For every tough question Miguel Arias asks at a Fresno City Council meeting, he also seems to find a way to get under the skin of his detractors.

In his eighth and final year representing southwest and downtown Fresno, Arias developed a reputation for pressing staff and diving deep on issues. He will seek information ranging from major policy matters to mundane agenda items, often citing the public’s right to know.

He also developed a reputation for pushing the envelope — and for ticking people off from the dais.

His latest stunt was sitting during the Pledge of Allegiance at the Jan. 29 meeting. The move drew heavy criticism on social media.

His explanation to Politics 101 is likely to anger even more people.

“I’m sorry to disappoint those interested in my posture, but it was just a leg cramp after a long night of home repairs — apparently a normal occurrence at my age. More important than that, though, is the growing number of lives lost in immigration enforcement actions this year, including multiple fatal shootings by federal agents that have drawn national outrage and calls for accountability,” Arias said.

Arias provided his response via text message, so readers can interpret the context as they see fit.

Councilmember Nick Richardson, a Marine Corp reservist who usually leads the pledge, said it is Arias’ right not to stand.

“I’m a firm believer of his right to do so,” Richardson said. “It’s not something I would do. That flag means a lot to me.”

Arias was not the only person to sit during the pledge. Politics 101 also spotted others in the council audience who did not stand.

Arias vs. ICE

Later at the Jan. 29 meeting, Arias again interjected his opinion on non-council matters, as he has done for the past eight years. This time, he used the term “murder” when describing the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti — two protesters in Minneapolis shot and killed by immigration agents.

At the Jan. 15 council meeting after Good’s death, Arias used the neutral word “killed.”

Earlier this year, Arias claimed another immigration raid was imminent in Fresno and Bakersfield. Last year, he claimed a raid would occur at a local swap meet. Neither claim materialized.

In both instances, Arias provided no source or verification for his information. Most elected leaders avoid spreading unverified rumors. When asked by Fresnoland about his most recent “sky is falling” moment, Arias said “officials changed their plans,” again without elaboration.

Arias has about 10 months remaining before he is termed out. He recently took a side gig as a spokesperson for Madera Community College — a move criticized by the anonymous State Center watchdog group SCCCD Insiders.

An immediate political future is unlikely. Arias lost a 2024 primary for county supervisor, and members of his own local Democratic Party declined to select him as a delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Fresno Council Fundraising

Naindeep Singh has not only raised the most money for Fresno City Council District 1 — he is the overall fundraising leader.

Singh, a Central Unified trustee and executive director of the Jakara Movement, reported raising $135,399 during the July through December 2025 reporting period. Most of the money came from individual contributors.

Rob Fuentes, an SCCCD trustee and federal prosecutor, raised $44,500 in the same time frame. Mayra Campa, a staff aide to current District 1 Councilmember Annalisa Perea, raised $14,245.

Perea is running for state Assembly.

State Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, running for District 3, reported more than double the fundraising of his two main competitors combined. He reported raising $75,512 during the July–December reporting period. Fernando Alvarez, a former staffer at the Fresno Chamber, reported $20,084. Fresno Unified trustee Keshia Thomas raised $9,115.

Arambula also collected PAC contributions from the International Union of Operating Engineers Stationary Engineers Local No. 39, The Doctors Company PAC, and UFCW Workers 8 Golden State PAC.

In District 5, incumbent Brandon Vang, in effect, raised negative funds in the latter half of 2025. He did not raise new money but forgave a loan he made to himself during the 2025 special election.

SCCCD Trustee Danielle Parra raised $26,401.

In District 7, businessman AJ Rassamni has a nominal lead over attorney Nav Gurm. Gurm’s total in the chart does not include the $50,101 he raised in 2024, nor a $15,000 loan he gave to himself this year.

He also held a fundraiser last week that included Mayor Jerry Dyer. Gurm said the event added $65,000 to his campaign coffers.

“This campaign has made early investments in reaching voters directly through door-knocking, community events, and grassroots outreach, and it’s clearly paying off,” Gurm said in a news release. “The incredible support we’ve received shows that Fresno residents are ready for a new generation of leadership that puts people first and delivers real results at City Hall.”

