministerial zoning in the City of Fresno, he shared some reasons why he’s cautious about it.
He said Fresno needs more than just ministerial zoning, which fast tracks turning office space into housing by bypassing city council approval. He also said it will take decades for the city to overcome the housing shortage it’s currently experiencing.
“It sounds like a great idea, that we can increase the number of units, but again, oversight — it’s taken away from councilmembers,” Vang said. He then claimed that ministerial zoning could defeat “the purpose of the Eviction Protection Program.”
“What if that comes into play and then landlords take advantage of renters?” Vang asked. “Again, I understand that people are putting a lot of ideas into increasing their housing capacity, but sometimes we have to look at it to see — is it in the best interest, not only in the city, but also the residents who are going to move into these units?”
What’s his position on rent control?
Vang said he hasn’t heard anything from residents calling for rent control in Fresno.
While he acknowledged the cost to rent in Fresno has increased ever since the pandemic began, he said rent control isn’t the best solution.
“I feel that it’s hard to make an argument for rent control — will the system work itself out?” Vang asked. “This is a subject matter that has not even (been) brought up to my attention in an in-depth level.”
He said he has been canvassing residents in District 5 two years in a row, and hasn’t heard a single resident bring up rent control to him.
How does he feel about the transparency of Fresno’s budget process?
Vang said he wouldn’t comment on any litigation against the City of Fresno, referring to an ACLU lawsuit against the City of Fresno over its budget process. In it, the plaintiffs argued that the City of Fresno was in violation of state law for convening a private budget committee annually for at least five years.
On May 4, Fresno County Superior Court Judge Robert Whalen ruled that the City of Fresno’s private budget committee violated California law.
Vang also did not directly answer a question about whether he would support a city budget negotiation process that is open for the public to observe.
Endorsements
Fresno City Employees Association
Central Labor Council
Senator Anna Caballero
Fresno Teachers Association
Fresno City Firefighters Local 202
IUOE Stationary Engineers Local 39
Clovis Mayor Vong Mouanoutoua
Marcy Masumoto, Fresno County Board of Ed
North Coast States Carpenters Union
Ismael Hernandez, Sanger School Board
Tang Yang, Sanger School Board
Naindeep Singh, Central School Board
Fresno Bee Editorial Board
Candidate: Nickolas Wildstar
Job: Salesman for Pacific Prime Foods
Age: 44
Residency: Fresno resident for six years, has lived in southeast Fresno since 2024.
A little about the candidate:
Nickolas Wildstar grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He moved to California in 1999, settling in Orange County. He ended up moving to Fresno in 2019 and ran for Fresno mayor soon after. Following his unsuccessful bid, he ran for Fresno City Council to represent District 3 in 2022, which was also unsuccessful.
He has a long history of other political campaigns, too. He ran for California governor in 2014. In 2018, he ran again for the statewide office, this time as the libertarian nominee for governor, Wildstar said. He also ran in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election. He also previously ran for Fullerton City Council in 2018.
While he doesn’t have the fundraising numbers that other candidates have posted, he said he still thinks he has a chance as long as his name is listed next to the other candidates on the ballot.
“My focus has always been as long as I can get my name on the ballot and next to those guys, I have a chance of winning,” Wildstar said.
Wildstar said he was always interested and involved in politics. He said he supported Barack Obama for president in the 2008 election. But he was shocked to see how Obama bailed out banks early in his term.
“I was completely disenfranchised at that point, and I started shopping around for different political ideals that I aligned with,” Wildstar said.
That’s when he discovered libertarianism.
Future policy proposals
Wildstar said he wants to declare the City of Fresno a constitutional sanctuary. He said people’s constitutional rights are at risk, especially under the current president administration.
He also said he wants to address Fresno’s housing crisis by establishing a manufacturing center for 3D printed homes. He said it would not only increase housing stock but also increase local jobs.
Wildstar also said he wants to institute a sales tax suspension. He said that in the context of local scandals involving money — including $15 million unaccounted for at Fresno EOC, $1.86 million embezzled from the Fresno Arts Council and no oversight over millions in contracts worth $100,000 or less at the City of Fresno.
“With all of the scandals going on and the different ways that our tax dollars have been squandered, there’s excessive spending,” Wildstar said. “So there needs to be a reduction in spending first, in order to account for all of these tax dollars that are going towards these programs.”
