# Firebaugh City Council Compare records and positions simply between Felipe Perez, Silvia Renteria, or James "Big Jim" Fraser for Firebaugh City Council at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person would hold one of two City Council seats up this cycle. Firebaugh is a Fresno County farming city of about 8,100 residents. It sits on the San Joaquin River's west bank. They would vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. Firebaugh's Mayor, Freddy Valdez, is elected separately and is not up this cycle. It is unclear if the Mayor is directly elected or chosen by the Council. Firebaugh has no elected City Clerk or City Treasurer. - Jurisdiction: City of Firebaugh - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Seats: 2 - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/firebaugh-council - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: September 1, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 89 out of 100 (Strong), across 3 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Felipe Perez** — Incumbent - **Silvia Renteria** — Incumbent - **James "Big Jim" Fraser** — Small Business Owner A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot. 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. They vote on 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; their filed ballot designation is simply "Incumbent," with no stated occupation. Fresno County's own records confirm Perez holds this seat by direct election, not appointment. This dataset found no independent biographical detail (occupation, background, or platform) for them 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 Perez's 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 them this session. ## James "Big Jim" Fraser A first-time candidate challenging both incumbents; their filed ballot designation is "Small Business Owner." This dataset found no independent biographical detail (what business, background, or platform) for them 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 them. **Keep in mind:** As a challenger facing two incumbents for two seats, Fraser has no council voting record to evaluate, and they qualified last among the three candidates this cycle. ## Silvia Renteria An incumbent seeking another term; their filed ballot designation is simply "Incumbent," with no stated occupation. Fresno County's own records confirm Renteria holds this seat by direct election, not appointment. Wikipedia's Firebaugh article independently confirms they currently serve 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 them beyond those two sources. **Strengths:** A term already served on the Council plus current selection by Renteria's Council colleagues as Mayor Pro Tem, per Wikipedia. **Trade-offs:** This dataset found no independent reporting or biography evaluating their 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. ## Sources 1. [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](https://www2.fresnocountyca.gov/2850/post/2026NOV/CandidateList.pdf) 2. [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](https://www2.fresnocountyca.gov/2850/post/2026NOV/Contests%20on%20Ballot%20with%20Qualified%20Candidates.pdf) 3. [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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firebaugh,_California) ## The rest of the ballot Firebaugh City Council is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "Firebaugh City Council — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/firebaugh-council (sources last retrieved September 1, 2026). 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