ENDORSE: Fresno City Council District 5; let’s see what he can do
Fresno City Councilman Brandon Vang, the only incumbent across the four council races, is set to face three challengers in his reelection bid 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 challenges against Vang, who received just over 50% of the vote in a special election in 2025.
The district encompasses a large portion of southeast Fresno, including neighborhoods such as Sunnyside, Roosevelt, and Fancher Creek.
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Brandon Vang: We’re endorsing Vang because he was installed little more than a year ago and has served well enough to be given a chance to serve a full term. He did win only narrowly in the special election and so he could face a battle.
Vang became 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.
Watch the full District 5 candidate forum here: Fresno City Council D5 candidates answer key questions during Fresno Bee forum
Vang has cited a lack of basic city services — such as 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 told The Bee. “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.
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.
This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 10:58 AM.
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