Ariana Martinez Lott, left, with Nav Gurm
Fresno Bee file
The Fresno City Council District 7 general election race features a competitive showdown between attorney Nav Gurm and community organizer Ariana Martinez-Lott to succeed incumbent Nelson Esparza.
Esparza will term out by the end of the year and is running for the State Board of Equalization District 1.
Gurm, the candidate with heavy local establishment backing, finished with a slim lead in the June primary with 38.96% of the vote. Martinez-Lott, the progressive candidate, was right behind with 39.71%.
Just 20 votes divided them, advancing the two to the Nov. 3 general election. Vote-by-mail ballots are expected to be sent out in the first week of October.
Where is the district?
The district includes east-central Fresno and parts of southeast Fresno, including the Manchester, Radio Park, Romain Park, and Lafayette Park/Fresno High neighborhoods. The district also includes parts of the Blackstone Avenue corridor and neighborhoods near Shields and Temperance Avenues.
Of the 34,211 registered voters in the district, 14,662 are registered Democrats and 7,708 are registered Republicans, according to Fresno County data. Another 8,755 voters have no party preference listed.
Nav Gurm
Gurm, 26, is an attorney and the owner of Five River Strategies, a Central Valley public affairs consultancy. Gurm is also a former legislative assistant for Esparza.
He was born in New Jersey and relocated to Fresno County as a kid. Gurm earned a degree in Economics and Public Affairs from UCLA and received his JD from UC Davis School of Law. After college, Gurm moved to Fresno and has lived in District 7 for the past two and a half years.
If elected, some of Gurm’s priorities include lowering utility costs, expanding economic development opportunities, engaging youth through expanding mentorship and internship opportunities, strengthening public safety and expanding Fresno’s sports and entertainment.
Gurm could become the youngest councilmember since Henry T. Perea, who was 25 when he was elected in 2003.
In September, Gurm joined many local politicians in showing support for a moratorium on AI data centers in the city of Fresno.
Gurm is the establishment pick with endorsements from Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer and Fresno Councilmembers Esparza, Annalisa Perea and Tyler Maxwell.
In an interview with The Bee ahead of the primary election, Dyer said he’s supporting candidates who align with his views on strong public safety, homelessness, downtown revitalization, business policy, fiscal management and the importance of infill development and smart housing.
“One of the things that I also look at for city council races is their ability to work well with other council members and the administration,” he said. “The last thing we need is a council member to come in and disrupt the sweet spirit that we have at City Hall right now.”
In August, during a speech at the Rotary Club, Dyer said that with at least three new city council members taking office, a potential change in culture and policy focus “scares him” if incoming members pursue agendas inconsistent with his own.
Other politicians who have endorsed Gurm include U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, State Controller Malia Cohen, County Assessor Paul Dictos, County Supervisor Luis Chavez and some SCCCD Trustees.
Gurm received additional endorsements from the Fresno County Democratic Party, the Central Labor Council, the Fresno Teachers Association, the Fresno Firefighters Legislative Action Committee, the Fresno Building Trades Council, the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, and some other organizations and labor groups.
Nav Gurm, right, talks to Mayor Jerry Dyer, center, with Nelson Esparza to the far left during a campaign gathering at Sequoia Brewing in the Tower District Tuesday night, June 2, 2026, in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com Ariana Martinez-Lott
Martinez-Lott is a community organizer and the owner of Corazón Consulting. She also worked for Fresno Councilmember Miguel Arias as director of community relations from 2021 to 2023.
Martinez-Lott, 39, is from Madera and stayed in Fresno after graduating from Fresno State in 2010. She’s lived in District 7 for a decade, where she is raising her two children.
Over the last 15 years, Martinez-Lott has been active in local efforts through her church and other organizations, advocating for safer streets, routes to school and parks. She recently volunteered for Measure S, the countywide transportation tax ballot measure also known as Better Roads, Safe Streets.
Martinez-Lott has been outspoken in her opposition to Dyer’s controversial plan to expand the city’s southeast side, known as SEDA, online, at candidate forums and at City Hall hearings. She spoke out at another hearing in August against a proposed city charter amendment ballot measure that would have allowed elected officials to run for a third term, which ultimately failed.
If elected, some of Martinez-Lott’s priorities include safe routes to school, housing affordability, illegal dumping, expanding partnerships for mental health support and establishing a public safety residential response team.
As the progressive candidate, Martinez-Lott is endorsed by Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, Councilmembers Arias and Brandon Vang, Dolores Huerta, and some members of the Fresno Unified and SCCCD trustee boards.
Additionally, she has received endorsements from the Working Families Party, the Central Labor Council, the Fresno City Employees Association, the Fresno Teachers Association, the Central Valley Progressive PAC, Valley Voters, planned parenthood, the National Women’s Political Cacus and other Democratic groups.
Fresno City Council District 7 candidate Ariana Martinez Lott, center, celebrates at a campaign gathering Tuesday night, June 2, 2026 in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com Who’s funding the race?
Gurm raised $28,369 in the most recent reportin period — July 1 to September 19 — $161,028 total in 2026 and has $20,563 left in the bank. Most of Gurm’s recent donors are labor groups. The political action committee he co-founded, a real estate company and current Fresno Councilmember Annalisa Perea also contributed, according to the report.
Martinez-Lott raised $38,891 in the most recent reporting period, $97,092 total in 2026 and has $33,636 left in the bank. Most of the recent financial contributions to Martinez-Lott’s campaign came from individuals, such as teachers and retirees. Her campaign also pulled in some donations from political action groups and labor groups, according to the report.
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