{"id":327331,"date":"2026-05-22T04:54:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T04:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/327331\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T04:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T04:54:15","slug":"fresno-mayor-jerry-dyer-backs-local-council-and-supervisors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/327331\/","title":{"rendered":"Fresno mayor Jerry Dyer backs local council and supervisors"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fresno<\/p>\n

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer addresses a wide range of topics during a Q&A session with Bee reporter Melissa Montalvo Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 at City Hall in Fresno.<\/p>\n

ERIC PAUL ZAMORA<\/p>\n

ezamora@fresnobee.com<\/p>\n

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer is throwing his support behind several contenders in local races \u2014 including city council candidates he said align with his values on public safety, housing and \u201csmart growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an interview with The Bee on Wednesday, Dyer said he\u2019s supporting three city council candidates who each align with his views on strong public safety, homelessness, downtown revitalization, business policy, fiscal management and the importance of infill development and smart housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne 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,\u201d he said. \u201cThe last thing we need is a council member to come in and disrupt the sweet spirit that we have at City Hall right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are 20 candidates vying for four open seats on the Fresno City Council in the upcoming June 2 primary elections. There\u2019s only incumbent in the race \u2014 Councilmember Brandon Vang, who is running to keep his District 5 seat<\/a> \u2014 meaning the council will have at least three new faces, and potentially up to five if Vang doesn\u2019t keep his seat and if District 2 Councilmember Mike Karbassi, wins his bid for a seat on the Board of Supervisors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dyer\u2019s also supporting two sitting council members in their bids for higher office: Karbassi and Annalisa Perea in her bid for the 31st Assembly District seat.<\/p>\n

Dyer has ambitious plans for the remaining two years of his second and last mayoral term:<\/a> Ramping up downtown development, bringing a professional soccer team and new stadium to downtown, and repairing Fresno\u2019s roads and sidewalks with a $100 million investment<\/a>. He also hopes to secure the Council\u2019s support for the Southeast Development Area specific plan, a proposed large-scale expansion to add 9,000 acres and an estimated 45,000 homes in southeast Fresno.<\/p>\n

In particular, Dyer is focused on passing \u201cSouth SEDA\u201d before the end of the year<\/a>: a 1,547 acre chunk of the overall plan that would allow for some residential development and flexible research and development, that he said will attract good-paying advanced manufacturing jobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a very good working relationship between the city council and my administration, and we\u2019re not just colleagues, we\u2019re friends, and I want to make sure whoever comes in there doesn\u2019t disrupt that,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n

Though he stopped shy of endorsing a candidate in the gubernatorial primaries, Dyer is supporting three candidates for Fresno City Council, as well as two for Fresno County Board of Supervisors, six judicial races and one for a state seat.<\/p>\n

Dyer supports these Fresno Council Candidates<\/p>\n

Fresno City Council District 1:<\/a> Rob Fuentes, a State Center Community College District trustee and federal prosecutor<\/p>\n

Read Dyer\u2019s endorsement message here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Dictrict Dictrict 1 candidate Rob Fuentes seen during a Fresno City Council forum held by The Fresno Bee Friday, April 17, 2026 in downtown Fresno ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n

The Fresno City Council\u2019s District 1 covers a large portion of northwest and west-central Fresno, including Tower District, the Fresno High area, parts of Fig Garden, and areas west of Highway 99. Other candidates include: city of Fresno\u2019s Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator Joe Hinojosa, former campaign coordinator Monte Forkas and Singh.<\/p>\n

Fresno City Council District 3<\/a>: No endorsement<\/p>\n

Dyer said because there are many candidates running in the District 3 race, he\u2019s not making an endorsement yet but will consider making an endorsement in the November general elections.<\/p>\n

The district, whose current council member, Miguel Arias, will term out at the end of the year, covers the southwest areas of Fresno, including downtown, Chinatown, the Tower District, and Edison and Lowell neighborhoods. It also includes most of the city\u2019s industrial parks in south Fresno.<\/p>\n