Instead of sales taxes, Wildstar said the city needs public-private partnerships. He referenced how Dominos has a program that fills potholes in cities across the country in exchange for slapping their logo on the ground.
However, that program isn’t around anymore, and was more of a marketing campaign than a sustained effort to address road infrastructure issues across the country.
What’s his position onSEDA?
Wildstar said he is against SEDA.
“It’s too big, too fast,” Wildstar said. “And we’ve seen that happen before in Fresno, where they’re too enthusiastic about having an infrastructure development being completed. But there are many others that haven’t been completed beforehand and that are unfinished. So finish what you started first before moving on starting something new.”
He said there’s plenty of street and parks projects in west Fresno that still need to be completed.
How would he bring high wage jobs to Fresno?
Wildstar said his proposal to bring a manufacturing facility for 3D printing homes would heavily impact Fresno’s economy.
“It brings well-paying jobs to Fresno, because that’s going to, like I said, provide new technological training to those people to where now that’s going to increase their own wage,” Wildstar said. “No matter where they came from, whatever they’ve worked before, now they can learn this new skill and increase their income.”
Wildstar also said there’s no need for the government to dictate a minimum wage.
“Setting the standard for a minimum wage in California is hurting more businesses, and it’s hurt the consumer,” Wildstar said.
What’s his position on transportation?
Wildstar said he wants Measure C to sunset, and he does not support any of the current proposals to renew it.
“Another tax increase for the people who live in the city — and with them struggling already to pay for gas, pay for food, pay for housing, just to afford the cost of living in general, I don’t think another tax increase is going to help them with affordability,” Wildstar said.
He said the City of Fresno needs more public-private partnerships that pay for transportation improvements, like increasing bus lines.
“I think localized transportation could definitely be explored more,” Wildstar said. “It’s not right now. I would be the candidate that would be bringing that proposal to the table.”
What’s his position on homelessness?
Wildstar’s best idea for shortfalls in funding for homeless shelters is to turn to the community for public support.
However, he said people need to see results, and giving so much government money to local nonprofits is not necessarily the answer. He said his proposal for building 3D printed homes could even add to Fresno’s homeless shelter bed capacity.
Wildstar also said he is against the city and the Fresno Police Department ticketing or arresting unhoused people for camping in public. He said money used to either jail or police unhoused people is a waste, when those same funds could be used to help them.
“I don’t think people should be criminalized for being in a position that they have no control over, especially a situation like homelessness,” Wildstar said, “because that’s something that a lot of people could end up having to experience themselves.”
What’s his position on the Eviction Protection Program?
Wildstar is supportive of the Eviction Protection Program.
“I think people should definitely be prevented from having to suffer from an illegal eviction,” Wildstar said.
What’s his position on housing?
Wildstar said he wants to bring about a manufacturing facility in Fresno that builds 3D printed homes.
“It’s cheaper,” Wildstar said. “Some of these models, 3D home models, are about $10,000 just to build a one bedroom, one bathroom house. So I think that could definitely reduce the amount of cost for people that are seeking to buy a home or to rent a home.”
He said it will bring jobs to Fresno and address the housing shortage in Fresno, along with perhaps providing shelter to unhoused people.
“My goal, like I said, is to build that manufacturing facility in Fresno that’ll create jobs, that’ll create revenue,” Wildstar said. “Because not only would we be able to provide those homes to the homeless, but we also would be able to sell those to people that are looking to buy a home.”
Wildstar referenced how 3D printed homes have already been successful in Rancho Mirage, California, and in the Bay Area.
“The technology already exists,” Wildstar said. “And like I said, if people look into it, they’ll see the benefits of it, about the build times, about the costs involved, about the shift to using reusable materials for building versus ones that end up in our landfill and polluting areas.”
Wildstar also said he supports ministerial zoning in Fresno, especially because it circumvents bureaucracy.
“If we can improve those areas, then I definitely am supportive of a developer being able to go ahead and provide those resources to the community,” Wildstar said. “More quickly and more readily available.”
What does he think of the transparency of Fresno’s budget process?
Wildstar said he’d support making the City of Fresno’s budget negotiation process open to the public.
“You can expect me to be advocating for such a thing,” Wildstar said.
Endorsements:
Wildstar referenced his CrowdBlue page when asked about his endorsements. Ss far, he has raised $513 from 27 different people.
