![\"District](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/EPZ_SINGH_GURM_MUGS.jpg\" "\\"District")
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District 1 candidate Deep Singh, seen during a Fresno City Council forum held by The Fresno Bee Friday, April 17, 2026 in downtown Fresno<\/p>\n
ERIC PAUL ZAMORA<\/p>\n
ezamora@fresnobee.com<\/p>\n
Candidates for Fresno City Council is calling a complaint filed against them, \u201cracist.\u201d<\/p>\n
An anonymous complaint to the Fresno City Attorney\u2019s Office alleges that Naindeep Singh \u2014 running for District 1 \u2014 and Nav Gurm, running for District 7, of various campaign improprieties.<\/p>\n
The complaint mostly focused on Singh, a Central Unified trustee and founder of the Jakara Movement. Several of the charges do not appear to be violations of campaign finance law. One charge made in the complaint is using his influence to rename a Fresno park and a new school for Jaswant Singh Khalra<\/a>, a Sikh activist who died in 1995.<\/p>\n \u201cNaindeep and his fellow Sikhs support terrorism, racism, anti-constitutional, antigovernment policies including illegal immigration, supporting illegals for international driver\u2019s license or non-domicile licenses,\u201d the complaint said.<\/p>\n Both Singh and Gurm called out the complaint.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are the baseless, desperate lies of a person with little relevance beyond running smear campaigns rooted in racism, anti-immigrant hatred, Sikhphobia, and wholesale innuendo. No serious person would give this a moment\u2019s credibility,\u201d Singh said.<\/p>\n . What is truly disappointing is that some electeds in positions of responsibility have chosen to amplify this hate speech to besmirch my reputation and that of the Jakara Movement, all while shamelessly calling themselves champions of immigrant rights.<\/p>\n Said Gurm: \u201cIt\u2019s a racist, bigoted complaint. It holds no merit, but frankly, the language used in that complaint is disgusting.\u201d<\/p>\n Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz said the complaint came through the mail on May 26 with no return address. He said he already closed the case because the allegations do not fall within his jurisdiction.<\/p>\n Another candidate denounces Instagram parody account<\/p>\n Ariana Martinez Lott, also running in the District 7 race, took to Facebook to denounce a post made on the fresnobland Instagram<\/a> account. The social media page appears to be a parody, poking fun at Fresno officials. The page has no contact information about who is behind the posts.<\/p>\n The post, using an altered image of Martinez Lott, used wording to mock an accent.<\/p>\n \u201cWith one week to Election Day, #Fresno City Council candidate Arianna Lott made a direct appeal to Southeast Asian voters to vote by \u201c\u2019speaking their language.\u2019\u201d accompanying text in the post said.<\/p>\n Lott called one post \u201cracist,\u201d for mocking Asians.<\/p>\n \u201cI will not stand for any kind of RACISM. Disgraceful, low, and incredibly RACIST! I ask my community to stand against his disgusting post,\u201d Martinez Lott wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n Martinez Lott also called fresnobland \u201cshameful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhoever hides behind this page has a record of pathetically going after candidates, elected, and community leaders who are challenging the local political pipeline,\u201d Martinez Lott wrote.<\/p>\n