{"id":470503,"date":"2026-09-21T02:36:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T02:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/470503\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T02:36:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T02:36:15","slug":"fact-check-d1-council-candidates-on-tower-district-policing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/470503\/","title":{"rendered":"Fact check: D1 council candidates on Tower District policing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>ISSUE | INCREASED POLICING IN TOWER DISTRICT: The Fresno Police Department has beefed up it\u2019s presence in the Tower District nightlife scene in the past two years<\/p>\n<p>Neither candidate seems to have an issue with increase of police patrol in the area, but they have different approaches on how to deal with crime in the area.<\/p>\n<p>We spoke to the candidates. Their comments about the issue are below.<\/p>\n<p>Where Rob Fuentes stands<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPublic safety is a major concern for many residents of the Tower District. I have been told over and over again by residents and business owners of the need for more preventative patrols and community policing, where law enforcement work proactively to solve public safety issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo I am a proponent of our law enforcement doing exactly that, working proactively to prevent crime, reduce drunk driving, and build stronger, more community-based connections with residents and business owners throughout our neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>                                          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"responsive-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789958175_882_EPZ_FUENTES_SINGH.jpg\"   width=\"1200\" height=\"735\" title=\"EPZ_FUENTES_SINGH.jpg\" alt=\"Fresno City Council District 1 candidates Rob Fuentes, left, and Naindeep Singh, right, during a Fresno City Council forum, Friday, April 17, 2026 in downtown Fresno.\"\/>                                                                                    Fresno City Council District 1 candidates Rob Fuentes, left, and Naindeep Singh, right, during a Fresno City Council forum, Friday, April 17, 2026 in downtown Fresno.                                                                                            ERIC PAUL ZAMORA                                                                            ezamora@fresnobee.com                                                                                        Where Naindeep Singh stands<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTower District faces a real problem, and the city has a plan to fix it, but still hasn\u2019t executed it.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve attended the meetings. I\u2019ve spoken with business owners and property managers about what they need. I\u2019ve listened to residents and visitors describe what makes them feel unsafe. The data on violent crime is mixed: fewer crimes reported, but the disorder is real. Boarded buildings, broken windows, public urination and defecation create environments where people don\u2019t want to be and businesses struggle. That\u2019s not just a police problem, that\u2019s code enforcement and design.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Tower District Specific Plan is the community\u2019s own plan from years of discussion. It calls for three things: proactive code enforcement, consistent police presence at peak hours with dedicated beat officers who know the neighborhood, and investment in what brings people back: art, retail, walkable streets, and a public library.<\/p>\n<p>None of that is happening. Here\u2019s what I will do: enforce code violations systematically, ensure the federally-funded Metro Bike Unit grant is fully deployed at peak hours and special events, and work with the county to move the library from petition to property.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"summary gray\">This story was originally published September 19, 2026 at 2:12 PM.<\/p>\n<p>        Related Stories from  Fresno Bee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ISSUE | INCREASED POLICING IN TOWER DISTRICT: The Fresno Police Department has beefed up it\u2019s presence in the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":470504,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":["post-470503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/470504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}