Will Mayor Jerry Dyer have a friend in the new Fresno City Council? Certainly not when it comes to a city expansion he supports.
Five of the six candidates running for Fresno City Council met in a forum Tuesday evening, and each easily said they opposed the Southeast Development Area, also known by the SEDA acronym.
District 1 candidate Naindeep Singh, District 3 candidates Joaquin Arambula and Keshia Thomas, and District 7 candidates Nav Gurm and Ariana Martinez Lott shared the stage in the Tower District. District 1 candidate Robert Fuentes said he could not attend because of a prior personal commitment.
Asked if they support SEDA, each said no.
“Everything that can go wrong has gone wrong in District 3,” said Thomas, a Fresno Unified trustee. She said there is too much work that needs to be done in the district that includes southwest and downtown Fresno before the city can expand.
Arambula, a state assemblyman, said Fresno needs to build more densely. He touted supporting $250 million from the state budget he helped secure to help with downtown infrastructure.
A vote on approving SEDA could come before the end of the year — before a new city council takes their seats.
Dulce Upfront, a cultural and arts collaborative, and Together Across America — a left-leaning political organizing group — presented the event. Together Across America’s Robin McGehee, and Pastor B.T. Lewis moderated. A video of the forum can be found here.
School district loss: A lack of procreation
Asked about decisions that affect the school districts, Arambula criticized Fresno Unified leaders, saying they need to be held accountable.
“Right now, they’re hemorrhaging students. Right now, in our backyard, these school districts that we send our students to are losing students, and they’re about to close down schools here in Fresno Unified, and our elected leaders aren’t telling us enough about it,” Arambula said.
Thomas, the trustee, explained her theory on the loss of students.
“We’re losing students because people don’t procreate the way they used to. It’s not because we’re losing students because we have a poor school district,” Thomas said.
She said when the district asked for help from the city and county for safer routes to schools, “they fight back and forth, and you get no work done.”
Fresno City Council District 3 candidate Joaquin Arambula, left, answers a question, as District 1 candidate Ariana Martinez Lott and District 3 candidate Keshia Thomas listen. A candidate forum took place Sept. 22, 2026, at Dulce Upfront in Fresno.
Candidates on the budget
One of the more intriguing questions asked was where the candidate would cut $1 million from the budget, and where they would add $1 million.
Thomas struggled to add where to cut, fending off suggestions from the audience to slash public safety. She said she would add to the homeless fund. Arambula said he would cut from the mayoral administration, and add to anti-violence program Advance Peace.
Martinez Lott said she would cut from the police budget, but “that does not make me anti-police department. I support our police officers. I support them having the resources that they need.” She would add to the Eviction Protection Program.
Gurm said he would cut consultant contracts and have the work done in-house. He would invest in housing programs.
Singh said he would cancel the $1.6 million contract with Flock for surveillance cameras. He would add to youth-oriented programs.
D7 rift?
District 7 candidates Gurm and Martinez Lott generally agreed with each other on positions like SEDA, AI centers and Flock cameras — all against.
There were cracks during the forum, when it asked about housing policy, specifically should the voters trust candidates who receive contributions from developers.
Lott said such candidates should not be trusted, saying the people are her special interest. Gurm, who has accepted developer and real estate dollars and is supported by Dyer, said he wants to increase housing density on Blackstone Avenue.
“That wasn’t the question,” Martinez Lott interjected.
When each explained objections to SEDA, Gurm said “a clear line in the sand for me was it cannot be built on the backs of existing residents.”
“A line in the sand is very easy to kick away,” Martinez Lott said. “I’m not waiting for a certain version that appeals to the elected officials and to developers.”
She wants to prioritize existing neighborhoods.
Fresno City Council District 7 candidates Ariana Martinez Lott, left, and Nav Gurm, take questions at a breakout session at a candidate forum on Sept. 22, 2026, in Fresno.
Candidates and their contributors
The next campaign financial report is Sept. 24. In the meantime, candidates have to report contributions greater than $1,000.
Here are some notable, recent contributors of filed by the candidates:
Fuentes: Jerry Dyer for Mayor 2024 ($1,000); Perea for Assembly ($4,000); Plumbers and Pipefitters U.A. Local #246 COPE Committee ($5,900); Ken Warkentin ($1,000).
Singh: Attorney Jasdeep Atwal ($3,500); physician Simren Claire ($5,900); attorney Deepak Ahluwalia ($5,000); Pannu Insurance Services Inc. ($5,000); attorney Tanvir Joshi ($1,500); Bal Family Farms ($1,000); developer Gurjinder Chahil ($1,000).
Arambula: himself ($25,000).
Thomas: FMKT Building Trades Council ($,5900); Perea for Assembly ($2,000); Plumbers and Pipefitters U.A. Local #246 COPE Committee ($5,900); Blue Ocean Development America ($2,500).
Gurm: Perea for Assembly ($2,500); Youth Save Democracy ($5,900); businessman Brooke Ashjian ($1,000); consultant Tal Eslick ($1,000); Ken Warkentin from Westco Equities, Inc. ($1,000).
Martinez Lott: Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1027 PAC ($1,500); City of Fresno Professional Employees Association ($14,800); Armida Espinoza ($1,000).