Political spending groups want to influence Fresno elections. Whom do they support?
A new state law could be changing how political donors fund local Fresno elections, according to a political consultant.
Pedro Ramirez, who heads the Valley Impact Strategies firm, said fundraising has been relatively slow compared to other competitive council races in recent years, when candidates raised up to $300,000 or more.
He suspects that part of the slower fundraising may relate to recently enacted state laws designed to prevent campaign contributors from unduly influencing public officials. According to the California Fair Political Practices Commission, local government officials can’t vote on matters that have a direct financial impact on businesses that contributed more than $500 to their campaign in the previous year.
“I think that law had a huge impact on direct contributions,” he said.
That doesn’t necessarily mean less money will be spent on these races. Direct contributions to state and local candidates are capped at a certain dollar amount under FPPC rules, but donations to some political spending organizations are not subject to these limits.
Fresno elections could see an uptick in political spending via contributions and independent expenditures made through political action committees. PACs are an instrument to fundraise money to support or oppose candidates.
Several newly formed PACs are spending tens of thousands of dollars on Fresno County Board of Supervisors and Fresno City Council races ahead of the June 2 primary. This is in addition to established political spending groups that regularly spend on candidates, such as the Fresno Chamber Political Action Committee or the Fresno City Employees Association (PAC).
“We might see more money in PAC independent expenditures,” said Ramirez, who is consulting on the campaigns for District 1 and District 5 City Council candidates Naindeep Singh and Brandon Vang.
An independent expenditure is a type of expense on communications that advocates for or against a candidate but is not made in coordination with a candidate, the candidate’s campaign or political party, according to the Federal Elections Commission. Under state law, there are no limits on contributions made to “independent expenditure” committees.
New PACs spend on Fresno City Council races
One of the PACs spending on local races is a group called the Central Valley Council.
There’s little public information about the group or its goals. The political action committee says on its bare-bones website that it’s “fighting for a better Valley.”
The Central Valley Council was formed in 2025 by local political consultant Alex Tavlian. According to its filings with the city of Fresno, its funders include local businesses such as: Mid Valley Disposal LLC, Granville Homes Inc., Peter Stravinski, of Stravinski Development Group, West Coast Waste, Inc. and American Ambulance.
Tavlian, an officer of the PAC, said in a statement to The Bee that the goal of the Central Valley Council is to identify and support high-quality candidates across the ballot “who demonstrate integrity, leadership, and a commitment to serving their communities.”
“Since launching, we’re proud to have supported a bipartisan mix of exceptional candidates from across the Valley,” he said.
Campaign contribution filings show that the Central Valley Council has donated to a handful of Fresno City Council candidates including:
- Fernando Alvarez, District 3 candidate, $5,900
- Mayra Campa, former District 1 candidate, $5,500
- Rob Fuentes, District 1 candidate, $5,000
- Nav Gurm, District 7 candidate, $5,900
- Danielle Parra, District 5 candidate, $4,500
The PAC and its affiliates have also donated to sitting council members seeking higher office. Central Valley Council contributed $10,000 to Mike Karbassi for his Fresno County District 1 Board of Supervisor campaign, as well as $2,000 to his Fresno County Clerk race in October 2025.
Tavlian is also listed as an officer for a committee formed in late April called the “One Fresno Coalition.” It’s not immediately clear who funds the PAC according to campaign filings, and Tavlian would not confirm to The Bee who is funding the group.
Filings show the Coalition is making independent expenditures on mailers in favor of council candidates Alvarez, Fuentes, Gurm and Parra.
“One Fresno” is a phrase associated with Mayor Jerry Dyer, who campaigned for mayor on a vision of uniting the city behind “One Fresno.” Dyer told The Bee his had no knowledge of the committee and is not involved in it.
A third PAC spending on local races is called Youth Save Democracy. The PAC got its start in what was ultimately a failed run at Congress in 2024 by Johnathon Burrows. Gurm, the PAC’s cofounder, was his campaign consultant on the race has received a $5,500 contribution from the group to his campaign. Parra also received a $5,900 contribution from the group. The group, whose mission is to mobilize young voters, is funded by hundreds of donors nationwide making small contributions.
Money in politics
Naomi Bick, an expert in public policy and local government expert at Fresno State, said in an interview that PACs are not inherently good or bad. But voters should pay attention to who is supporting candidates in local races, she said.
“Fresno is a growing city and there is a lot more interest in our political outcomes than maybe we would expect there to be,” said Naomi Bick, an expert in public policy and local government expert at Fresno State.
Just because a candidate receives contributions from a certain donor or PAC doesn’t necessarily mean they will definitely always support those actors, Bick said.
“But it can be that they will be more favorable to listening to those sorts of voices ... instead of candidates who don’t take that type of money,” she said.
Primary elections are taking place on June 2. Read about who’s funding local races in The Fresno Bee’s voter guide.
This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 8:52 AM.
