Some city officials were quick to brush off the criticism, but others acknowledged the rushed flurry of proposals was wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe public deserves an apology,\u201d District 3 Councilmember Miguel Arias said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe as the city missed the mark,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"Fresno](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/FRS_EPZ_COUNCIL_ARIAS_01.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_COUNCIL_ARIAS_01.JPG\\"")
Fresno City Council member Miguel Arias is seen during a council meeting Thursday, July 30, 2026 in downtown Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n
The proposed measures \u2014 whose language was publicly unveiled for the first time last Monday morning \u2014 included enacting a half-cent sales tax<\/a>, financing for a major development project<\/a>, establishing a redistricting advisory committee<\/a> and extending term limits for elected leaders.<\/p>\n Had it been approved by the Fresno City Council and voters, the term limit proposal would have allowed sitting councilmembers and the mayor to pursue a third consecutive term. Currently, they can serve two terms, then must sit out a term before running again, which they can do indefinitely, though few city officials have.<\/p>\n Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said in a July 27 press conference he would consider running for a third term should voters approve the measure<\/a>. The item, co-sponsored by Council President Nelson Esparza and Dyer \u2014 was indefinitely tabled Thursday night.<\/a><\/p>\n The timeframe in which the bill\u2019s authors attempted to ram through the proposals was \u201cclearly not enough time\u201d<\/a> for ballot measures and reforms of this magnitude. Government ethics watchdogs, political science experts and critics said the way in which the proposals were introduced, particularly the term limit change idea, appeared to be \u201cself-serving \u201c or even a \u201cpower grab.\u201d<\/a> In addition to Dyer, several incumbents would have benefitted from the proposal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arias, who is serving the final year of his second term, also disagreed with the way these proposals were introduced. He said it takes years to build trust with the public, and this type of \u201ccronyism tactics\u201d undermines that trust.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t blame the sponsors of the item, but I do blame the process they took,\u201d Arias said. \u201cWhen it comes to changing the city\u2019s constitution, it should never come with a 72-hour notice.\u201d<\/p>\n Esparza, the lead sponsor of the item, has pushed back against the idea that the proposal was somehow \u201cself-serving,\u201d saying that he won\u2019t be on the Council after this year even if it were to have passed. Esparza is in the running for a seat on the state Board of Equalization.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes to these legislative battles, you win some and you lose some,\u201d Esparza said in a statement Monday.<\/p>\n Council president defends proposals<\/p>\n Esparza told The Bee that the timing of his proposals was structured in such a way that he can not personally benefit.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m leaving City Hall in January regardless, and that\u2019s why people in this city can trust that I genuinely wanted to have a conversation about structural reforms and adapting to our role as California\u2019s fifth largest city,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He also defended the 72-hour notice for the controversial ballot measure proposals, saying the timing had to do with the Fresno County Clerk\u2019s office firm Aug. 7 deadline for items to be placed on the November ballot.<\/p>\n Voters would have had months to review the measures before voting in November, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce I knew we had no choice but to ask voters to weigh in on the sales tax this Fall, I felt these governance questions belonged in front of them in the same election since we as the City would already be occupying their ballot and could benefit from the economies of scale.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ideas still stand on their own, and the council did its job by debating them accordingly,” he said.<\/p>\n Arias said last week\u2019s ballot measure blitz reflects poorly on the entire Council.<\/p>\n \u201cFrankly, the councilmembers who weren\u2019t involved were equally as upset as the public. We spend years trying to show our commitment to trust and transparency. One item at 10 p.m. can undo that trust.<\/p>\n \u201cThese numerous ballot initiatives have a stain on the Council,\u201d Arias said. \u201cWe\u2019ve all been stained.\u201d<\/p>\n More than two dozen Fresno residents waited until after 8:30 p.m. to speak against the term measure proposal.<\/p>\n Ariana Martinez Lott \u2013 a former staffer for Arias and a candidate vying to replace Esparza in the District 7 seat against Esparza\u2019s former staffer and attorney Nav Gurm \u2013 called the meeting\u2019s outcome a \u201ccommunity win.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThese kinds of political maneuvers are what is continuing to burn trust with the residents that really have very little faith in our local government,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think everyone is very astounded by the audacity to put four measures super last-minute (on the agenda),\u201d Harman Singh, a community organizer and west Fresno resident, said.<\/p>\n Christina Soto, a District 3 resident and former PARCs commissioner, slammed the Council, calling them \u201cself-serving\u201d and \u201cdisrespectful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c…And then have the nerve to call us misinformed and tell us the media is twisting stuff simply because we\u2019re pointing out that this is such obvious corruption,\u201d Soto said.<\/p>\n After public comment Thursday, Esparza acknowledged that some items were controversial and \u201cgot people worked up on both sides of the aisle.\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, only one item, the half-cent sales tax, was approved by the Council. The redistricting advisory committee proposal was rejected and the development financing item was indefinitely tabled.<\/p>\n ![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/FRS_EPZ_CITYCOUNCIL_ESPARZA_01.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_CITYCOUNCIL_ESPARZA_01.JPG\\"")
Fresno City Council Board President Nelson Esparza is seen during a council meeting Thursday, July 30, 2026 in downtown Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com \u2018Stain\u2019 on the Council<\/p>\n![\"Krista](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/FRS_EPZ_CITYCOUNCIL_05.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_CITYCOUNCIL_05.JPG\\"")
Krista Aranda with stickers against a third term for Mayor Jerry Dyer listens closely during a Fresno City Council meeting Thursday, July 30, 2026 in downtown Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n Fresno City Hall, at 2600 Fresno St., is seen on March 3, 2021. JOHN WALKER The Fresno Bee
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