FRESNO, Calif – To Fresno civil rights attorney Kevin Little, apologies from the mayor and police chief aren’t enough.
Little, on Monday, called for an independent investigation into why his client, Fresno City Council candidate for District 1 Naindeep Singh, was cited by police days before the Nov. 3 election.
Little said he wants to know how that news was leaked to the local media.
“We demand a thorough and independent investigation,” Little said at a press conference while flanked by Singh and backed by Singh’s supporters. “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.”
Little said he has asked for the state Attorney General’s Office to investigate.
Singh was pulled over by police on the night of Oct. 24 in Fresno’s Tower District for having expired registration tags on his car, according to Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto.
Singh was then cited for driving under the influence of a drug after failing six of eight field sobriety tests, Casto said.
However, two urine tests – one commissioned by Singh and the second expedited the request of Fresno police – showed no traces of drugs or alcohol in his system.
Singh was cleared of all charges Oct. 27 and received public apologies from both Casto and Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.
The following day, however, District 1 residents received a mailer showing an AI-generated image of Singh taking a sobriety test and accusing him for driving under the influence of drugs.
“The allegations against me have been devastating to my family, to my community, and an attack on my character,” Singh said. “And damages done by false accusations are not easily undone.”
News of Singh’s weekend citation by police was quickly circulated by local media. In one initial report, Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz was quoted saying Singh got pulled over for swerving and having expired tags on his car.
Because the City Attorney’s office normally doesn’t have oversight over criminal arrests, Janz’ comments raised eyebrows of Singh’s supporters and other public officials.
One of them, Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias, called for an independent investigation into the incident. He specifically called into question any City Attorney’s Office contracts with Alex Tavlian, a political strategist 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 quickly turned the tables against Arias by calling for an investigation into the termed-out council member for interference with his office and potential Brown Act violations.
In his press conference, Little did not accuse Janz of any wrongdoing. Rather, he questioned Janz’s role in helping publicize the circumstances of Singh’s arrest.
“The issue is not only was it reported, but how?” Little asked. “How did it reach the media so quickly and so one-sidedly? And why was it disseminated to the public so rapidly without what we believe was appropriate hesitation and fact finding?”
Hours after the press conference, Fresno police and the City Attorney's Office announced 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 mailer indicated it was paid for by Fresno Healthy Communities, a political action committee whose name closely resembles that of a local nonprofit named Fresno Building Healthy Communities.
Fresno Healthy Communities is entirely funded by Central Valley Council, according to campaign finance reports. Central Valley Council lists Tavlian as its principal officer.
Fresno Healthy Communities attempted to retract the mailer in a statement sent to local media.