Activist Ariana Martinez Lott raised $19,828 during the reporting period.

District 7 incumbent Nelson Esparza is termed out and running for state Board of Equalization.

The next reporting deadline is April 23, covering the period from Jan. 1 through April 18.

What is Deadline for Transportation Tax Sigs?

A social justice group, supported by Mayor Jerry Dyer and Clovis City Councilmember Lynne Ashbeck, filed a notice of intention to collect signatures for a successor to Measure C — the Fresno Countywide sales tax for transportation projects that expires next year.

Moving Fresno Forward filed the notice with the Fresno County Clerk on Jan. 26. The following deadlines were provided by Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters James Kus:

• County counsel has 15 days to provide an official title and summary.
• Proponents must then publish the notice, including the title and summary, in designated newspapers. Once proof of publication is delivered to the county clerk within 10 days, the group may begin gathering signatures.
• Supporters have 180 days to gather signatures.
• Once signatures are submitted, the clerk’s office has 30 workdays — about 42 calendar days — to conduct a random sample review. The process could take up to 60 workdays if all signatures must be examined. If the petition is deemed sufficient, the clerk will certify the signatures and forward the matter to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors for placement on the ballot.
• The Board of Supervisors has until Aug. 7 to adopt an ordinance placing the measure on the Nov. 3 ballot. The last meeting scheduled before that deadline is July 14.

Clearly, the petitioners cannot take the full 180 days, as that would put them past the Aug. 7 deadline. If Kus requires the full 60 workdays — excluding weekends and holidays — for signature review, petitions would need to be submitted by May 12. The earliest proponents could begin gathering signatures would be around Feb. 20.

Kus “strongly” recommends the petition be submitted by April.

Proponents need 21,909 valid signatures from registered voters to qualify.

“This would give any petition deemed sufficient during a random sample review enough time to be heard by the Board of Supervisors and placed on the November ballot. If a petition uses the full 180 days allotted for circulation, or if a full-count review is required, a petition found sufficient would qualify for the 2028 election cycle or a special election,” Kus said.

Signature sampling will include either 500 signatures or 3% of the total submitted — whichever is greater. For example, if Moving Fresno Forward submits 30,000 signatures, the clerk will sample 900.

The clerk will apply the validation rate to the total number of signatures and compare that figure to the number of valid signatures required.

For example, if the validation rate of a 900-signature sample is 75%, applying that rate to 30,000 submitted signatures would yield 22,500 valid signatures — or 102% of the required total.

If the overall validation rate exceeds 110%, the clerk will certify the petition. If the rate falls between 95% and 110%, the clerk will examine all submitted signatures. If the rate is below 95%, the petition will fail.

Petitioners will need at least 24,099 valid signatures to avoid a full-count review.

For comparison, Measure P — the 2018 city of Fresno’s sales tax for parks — had a validation rate of 78.5%, which passed the random sample test. Using that same rate, Measure C successor petitioners would need 30,699 total signatures to avoid a full count.

Rewind: Seven Candidates for Governor Debate

Seven candidates for governor met in San Francisco on Tuesday for a two-hour debate televised by KTVU in the Bay Area and KTTV in Southern California, both Fox stations.

Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton, Matt Mahan, Tom Steyer, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Betty Yee met at the Ruth Williams–Bayview Opera House in San Francisco. Hilton was the only Republican; the others are Democrats.

The debate topics included Proposition 36, wildfires, homelessness, and immigration.

The full debate can be viewed here.

Hilton said he supports legal immigration and would ensure laws are “peacefully enforced.”

He also criticized the only other notable Republican in the race, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, calling him “BLM Bianco” and urging him to drop out.

Mahan, the San Jose mayor who recently entered the race, said President Donald Trump’s policies are “dividing us” and urged immigration reform.

Steyer, a billionaire businessman, called for ICE to be abolished. Thurmond, the state superintendent of public instruction, said he would restore universal healthcare for undocumented immigrants.

Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles, said he would take on Trump “wherever he raises his ugly head.”

Yee, the former state controller, said she would also resist ICE.

Said Becerra, the former U.S. health and human services secretary and state attorney general: “We will police the immigration police.”