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City of Firebaugh · Statewide General Election

Firebaugh City Council

Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.

This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.

On the ballot

This person would hold one of two City Council seats up this cycle in Firebaugh, a Fresno County farming city of about 8,100 residents on the San Joaquin River's west bank: city ordinances, the budget, and land use. Firebaugh's Mayor, Freddy Valdez, is elected separately and is not up this cycle; this dataset could not confirm whether the Mayor's office is directly elected or assigned by the Council from among its own members, or Firebaugh's total council size, because the city's own site returned "403 Forbidden" for every attempt this session. Firebaugh has no elected City Clerk or City Treasurer in either county candidate document.

Three candidates are running for two of Firebaugh's City Council seats on November 3: incumbents Felipe Perez and Silvia Renteria are both seeking another term against challenger James "Big Jim" Fraser.

This person would hold one of two at-large City Council seats up this cycle in Firebaugh, a Fresno County farming city of about 8,100 residents on the San Joaquin River's west bank: city ordinances, the budget, and land use. Firebaugh's Mayor, Freddy Valdez, is elected separately and is not up this cycle; Silvia Renteria, one of this contest's two incumbents, currently serves as Mayor Pro Tem. This dataset could not confirm whether Firebaugh's Mayor is directly elected by voters or assigned by the Council from among its own members, or the city's total council size, because the city's own site (firebaugh.org) returned "403 Forbidden" for every fetch attempt this session. Firebaugh has no elected City Clerk or City Treasurer in either Fresno County candidate document.

With three names on the ballot for two seats, this is a plurality race decided in one round -- the two highest vote-getters win outright. Both incumbents' filed ballot designation is simply "Incumbent," with no stated occupation; Fraser's filed designation is "Small Business Owner." This dataset found no independent reporting comparing the three candidates or covering the race.

Felipe Perez

An incumbent seeking another term; his filed ballot designation is simply "Incumbent," with no stated occupation. Fresno County's own records confirm he holds this seat by direct election, not appointment. This dataset found no independent biographical detail (occupation, background, or platform) for him beyond the county's own filing.

Strengths

A term already served on the Council, confirmed by the county's own incumbent-of-record listing.

Trade-offs

This dataset found no independent reporting or biography evaluating his record -- occupation, background, and platform are all unconfirmed here.

Keep in mind

No candidate statement was filed for this race per the county's own record, and no campaign site or social-media presence could be found for him this session.

James "Big Jim" Fraser

A first-time candidate challenging both incumbents; his filed ballot designation is "Small Business Owner." This dataset found no independent biographical detail (what business, background, or platform) for him beyond the county's own candidate filing.

Strengths

A stated occupation (small business owner) that could bring a business perspective to the Council, though this dataset could not independently verify or expand on it.

Trade-offs

No campaign materials, endorsements, or independent coverage were found for him.

Keep in mind

As a challenger facing two incumbents for two seats, he has no council voting record to evaluate, and he qualified last among the three candidates this cycle.

Silvia Renteria

An incumbent seeking another term; her filed ballot designation is simply "Incumbent," with no stated occupation. Fresno County's own records confirm she holds this seat by direct election, not appointment. Wikipedia's Firebaugh article independently confirms she currently serves as the city's Mayor Pro Tem, a title assigned by the Council rather than a separately elected office. This dataset found no further independent biographical detail for her beyond those two sources.

Strengths

A term already served on the Council plus current selection by her Council colleagues as Mayor Pro Tem, per Wikipedia.

Trade-offs

This dataset found no independent reporting or biography evaluating her record in either role -- occupation, background, and platform beyond the Mayor Pro Tem title are all unconfirmed here.

Keep in mind

No candidate statement was filed for this race per the county's own record.

Source review: Strong (89/100) · 3 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

  • www2.fresnocountyca.gov (opens in a new tab)Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters -- CFMR009 "Candidate List" for the Nov. 3, 2026 Consolidated Statewide General Election (printed 8/12/2026 5:37:13PM, post-filing-deadline): lists Firebaugh's single City Council contest (5035), Vote For 2, with Felipe Perez ("Incumbent"), James "Big Jim" Fraser ("Small Business Owner"), and Silvia Renteria ("Incumbent") as the three qualified candidates
  • www2.fresnocountyca.gov (opens in a new tab)Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters -- CFMR001 "Contest/Candidate Proof List," filtered to Contests on Ballot, for the Nov. 3, 2026 election (printed 8/18/2026 8:39:55AM): independently confirms Firebaugh's City Council contest (5035) as ON BALLOT, Vote For 2, 3 qualified of 3 filed, and separately names Felipe De Jesus Perez and Silvia Renteria as the seat's incumbents-of-record, each reaching their current seat by direct election ("Elected"), not appointment
  • en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia's Firebaugh, California article: population 8,096 (2020 census, up from 7,549 in 2010), 92.5% Hispanic or Latino, incorporated 1914; names Freddy Valdez as Mayor and Silvia Renteria as Mayor Pro Tem, with no further detail on council size, term length, or how those titles are assigned

Last updated September 1, 2026.