Perea claims victory in Fresno City Council race, looks ahead to smooth transition
Annalisa Perea on Wednesday declared victory in the Fresno City Council District 1 race with thousands of votes left to be counted.
Perea as of Wednesday afternoon captured 57.5% of the votes, far outpacing her three opponents.
“I am humbled by the support and trust that the voters of District 1 have placed with me and thank my many volunteers who helped make this possible,” she said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Mayor Dyer and my council colleagues to meet the many needs of District 1 and to improve the quality of life for all Fresno residents.”
Perea said on Wednesday only opponent Jeremy Preis reached out to congratulate her.
Perea’s lead held firm at 57.5% after the second vote count of Tuesday night as her opponents Cary Catalano and Mike Briggs gained some votes. Catalano captured about 25% of the votes, and Briggs received about 12%.
In the six months before Perea takes office, she said she’s going to get up to speed on neighborhood infrastructure projects, especially the ones west of Highway 99. Once she takes office, her top priorities will be public safety, housing and homelessness, she said.
Annalisa will be the third Perea in her family to hold the District 1 Fresno City Council seat. Her father, Henry R. Perea, and her brother, Henry T. Perea, each served in the position before taking other higher offices.
Since entering politics as a trustee for State Center Community College District, Perea has been adamant about distinguishing herself apart from the Perea family dynasty.
“I’m just really proud of my family legacy. My parents raised us to always serve your community and to work hard and do right by others,” she told The Bee. “I”m just looking forward to establishing my my own pathway and focusing on leading on issues that are really important to me and to the voters of District 1.”
After the first returns Tuesday night, Perea told a crowd gathered at Full Circle Brewing Co. that if she wins the race, she is committed to being the same person she was as a candidate.
“We focused on issues that mattered the most to the people of District 1,” she said. “We did not waver from any of our stances. We brought people together from all sides of the political aisle because, at the end of the day, we were focused on doing what was in the best interest of the people of District 1, and ultimately the city of Fresno.”
The four candidates are vying to replace Councilmember Esmeralda Soria, who is termed out of the seat and running for state assembly.
Perea was joined at Full Circle with a number of other Democratic candidates, including two of the three city council incumbents seeking a second term.
The Fresno City Council incumbents up for re-election also held steady leads in the first reported results. They said that’s a reflection of the good work done in their first term.
In the District 3 race, Miguel Arias led his challengers with 61% of the 2,749 tallied votes. Larry Burrus so far received 773 votes, and Nickolas Wildstar received 286.
“I think today’s early returns are a reflection of 3.5 years of us being intentional to rebuild the city of Fresno, starting with our oldest neighborhoods. We invested in them,” Arias said. We’ve made it very clear as a council that that’s our top priority.”
In the District 5 race, Luis Chavez led his lone challenger Brandon Vang by about 11 percentage points, 55.3% for Chavez and 44.5% for Vang.
“I’m happy with the early returns,” Chavez said. “We worked extremely hard and earned every vote. An 11-point lead is a good place to be, and we will monitor the updates as they come in.
“I’m looking forward to serving the residents of southeast another four years on the council,” Chavez said.
Nelson Esparza led the District 7 race by a wide margin. His lead shrunk a bit after the second vote count update but remained strong at 66% over his two opponents, Courtney Westfall and Jason Jesada Keomanee.
Esparza said he felt good about the early returns for his race and his colleagues’ races.
“It sends a message that despite the different drama you see at City Hall and the adult tantrums that you’ve seen thrown by folks in the building, what we’re doing in the council, ultimately, is what residents want to see,” Esparza said.
“They want to see investments in the oldest parts of the city. They want to see us standing up for the voiceless. They want to see us really represent the electorate that lives in the city — not just the voters, but really the residents at large,” he said. “So I think the results reflect that level of representation that we’ve been delivering, and we’re going to keep doing it.”
This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 8:48 PM.