Fresno councilmembers earn six figures, and some have side gigs. See how much they make
At least two Fresno city councilmembers have side jobs as political consultants.
Nelson Esparza, the council president, teaches economic classes at Fresno City College; is running for a seat on the state Board of Equalization; and also has his own political consultant business, 1101 Strategies.
Miguel Arias operates Strategic Engagement LLC. He is also the interim spokesperson for Madera Community College.
Both are termed out.
The practice of councilmembers holding side gigs is nothing new. Several Fresno councilmembers currently and in recent history have held other jobs.
Councilmembers receive $111,320 a year, raised by a 2022 vote. Reasoning at the time included compensating for the 40-plus hours councilmembers work a week, and attracting more candidates. Members currently on the council — Esparza, Arias, Mike Karbassi and Tyler Maxwell — voted for the increase.
Esparza on 1101 Strategies
Esparza would not reveal his clients, but he said his work is centered around political and economic consulting, reflecting his background. He said it serves as “a vehicle for a couple of passion projects.”
He said he only has “a client or two at a time,” and is considering scaling back.
“It’s important that our local community continues to see me primarily as their public servant and local educator, because public service remains my number one priority above all else,” Esparza said.
Esparza consulted for his former chief of staff Aida Macedo, who is now a councilmember in Whittier. Her campaign paid 1101 Strategies $6,200 this year through March 28 and accrued another $1,800 in services, her most recent campaign financial disclosure stated.
None of his clients are local, Esparza said, and he has complied with all reporting and ethics requirements.
“I’ve never had to recuse from a single vote because of a conflict related to consulting work. It’s all separate and apart from my role at City Hall,” Esparza said.
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz said Esparza’s actions are above board.
“Council President Esparza has always been diligent about remaining compliant with ethical standards. I can confirm that over the years my office has reviewed all past, current, and prospective sources of income for the council president and advised that there are no conflicts,” Janz said in a statement to The Bee.
Esparza and Youth Save Democracy
Esparza received $41,000 in contracts from Youth Save Democracy, a federal political action committee based in Clovis, as reported by The Bee’s Melissa Montalvo. The PAC contributed $5,500 to an Esparza campaign fund on Dec. 13, 2024. At the time, Esparza was considering a run for state Senate. Esparza, and the money, pivoted to the BOE race.
Esparza reported his extra income through economic disclosure documents with the city, known as Form 700. For 2024, Esparza checked the box for the $10,001-$100,000 range; in 2023 and 2025, he checked the box for the $2,000-$10,000 range.
Two former Esparza staffers established Youth Save Democracy — Johnathan Burrows and Nav Gurm. Burrows served as a spokesperson for Esparza and now holds the same role with the Central Unified School District. Gurm left Esparza’s office to complete law school. He is running to succeed Esparza on the Fresno City Council, representing District 7, composing of east-central Fresno.
Gurm and Burrows received consulting contracts form Youth Save Democracy.
Esparza wouldn’t directly answer questions about his work for YSD, or contracting with a PAC founded by his former employees. He said he hasn’t been affiliated with the group since finishing his consulting work in 2024.
“I helped build YSD and get it started based on their vision for what they wanted to accomplish in the space of engaging youth politically,” Esparza said.
“Providing public service and political engagement opportunities to our youth has been an absolute passion of mine throughout my tenure. I’m incredibly proud of the positive impact that YSD is still having, and doing so while being one of the most transparent political organizations based out of the Valley,” he said.
Arias’ consulting job
For 2025, Arias checked the “$10,001-$100,000” box for income from his consulting job. The previous year, he reported between $0-$1,999.
Arias told The Bee he kept his business dormant for most of the years he served on the City Council, since 2019. He started again in the last year. His main client is Madera Community Hospital.
Most of his work, Arias said, is for nonprofits and other government agencies — such as Sacramento City Schools — on how to deal with local governments. He said all his work is outside Fresno County.
During his 2022 vote to raise councilmember’s salaries, Arias said he devoted long hours at work with plenty of sacrifice. He said he left his full-time career “to meet the demands of the role.”
“As I complete my final year on the council, I have begun transitioning back to professional work outside City Hall that presents no conflict with city business. The long hours continue,” Arias said.
Recently, he worked a 12-hour day, while still attending to family needs, and participating in a neighborhood meeting, he said.
“In short, I continue to work long hours to meet my obligations to the city, my profession, and my family,” Arias said.
Other councilmembers sources of income
All elected officials are required to disclose other sources of income on the Form 700, filed with the California Fair Political Practices Commission.
Annalisa Perea, running for state Assembly, received $10,001-$100,000 from QK, a civil engineering firm. On occasion, Perea has had to recuse herself from council votes. She no longer works for the firm, focusing on working as a councilmember, Assembly candidate and her life as “a new mama” she said.
Karbassi listed $100,001-$1,000,000 of income from his family business, Persian Rug Collections by Karbassi.
Nick Richardson said he is in the process of shutting down his consulting firm, NRICH, LLC. The company helped with safety programs, accident investigations and leadership training. He reported less than $2,000 in 2023, but did not list the firm in his 2024 or 2025 report.
Maxwell and Brandon Vang did not report outside jobs in their 2025 filing.
Recent councilmembers Esmeralda Soria (2015-2022) and Luis Chavez (2017-2025) also reported operating consulting firms.
This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 2:57 PM.
