Local Fresno City Council candidates endorsed by the Working Families Party (WFP) met with community members before the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. The event focused on changing the political culture and building community. 

“We’ve gotten very corporate within the way that politics really functions within California,” said Neel Sannappa, a senior organizer with the California WFP. “[WFP] are positioning ourselves to be the new party that really represents working people.” 

The Pathway to Power event took place on March 19 at the Summer Fox Brewery at Van Ness Ave in Fresno. 

The event was organized by the WFP and collaborated with PowerCA Action, a political organization that focuses on engaging younger voters and community organizing. WFP is a left-wing political party that is growing nationally and is looking to build its presence in California. 

“We’ve been growing exponentially,” said Sannappa. “Now we have over 120 elected officials that ran under the Working Families Party brand.”

The WFP has endorsed over 80 candidates, including those from the city council, board of supervisors, state assembly and state senate, and statewide offices for the June primary, according to Sannappa. 

Affordability is one of the main issues most Fresno residents are concerned about. The topic of affordability was discussed by all the endorsed candidates at the event. 

“Neighbors are worried whether they will be able to continue to live where they live, and whether their kids or the rest of their family will have a future in the city,” said Naindeep Singh, a candidate for the Fresno City Council District 1.

Many of the candidates urged the importance of younger people to vote and exercise their political power. 

“Most of my success has been as the result of working and listening to those young people,” said Sandra Celedon, District 31 candidate for the California State Assembly, . “When we unite and when we work together, we do have power. Young people in this community have made things happen.” 

Candidates also expressed the importance of female representation in politics, as women are still underrepresented in political positions of power. 

“Oftentimes, the women are doing the work,” said Ariana Martinez Lott, candidate for the Fresno City Council District 7. “The women are showing up for each other. The women are caring for our children, for our neighbors and for our communities.” 

Students can stay up to date on future WFP events by following their Instagram account.