FRESNO, Calif. – Progressives are leading in all three Fresno City Council races following the latest election night results. Two are winning by fairly sizable margins, and one very slim.
Ariana Martinez Lott and Joaquin Arambula appear headed to victories in their respective contests, while Naindeep Singh eked out a 16-vote edge after trailing Rob Fuentes for most of Tuesday evening.
Martinez Lott, a community organizer, has 57.7% of the vote in District 7, which represents east-central Fresno and parts of southeast Fresno, compared to 43.3% for attorney Nav Gurm.
In District 3, which spans much of southwest and south Fresno including downtown, state Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula leads Fresno Unified Trustee Keisha Thomas 54.2% to 45.8%.
The tightest race is in District 1, which extends across west-central Fresno including west of Highway 99. Central Unified School District Trustee Naindeep Singh leads former federal prosecutor Rob Fuentes by 16 votes, which equates to 50.1% to 49.9%.
Fuentes led throughout Tuesday night, until Singh surged into the lead following the latest count just before midnight.
In the District 1 race in particular, all eyes will be on the next expected update from the Fresno County elections office Thursday evening.
Neither Martinez Lott, nor Arambula have declared victory despite their relatively comfortable margins. Gurm, who challenged Martinez Lott, conceded the race on Wednesday morning.
Singh’s name was in the news over the past two weeks after being cleared by Fresno police following a DUI arrest on the evening of Oct. 24. An expedited test came up negative for drugs and alcohol.
Singh’s attorney, Kevin Little, later called for an independent investigation into why Singh was cited and how the news was disseminated by city officials.
Incumbents Miguel Arias from District 3 and Nelson Esparza from District 7 were termed out, but both enjoyed apparent election night victories of their own.
So did District 1 representative Annalisa Perea, the apparent winner in her race for the California State Assembly in District 31.
Esparza appears headed to the State Board of Equalization, while Arias holds a commanding lead to become a Fresno Unified School District Trustee.
The reconfigured Fresno City Council could clash with Mayor Jerry Dyer’s agenda during his final two years in office – especially if Singh’s lead holds.
For example, Martinez Lott, Arambula and Singh are all squarely opposed to Dyer’s plan to add 9,000 acres and an estimated 45,000 homes in the Southeast Development Area (SEDA).
Current District 5 council member Brandon Vang is also against SEDA, which could constitute a majority on the seven-member council.
