Review note: Rob Fuentes's own campaign site: describes him as a lifelong Fresno resident and civil-rights attorney who serves as President of the State Center Community College District Board of Trustees and teaches at San Joaquin College of Law; states his District 1 platform as cost of living, public safety, and economic development. and Naindeep Singh's own campaign site: describes him as a Fresno-raised educator and nonprofit leader, a sitting Central Unified School Board trustee who says he has managed a $300 million public-school budget and authored statewide bilingual-services legislation, plus nonprofit and workers'-rights (anti-wage-theft) advocacy; states his District 1 platform as capping utility-rate increases, stopping evictions, youth workforce-development investment, and a "Fresno First" local-spending policy. may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.
- 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 Fresno's three City Council district contests (5061, 5063, 5067), each Vote For 1 with exactly two qualified candidates -- Naindeep Singh ("Nonprofit Director/Trustee") and Rob Fuentes ("Educator/College Trustee") for District 1; Joaquin Arambula ("Doctor/Assemblymember") and Keshia Thomas ("Fresno Unified School District Trustee") for District 3; Nav Gurm ("Attorney/Small Businessman") and Ariana Martinez Lott ("Small Business Owner") for District 7 -- and carries each candidate's filed campaign website
- 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 all three Fresno City Council district contests as ON BALLOT, and separately lists each seat's incumbent-of-record as not among the two November candidates -- Annalisa Perea (District 1, Elected), Miguel Angel Arias (District 3, Elected), and Nelson Esparza (District 7, Elected) -- confirming all three are open seats. Candidate statement filing dates for all six November candidates fall between 8/06/2026 and 8/07/2026
- fresno.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Fresno -- City Council page: names the sitting 7-member Council by district -- Annalisa Perea (District 1), Mike Karbassi (District 2), Miguel Arias (District 3), Tyler Maxwell (District 4), Brandon Vang (District 5), Nick Richardson (District 6), and Nelson Esparza (District 7, Council President)
- en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia's Fresno, California article: population 542,107 (2020 census), estimated 555,549 (2025); confirms Fresno's "Strong Mayor" form of government with Jerry Dyer as the sitting Mayor and Georgeanne White as City Manager
- gvwire.com (opens in a new tab)GV Wire (a Fresno-based nonprofit newsroom) -- "What Does the Money Say About Fresno City Council Races?" by Edward Smith (published 8/4/2026, fetched and read directly): reviews each of the six November candidates' FPPC campaign-finance filings for the May 17-June 30, 2026 period, reports each candidate's June 2, 2026 primary vote share, and covers each candidate's biographical background including two documented controversies -- Joaquin Arambula's March 2026 alcohol-rehab and divorce-filing disclosures, and Keshia Thomas's ongoing defamation lawsuit -- plus, for Rob Fuentes, a summary of Fresnoland's separate reporting on his ICE-related legal work and subsequent administrative leave
- naindeepsingh.com (opens in a new tab)Naindeep Singh's own campaign site: describes him as a Fresno-raised educator and nonprofit leader, a sitting Central Unified School Board trustee who says he has managed a $300 million public-school budget and authored statewide bilingual-services legislation, plus nonprofit and workers'-rights (anti-wage-theft) advocacy; states his District 1 platform as capping utility-rate increases, stopping evictions, youth workforce-development investment, and a "Fresno First" local-spending policy
- robfuentes.com (opens in a new tab)Rob Fuentes's own campaign site: describes him as a lifelong Fresno resident and civil-rights attorney who serves as President of the State Center Community College District Board of Trustees and teaches at San Joaquin College of Law; states his District 1 platform as cost of living, public safety, and economic development
- vote411.org (opens in a new tab)League of Women Voters -- Vote411 voter guide, 'City of Fresno City Council Member, District 1' race (statewide All Races list): each candidate's self-submitted ballot designation and campaign contacts, plus answers to the League's questions -- top three priorities and qualifying background. Answers on file from Naindeep Singh. Capture in data/nov-2026/sources/vote411/fresno-council-1.json.
Last updated October 6, 2026.
City of Fresno
Fresno City Council, District 1
This person would hold one of Fresno's seven district-elected City Council seats. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. Fresno is California's fifth-largest city, with about 555,600 residents. Fresno's Mayor is elected separately under the city's strong-mayor charter. The Mayor is not on this cycle's ballot. This seat is open. None of the cycle's three sitting district incumbents filed to run again.
This is an open seat. Naindeep Singh, a Central Unified School Board trustee and nonprofit executive, faces Rob Fuentes. Fuentes is a civil-rights attorney and State Center Community College District board president. Singh led a multi-candidate primary on June 2, 2026. He got 38.69% of the vote to Fuentes's 36.52%, according to GV Wire. The top two meet here in the November 3, 2026 general election. Whoever gets more votes wins outright.
This person would hold Fresno's District 1 seat on a 7-member, district-elected City Council under the city's strong-mayor charter. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use for California's fifth-largest city, home to roughly 555,600 residents. Fresno's Mayor (Jerry Dyer) is elected separately and isn't on this cycle's ballot. This dataset found no source confirming this seat's exact term length or the city's council term-limit provision; GV Wire's own reporting mentions that Council President Nelson Esparza has proposed expanding the current limit, which at least confirms some limit exists today.
None of this cycle's three sitting district incumbents -- Perea (District 1), Miguel Arias (District 3), and Esparza (District 7) -- filed to keep their council seat, per the county's own filing record, so all three of Fresno's Nov. 2026 council races are open seats rather than incumbent contests.
Naindeep Singh
Naindeep Singh is a sitting Central Unified School Board trustee. His campaign site says he has overseen a $300 million public-school budget. It also says he authored statewide legislation expanding bilingual services. He describes nonprofit and workers'-rights advocacy, including action against wage theft. His ballot title is "Nonprofit Director and Trustee." He led the June primary, with 38.69% of the vote to Fuentes's 36.52%. His platform centers on capping utility-rate increases, stopping evictions, and funding youth-workforce pathways. He also backs a "Fresno First" policy directing city spending locally.
Rob Fuentes
Rob Fuentes is president of the State Center Community College District Board of Trustees. They are also a San Joaquin College of Law instructor. Their own site describes them as a civil-rights attorney and lifelong Fresno resident. GV Wire's reporting describes them as a former federal prosecutor. Their ballot title is "Educator and College Trustee." GV Wire reported a Fresnoland finding. It found they represented U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in habeas corpus cases. At the same time, they told Fresnoland they would support abolishing that agency. GV Wire reported they left that work in early July 2026. That came after they were placed on leave by the Trump administration. They trailed Singh in the June primary, 36.52% to 38.69%.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.