ENDORSE: Fresno City Council District 1; a fresh face with some key experience
The Fresno City Council’s District 1 covers a large portion of northwest and west-central Fresno, including Tower District, the Fresno High area, parts of Fig Garden, and areas west of Highway 99.
Councilmember Annalisa Perea has held the seat since late 2022 and is running for the California State Assembly District 31 seat. That leaves it open and four candidates are vying for the seat.
We expect a runoff in the November general election. With that in mind, we’re offering a main endorsement and another candidate to consider.
Joe Hinojosa: At this critical moment for Fresno, Hinojosa, who works for the city as its ADA coordinator, would count as a fresh face on the council who also has experience in government. He has talked about ensuring basic city services in parts of the district and stresses that he’s not a career politician.
We think Hinojosa has the right combination of concern for residents at the neighborhood level with an eye toward important economic development, such as a new downtown soccer stadium.
One of our community advisors said: “He understands how city government works, and I believe he can get things done. He is also the current (Americans with Disabilities Act) coordinator for the city, so I know he understands underserved populations.”
Watch the full District 1 candidates’ forum here: Fresno City Council D-1 candidates answer key questions during Fresno Bee forum
The Fresno Bee Editorial Board consists of editors and community advisors. We plan to expand the board following the June 2 primary to include more community members.
Read about our plans for a community editorial board
In this year’s endorsement cycle, we’ve left out SEDA in our considerations because most of the candidates across the four city council races say they do not support the current plan but might in the future with some revisions. We looked for a combination of fresh perspectives and practical experience.
Here’s where City Council candidates stand on SEDA, Fresno’s massive development plan
The Bee editorial board thinks a new council should rethink the anti-camping ordinance and support sensible economic development projects that can increase economic activity in downtown and elsewhere in Fresno as they raise the city’s profile, such as a new downtown soccer stadium.
Economic development: At the District 1 candidates forum, Hinojosa said he wanted to push economic development initiatives in some underserved areas, such as west of 99. We agree there needs to be more attention.
Soccer stadium: Hinojosa says he believes in building a new soccer stadium downtown and would support public investment to make it work. How much is really the key question that the new council would face.
Anti-camping ordinance: Hinojosa did not address the potential remaking of the ordinance directly in our candidates’ forum. He said he would boost the city’s eviction protection program and work hard to help seniors stay in their homes. We’d like to see the full council retool the anti-camping ordinance so that it still grapples with the current pressing issue of people living on the street in front of businesses and in other public rights of way.
Another choice
Naindeep Singh
This candidate says a lot of the right things about investing more in neighborhoods “west of 99” and in trying to impact affordability in Fresnan’s daily lives. He offers quite a lot of ideas and initiatives that he would champion, and we think he is worth a look.
Singh is the executive director of the nonprofit Jakara Movement and a Central Unified board trustee. His campaign is built around lowering the cost of living for working families in Fresno and sees the city becoming unaffordable for those who built it as a pressing issue.
If elected, he plans to introduce a utility hike rate capping ordinance. Plus, he is prepared to introduce a “Vacant to Vibrant” program connecting local entrepreneurs to subsidized leases, cutting permitting timelines with deadlines, and a “Fresno First” procurement ordinance to stop taxpayer contracts from leaving the Central Valley.
One of our community advisors said: “Singh has some good ideas, and I like that he is focusing on the area west of 99, which is a bit forgotten. I hope it doesn’t come at the expense of the Tower, which needs a strong advocate. I also like that he would be the first Sikh council member.”
This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 11:00 AM.
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