The race to lead central and southeast Fresno is narrowing to two candidates, with attorney and political consultant Nav Gurm taking a strong lead as community organizer Ariana Martinez Lott follows closely.

Gurm, bolstered by high-profile endorsements ranging from Sen. Adam Schiff to Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, currently has 38.62% of the vote to Martinez Lott’s 36.44% with 4,385 (12.69%) votes counted. Martinez Lott is backed by labor leader Dolores Huerta and many progressive groups.

Businessman AJ Rassamni has 15.72%.

Gurm told GV Wire he was excited to be in first place.

“We left it all out there, we really left no stone unturned and worked really hard,” Gurm said.

Martinez Lott did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gurm Outraises Martinez Lott

Dyer said he supported candidates he thought would work well with his administration and other councilmembers.
He said he’s supportive of candidates that have been “pro-growth.”

“I’m supportive of people that are pro-growth for our city, people that are also willing to balance that with infill development,” Dyer said. “Downtown continues to be very important to me, making sure we have a menu of options for housing within our city.”

Current representative Fresno City Council President Nelson Esparza is termed out. Esparza has endorsed Gurm and is currently running for Board of Equalization.

The most recent filings show Gurm outraising Martinez Lott by nearly 3-to-1, reporting $120,000 to her $47,000 as of May 16.

Martinez Lott has largely relied on smaller individual donors, while Gurm’s funding comes from a bevy of donors, ranging from individuals to unions and corporations.

The district includes large portions of Blackstone Avenue, Manchester Center, Fresno along Highway 180 and east Fresno.

The district would likely grow if the city approves a development plan known as the Southeast Development Area. Candidates have had mixed reactions to the plan, with Martinez Lott taking a firm stance against SEDA while Gurm has said he supports a plan that would not take away from the interior.

Updated results are available at this link.