With the July 31 deadline to file campaign finance forms, the public got its first view of where the candidates for Fresno City Council stand now that the stage for the general election is set.

The most recent reporting period covers May 17 to June 30, with the June 2 primary occurring in the middle of the fundraising report.

With no incumbents in any of the remaining council races, and each of the three races remarkably close, it is up to the candidates to distinguish themselves.

Arambula Fundraising Dries, Thomas Goes Grassroots

In the race to represent southwest Fresno, voters will decide between outgoing assemblymember, Dr. Joaquin Arambula, D-Fresno, and outgoing Fresno Unified Trustee Keshia Thomas.

Both showed an ending cash balance nearly neck-and-neck, with Thomas reporting $14,042 still in the bank and Arambula with $11,374 cash on hand. However, Thomas far outraised her opponent for the period.

Arambula’s $46,948 spent on political strategists, mailers, and other errata more than doubled Thomas’ $20,788 and helped bring the state politician down from his lofty financial position as the two campaigns prepare for the November push.

Arambula only reported $539 in donations in that period whereas Thomas reported $11,600.

Most of Thomas’ donors come from individuals giving anywhere from $25 to $300.

She does boast some higher profile donations, coming from the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, Sheet Metal Workers 104, and from the African American Leaders for Economic Development.

Arambula, who can claim backing from many unions statewide, including the Fresno Teachers Association — which gave $15,000 — only reported a $500 donation from an Oakland bus drivers union this period.

Interestingly, Arambula previously reported nominal $100 donations from two of Thomas’ trustee colleagues, Veva Islas and Andy Levine, both of whom also belong to Fresno community groups.

Trustee Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas gave $500 to Thomas in a previous period.

Neither Arambula’s nor Thomas’ campaigns responded to requests for comment.

Both District 3 Candidates Have Their Controversies

Historically, District 3 has not had high voter turnout. With the four-year terms for the southwest Fresno district timed in non-presidential years, turnout has not exceeded 20% in the past five election cycles.

This year, however, the primary election brought out nearly 25% of voters.

Surprising to many is the strong showing the Fresno Unified trustee had compared to the state legislator, with only a 2.4 percentage point differential between the two (29.99% to 27.6%)

Both candidates will have plenty to work with if they choose to go dirty in their campaigns.

In March, news came out about the month Arambula missed in the state Legislature while in alcohol rehab.

Divorce filings also brought the politician’s personal life into the public view, detailing alleged addictions to video games and marijuana.

An ongoing lawsuit involving Thomas has its own controversies.

In 2022, the trustee on the “Unfiltered” podcast hosted by GV Wire publisher Darius Assemi publicly accused Bullard High football coach Don Arax of calling her son the ‘n-word.’

Arax then sued Thomas and the district for defamation after he was removed as coach and left the district.

Thomas’ story changed twice about the incident, once in 2023 in a deposition, altering the story, and then again in 2025, where she said under oath that “she never said he called my son the n-word.”

A jury trial is scheduled for later this year on that case.

How Will Fuentes, Singh Race Look Going Forward?

Only slightly quieter than the District 3 showdown is the race for District 1, pitting former federal prosecutor and current State Center Community College District board president Rob Fuentes against Jakara Movement executive director Naindeep Singh, who is also a trustee with Central Unified School District.

This reporting period didn’t paint much of a picture of how Fuentes’ controversy involving ICE and his career as a federal prosecutor might have affected donations.

Toward the end of June, Fresnoland reported that Fuentes represented ICE in habeas corpus cases while also quoting him as saying that he would support abolishing the agency.

Fuentes left that job in early July after being placed on leave by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Fuentes brought in $14,850 compared to Singh’s $5,100.

“We’re in an excellent position heading into the homestretch,” Fuentes told GV Wire in a statement. “I’ll be campaigning hard in every neighborhood across District 1, focusing not on false promises or mudslinging, but on discussing the concrete ways in which we can build safer, healthier, more affordable neighborhoods for our community.”

Singh did not respond to a request for comment before publishing this article.

Singh Still Has Deep Pockets to Pull From

In the period, Fuentes pulled in donations from Fresno City Council President Nelson Esparza ($1,900) and the International Union of Painters & Allied Trades ($5,500).

Donations also came from big names such as gas station/convenience store developer George Beal, construction company owner Tommy Tarlton, and development consultant Jeff Roberts.

This period, Singh reported donations from nonprofits African American Leaders for Economic Development ($2,000) and the Amritsar Club of Fresno ($1,100). Development company CV Alliance also gave $1,100.

Fuentes donations don’t make up for Singh’s strong financial position. Singh outspent Fuentes in the period, dropping nearly $80,000 while Fuentes spent nearly $35,000.

Heading out of the campaign lull, Singh holds a strong position, with $34,463 cash on hand compared to Fuentes’ $6,365.

East Central Fresno Is a Hot Race

The primary race for east central Fresno ended with candidates Nav Gurm and Ariana Martinez Lott neck-at-neck, only .25 percentage points separated from each other (Gurm’s 38.96% to Martinez Lott’s 38.71%).

Stronger spending by Gurm in June and May ($38,229 to Martinez Lott’s $25,231) put the two nearly at parity in terms of cash-on-hand. Gurm now sits on $15,950 while Martinez Lott reports $11,251 in her coffers.

Gurm brought in heavy donations from several unions such as the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades ($5,500) and the Sheet Metal Workers 104 ($2,000). Gurm also pulled in $2,500 from the California Apartment Association and $1,900 from Esparza, his former boss when Gurm worked for City Hall.

Martinez Lott formerly worked for Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias.

Martinez Lott pulled from a broader coalition of small donations, none of them exceeding $500, with attorney and environmental activist Patience Milrod donating $500, among the highest for the period.

Notably, Fresno Teachers Association has funded both campaigns, giving $2,500 to each.

Gurm earlier this year received an endorsement from Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.

Martinez Lott Tries to Tie Term Limit Proposal to Gurm

Gurm told GV Wire in a statement that he’s already out knocking on doors.

“We are proud to have finished first in a competitive four-candidate race,” Gurm said. “We will keep doing exactly what got us here: knocking on doors and taking our message of a new generation of leadership to Fresno City Hall, one focused on results and real solutions for our communities.”

In a statement to GV Wire, Martinez Lott brought up Esparza’s term limit proposal, which drew opposition from many throughout the city.

Last week, Esparza proposed limiting council and mayoral terms to 12 years, which would have simultaneously eliminated rules of running indefinitely while also extending the amount of consecutive years the city’s elected officials can hold office. Before, councilmembers and the mayor could only hold office eight years in a row.

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said he would run for a third term. Last Thursday, councilmembers unanimously declined to put the proposal on the ballot.

“While my opponent’s donors and supporters tried to expand consecutive term limits for elected officials, I will continue to focus on rebuilding trust with the residents of District 7,” Martinez Lott told GV Wire. “I am so proud of the grassroots campaign that has been funded by teachers and District 7 neighbors, and we are ready to protect the future of our neighborhoods this coming November!”

Gurm, however, said he’s “proud to have a broad and diverse coalition of support,” and that he has supporters on both sides of that debate. He said he personally does not support increasing term limits. He said he would like to see term limits for county supervisors.

“My opponent continues to look for creative ways to attack me, but I’m staying focused on issues impacting residents,” Gurm said.