Fresno’s first openly gay councilmember sworn in. Here’s who will lead the new city council
The Fresno City Council kicked off the New Year by swearing in its first openly-gay councilmember and naming a new council president.
Newly-elected District 1 Councilmember Annalisa Perea was sworn in. Perea joins a small cadre of women who have served on the Fresno City Council, and she is the first openly-gay Fresno City Councilmember.
“What we’ve learned from history is that representation matters. That’s why I’m proud to be the first open LGBTQ+ member on the Fresno City Council,” Perea said. “Now more than ever, our values are under threat. My promise is to be a voice for my community and ensure we as a city are doing everything within our power to protect and lift up our LGBTQ+ community — especially our youth.”
Last month, the council unanimously appointed Perea to fill the District 1 vacancy for one meeting after the seat was vacated by Esmeralda Soria’s election to the state Assembly. Thursday’s oath marks the beginning of Perea’s first term.
Politics is a family affair for the Pereas. Annalisa’s father, former Fresno County Supervisor Henry R. Perea, and her mother, Grace Daniels, administered her oath. Both her father and older borther, Henry T. Perea, previously served on the Fresno City Council, too. Her brother also served in the state Assembly.
“Today is a monumental moment in my life. I’m excited to have the opportunity to bring my background as a city and regional planner to positively transform our city,” she said, thanking her family, campaign staff and voters.
The council also appointed Perea as vice president and Councilmember Tyler Maxwell as council president.
Maxwell succeeds his former boss Nelson Esparza, who represents District 7 on the city council. Maxwell served as vice president last year. The council president sets council meeting agendas and presides over meetings.
“It is truly an honor to have been unanimously elected by my colleagues to preside over the Fresno City Council,” Maxwell said in a statement. “I am committed to working toward a more unified council and shifting our focus and efforts toward policies that will help Fresno’s working families. I look forward to collaborating with the Dyer administration to deliver on the needs of our community: increased public safety, more housing and more jobs, clean local parks, and repaired roads and sidewalks. Only by working together can we as a city begin to serve the families that put us into office.”
Esparza passed the gavel to Maxwell after spending the year in headlines and ultimately beating a felony charge against him related to his council position. Esparza, along with Councilmember Miguel Arias, were sworn in for their second terms.
The council in 2020 changed the rules for appointing a council president. The rules call for the leadership positions to rotate annually and numerically by council district. The amendment allows the council to vary from the rotation by a majority vote.
This story was originally published January 5, 2023 at 5:25 PM.