Another day, another slew of local campaign mailers. But Fresno City Council District 1 candidate Naindeep Singh’s stood out above the rest.

On the front, there was this: “COSTS ARE UP. CORRUPTION IS WORSE. CITY HALL IS NOT LISTENING.” On the back: “A CITY HALL TOO CORRUPT TO CARE” and “ZERO TOLERANCE FOR CORRUPTION.”

Raising the potential of corruption to voters (and journalists) is a sure way to gain attention. So I called Singh and asked him what stinks at City Hall.

He pointed to issues from the recent past such as the two $100,000 contracts for constituent outreach that then-city councilmember Luis Chavez entered into with his political consultant, Alex Tavlian. Neither contract was brought before the council for a vote.

In addition, there were allegations that the second contract served mostly to promote the campaign of Chavez’s wife, Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, who sought his seat in a special election after Chavez won election to the county Board of Supervisors. Jonasson Rosas lost to Brandon Vang, who canceled the contract.

How Singh Plans to Fight and Expose Wrongdoing

That’s all water under the bridge, so I asked Singh what his anti-corruption efforts would look like. In a nutshell, this is what the Central Unified School District trustee promised to do if elected as Annalisa Perea’s successor:

— Propose the creation of an ethics committee

— Propose bringing back the city’s ombudsman position

— Be a whistleblower who would publicize political shenanigans or alleged criminal wrongdoing at City Hall.

— Be willing to risk getting sideways with council colleagues or even the City Attorney’s Office if he believed corruption was being covered up

From my vantage point, the council doesn’t need another committee. But I’m all on board with restoring the ombudsman’s position and Singh’s commitment to exposing corruption.

Shining a light on political wrongdoing requires a stiff backbone. Councilmembers directly involved want to keep their troubles buried, and other councilmembers often are wary about bringing negative public attention to the body. Whistleblowers can be gaslit and shut out of honest, necessary dealmaking to win support for their initiatives.

Should Singh win what figures to be a competitive race in a field that also includes Monte Forkas, Robert Fuentes, and Joe Hinojosa, the city council will be on notice that future monkey business is likely to get its deserved sunlight.

As Singh says on his flyer, “I grew up in Fresno. My family is here. And I believe this city is worth fighting for.”

Judicial Candidates: Who’s Your Favorite Supreme Court Justice?

John Gerardi, executive director of Right to Life Central California and a local conservative talk-show host, pitched an interesting idea for those competing to become Fresno County judges on the June 2 ballot.

Gerardi, a graduate of Notre Dame Law School and a lawyer himself, identified a challenge: How do candidates — most of whom are unknown to the vast majority of voters — stand out in the crowd?

The traditional way is to raise enough money to plaster your name on signs at the busiest intersections in Fresno and Clovis.

In a Facebook post, Gerardi suggested that judicial candidates also do this: “Maybe just put the name of your favorite Supreme Court justice in one of your campaign ads or signs. E.g., Vote John Gerardi for Judge! He loves Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito! Boom, immediately everyone knows what they’re voting for, you drive turnout for yourself, etc.”

Gerardi goes on to write, “Instead, 99% of the electorate walks in with no earthly idea why they should vote for you over anyone else. Oh, you want to be ‘a strong voice on the bench?’ A strong voice for what? You’re going to ‘uphold justice?’ What do you think ‘justice’ means? You ‘reflect our values, treat everyone with respect and dignity, and are ready on day one to deliver for our community?’ Thank you for the most generic list of qualifications I’ve ever read in my life. (These quotes were all taken from a campaign ad I just received via text, by the way.)”

Arambula Endorses Three Candidates for Judgeships

It’s well known that Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, D-Fresno, is running for the Fresno City Council District 3 seat. He’s also weighing in on three Fresno County judges’ races with endorsements of Rosalina Nunez, Deidre Adams, and Jamie Xiong-Vang.

In addition to the endorsements, his campaign paid for high-quality, full-color mailers listing their qualifications accompanied by pictures of the candidates with their families.

What to make of this? If Arambula succeeds in his quest to land Miguel Arias’ termed-out seat, he intends to become a political kingmaker and wield much greater influence than most councilmembers.