Your guide to the Fresno City Council District 5 primary election incumbent race
Fresno City Councilman Brandon Vang is set to face three challengers in his reelection bid for the District 5 seat in the primary election.
State Center Community College Trustee Danielle Parra, entrepreneur Nickolas Wildstar and former Fresno County Director of Economic Development Jose Leon Barraza have mounted a challenge against Vang, who received just over 50% of the vote in a special election in 2025.
To secure a seat in the June 2 primary election, a candidate must receive 50% plus one of the votes. If no one gets a majority of the vote, the top two candidates will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
The District 5 candidates recently gathered for a forum hosted by The Fresno Bee, where they each expressed their positions on local issues and answered questions. Watch the full District 5 candidate forum here.
Where’s the district?
The district encompasses a large portion of southeast Fresno, including neighborhoods like Sunnyside, Roosevelt, and Fancher Creek.
Of the 36,290 registered voters in the district, 16,742 are registered Democrats and 7,569 are registered Republicans, according to Fresno County data. Another 9,079 voters have no party preference listed.
Brandon Vang
Vang was sworn into office on April 10, 2025, becoming the first person of Hmong descent to represent District 5 and the second person in the history of Fresno’s council. Before that, Vang served on the Sanger Unified School Board from 2016 until last year.
He sees a lack of basic city services — such poor road conditions, broken streetlights, illegal dumping and slow emergency response times — as a top issue facing the district.
“I will prioritize stronger constituent services, so residents can get timely responses and real solutions—not runarounds,” Vang said. “Residents deserve clean, safe, and well-maintained neighborhoods, and I will focus on delivering exactly that.”
Vang’s political consultant, Pedro Ramirez, said that over the past year, Vang secured over $14 million for streets and infrastructure, activated seven traffic signals and completed 12 paving projects.
Other priorities for Vang going forward include enhancing green spaces, strengthening public safety, addressing homelessness and enhancing economic growth, Ramirez said.
Vang is endorsed by the Fresno Teachers Association, the Fresno City Employees Association, the Central Labor Council, Stationary Engineers Local 39, Fresno City Firefighters Local 202, state Sen. Anna Caballero, Clovis Mayor Vong Mouanoutoua, Marcy Masumoto of the Fresno County Board of Education, and Sanger Unified Trustee Tang M. Yang.
Danielle Parra
Parra was elected to the State Center Community College District Board of Trustees in 2020. She is also the vice president of communications at Vista Consulting Inc., a Valley-based public affairs firm.
She said one of the most important issues facing the district is a lack of investment in overlooked neighborhoods, including deteriorating roads and sidewalks, inconsistent landscaping and maintenance, and limited access to good-paying jobs.
Parra said she plans to work closely with city departments, establish a neighborhood-based working group to help identify priorities and secure state funding.
“By aligning these efforts with infrastructure improvements and neighborhood priorities, we can deliver a coordinated, results-driven approach that brings meaningful investment back into our communities,” Parra said.
Parra’s endorsements include: Fresno City Councilman Tyler Maxwell, Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez, the Fresno County Democratic Party, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, Fresno Chamber of Commerce, Central Labor Council, National Women’s Political Caucus, Latinas Lead, FMTK Building Trades Council, Operating Engineers Local 3, Plumbers and Pipefitters UA 246, Painters Local 294, IBEW Local 100, and Sheet Metal Workers Local 104.
Jose Leno Barraza
Barraza is a member of Fresno’s Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission. He is the former director of economic development for Fresno County, where he worked for 34 years, as well as the former CEO of the Southeast Fresno Community Economic Development Association.
Barraza was also involved in securing $11 million in funding for the Southeast Sports Complex, which took decades to get off the ground and is currently under construction.
If elected, he said he plans to work to get the Central Southeast Area Specific Plan and the South Central Industrial Specific Plan approved.
His campaign website says the implementation of these plans would find tenants to fix abandoned, blighted buildings, create a business park and employment district and promote the expansion of industrial and commercial sites.
Other priorities for Barraza include public safety, housing affordability and availability, supporting small businesses, addressing homelessness and enhanced green spaces.
Barraza has been endorsed by Tulare County Supervisor Eddie Valero, former State Center Community College District Trustee John Leal, the Calwa Neighborhood Group, Friends of Southeast Fresno, the Sunnyside/IRS Building Neighborhood Group and other business owners, community leaders and neighborhood groups.
Nickolas Wildstar
Wildstar has a background working in digital marketing and music. He has run for city council, mayor and governor in past elections.
A big issue he sees facing the district is the need for more large parks, green spaces and sporting areas.
“The proposed Southeast Fresno Sports Complex is highly anticipated, but people are dissatisfied with the completion date being sometime in 2030,” Wildstar said. “I plan on having two parks built in the district before that date without having to use any money from taxpayers.”
He is also interested in using state homelessness relief funds to build a 3D printed home manufacturing facility in southeast Fresno, which he said would provide state-of-the-art affordable housing and provide jobs.
Finances
Vang is leading the race in finances, with $72,270 raised between the January 1 and April 18 filing period, according to campaign finance disclosure forms filed by candidates’ campaign committees on the city of Fresno website.
Parra has raised $34,980 during that same period. Barraza raised $27,179.
The amount of money Wildstar has raised for his campaign is under the $2,000 threshold required for reporting.