The slate of candidates includes: crisis response manager Tiffany Apodaca, Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula, Fresno County School Board Trustee Fernando Alvarez, real estate broker and contractor Larry Burrus, tradesman Charles Montoya, Fresno County Department of Health administrative caseworker Jalen Swank and Fresno Unified Trustee Keshia Thomas.<\/p>\n

Fresno Council District 5<\/a>: Danielle Parra, State Center Community College District trustee and vice president of communications at Vista Consulting Inc., a Valley-based public affairs firm<\/p>\n

Read his 11th hour endorsement message here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Fresno Fresno City Council District 5 candidate Danielle Parra answers a question posed during a candidate forum held by The Fresno Bee Friday, April 17, 2026 in downtown Fresno ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n

The district encompasses a large portion of southeast Fresno, including neighborhoods like Sunnyside, Roosevelt, and Fancher Creek. Other candidates include Vang, entrepreneur Nickolas Wildstar and former Fresno County Director of Economic Development Jose Leon Barraza.<\/p>\n

Fresno Council District 7<\/a>: Nav Gurm, attorney and political consultant<\/a><\/p>\n

Read Dyer\u2019s endorsement messages for Gurm here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Dictrict Fresno City Council District 7 candidate Nav Gurm, seen during a forum held by The Fresno Bee Friday, April 17, 2026 in downtown Fresno ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n

Three other candidates vying for the spot include: retired paralegal Jason Keomanee, community organizer and consultant Ariana Martinez Lott, and Blackstone Merchants Association founder AJ Rassamni.<\/p>\n

The district includes east-central Fresno and parts of southeast Fresno, including the Manchester, Radio Park, Romain Park and parts of the Blackstone Avenue corridor.<\/p>\n

Dyer endorsement tied to SEDA support?<\/p>\n

Some think Dyer\u2019s endorsement for council candidates is hedged on their support for SEDA. Read what council candidates say about SEDA here.<\/a><\/p>\n

During The Bee\u2019s District 1 Candidate Forum, Naindeep Singh, executive director of the nonprofit Jakara Movement and a Central Unified board trustee, said SEDA is \u201cthe issue\u201d on the June ballot.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re being endorsed by Jerry Dyer, ultimately it\u2019s about the question of SEDA,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dyer pushed back on this categorization.<\/p>\n

\u201cSEDA will more than likely be decided before they ever get into office,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dyer endorsements for Fresno County races<\/p>\n

Board of Supervisor<\/p>\n

Of Mims, Dyer said: \u201cWe have a long time friendship and relationship, dating back to when I was a chief and she was the sheriff, and even before that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fresno County Superior Court judge seats<\/p>\n

Marc Kapetan, attorney, Office No. 3Jennifer L. Hamilton, Fresno County Superior Court commissioner, Office No. 4Ashley Paulson, chief prosecuting attorney, city of Fresno, Office No. 6Jeff Hammerschmidt, governments investigations attorney, Office No. 7Noelle Elyse Pebet, Fresno County Superior Court commissioner, Office No. 9Jennifer Smith, Fresno County, senior deputy district attorney, Office No. 12<\/p>\n

Click here for more on the candidates in the race for six open judge seats here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Dyer\u2019s undecided on the governor\u2019s race<\/p>\n

\u201cI have several folks that are running that are kind of near and dear to me. One of them is Matt Mahan from San Jose. He\u2019s a longtime friend and mayor. But, I\u2019ve also been friends with Antonio Villaraigosa for many years. I know Hector [sic] Becerra. So, there\u2019s a number of them that I know that are running, and we\u2019ll see when June 2 happens,\u201d Dyer told The Bee Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Fresno Bee reporter David Taub contributed to this report.<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Melissa Montalvo<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fresno Bee<\/p>\n

Melissa Montalvo is The Fresno Bee\u2019s accountability reporter. Prior to this role, she covered Latino communities for The Fresno Bee as the part of the Central Valley News Collaborative. She also reported on labor, economy and poverty through newsroom partnerships between The Fresno Bee, Fresnoland and CalMatters as a Report for America Corps member.\n <\/p>\n