Who else is running for Fresno mayor? Long-shot candidates have good (and wacky) ideas
With all due respect to Brian Jefferson, the self-described “homeless advocate” and “ex-felon” who a few months ago was living on the streets will not be Fresno’s next mayor.
Same goes for Nickolas Wildstar, Floyd Harris Jr., Richard Renteria, Bill Gates (no, not that Bill Gates) or anyone in the seven-candidate field not named Jerry Dyer or Andrew Janz.
Apologies for being blunt. Feel free to disagree in the comments section or appeal to a higher power.
“I have no doubt that I will win,” Jefferson said when he and I spoke by phone. “I have no doubt God’s will will be done.”
For the five long shots in the Fresno mayoral race, the challenge is steeper than pedaling a single-speed bike up Tollhouse Road. Janz and Dyer have in their corners the political machinery of both major parties. They have paid staff and large numbers of volunteers. They’re the only ones filing campaign disclosure forms.
But just because Jefferson, Wildstar, Harris Jr., Renteria and Gates don’t have any realistic chance of succeeding Lee Brand — let alone finishing in the top two of the March 3 primary — doesn’t mean they should be ignored. It doesn’t mean they are bereft of ideas.
If there’s a common theme among the Fringe Five, it’s that they consider themselves “outsiders” who want to bring “new ideas” to a city that desperately needs “a fresh start.”
Three of them (Harris, Renteria and Jefferson) could be described as liberal, even to the left of Janz. Gates is a moderate, while Wildstar identifies as a libertarian with several progressive-sounding platform planks.
For example, Wildstar wants Fresno to consider forming its own public utility using alternative sources of energy. He also wants to establish a public bank (i.e. Bank of Fresno) and spur economic growth and job creation by eliminating business license fees.
In 2018, Wildstar ran for governor with backing from the Libertarian Party (he received 0.2% of the primary vote) before moving to Fresno from Orange County last June.
The other four outside candidates are either Fresno natives or longtime residents.
The ‘other’ Bill Gates
Gates moved here in 2008 from his native country of Egypt, when his legal name was Nabil Samuel. The owner of Micro Private Security said he chose the name of the world’s second-richest man in 2013 after seeing the “real” Bill Gates get down on his knees to wash an Egyptian boy’s legs.
Billionaire involvement is a big part of Gates’ plans for Fresno, though he has been absent from every candidate forum, including last Thursday night’s well-attended #Fresno4All event.
Gates’ big idea is to bring to town three wealthy princes of Middle Eastern countries and convince them to make massive investments in Fresno’s infrastructure.
“We have Yosemite (National Park) right here,” Gates said. “We can make a lot of money here. Fresno Yosemite International Airport is just a name. I’d truly make it international.”
Of all the fringe candidates, Harris likely has the most built-in support. The assistant pastor at the New Light For New Life Church of God is well-known in southwest Fresno for his community activism.
Prodded to run for mayor by the release of a video depicting the police shooting of 16-year-old Isiah Murrietta-Golding, Harris has made Fresno Police Department reform a central pillar of his campaign. He was also highly critical of Fresno’s friendly business deals with polluting industries.
“Police officers have to understand that when you go into a community, you can’t go in like Robocop,” Harris said. “You have to go in there with dignity and respect for the people in that community.”
Personal experiences frame views
Police reform and community policing are also major issues for Renteria and Jefferson, both of whom tend to frame the issues facing Fresno around their own personal experiences.
With his white hair and goatee, Renteria gives off sort of a grandfatherly vibe. This is his third mayoral campaign and second time on the ballot. He received 2.5% of the vote in the June 2018 primary.
Renteria grew up in Calwa, something he is quick to remind forum audiences about almost every time he’s asked a question. He is also an avid cyclist.
“You want to learn how to cut down the (air) pollution?” Renteria asked Thursday night. “Ride a bike. Or learn the bus schedule.”
If elected mayor, Renteria indicated you’d find his bike parked in front of City Hall. However, that answer was one-upped by Jefferson, who said he commutes around town on a skateboard while being pulled behind “trained service hounds.”
Now there’s an alternative form of transportation that would garner Fresno some attention.
In order to avoid a November runoff, one of the candidates needs to collect 50 percent of the vote on March 3. So even though the Fringe Five has no realistic shot of winning, their collective strength could ensure the mayoral campaign lasts another eight months.
Which, unless you’re Dyer, Janz or someone who can’t stand elections, is probably a win for us all.
