Why Did Fresno Councilmember Arias Sit for Pledge of Allegiance?

For every tough question Miguel Arias asks at a Fresno City Council 
meeting, he also seems to find a way to get under the skin of his 
detractors.

In his eighth and final year representing southwest and downtown Fresno, 
Arias developed a reputation for pressing staff and diving deep on issues. 
He will seek information ranging from major policy matters to mundane 
agenda items, often citing the public’s right to know.

He also developed a reputation for pushing the envelope — and for ticking 
people off from the dais.

His latest stunt was sitting during the Pledge of Allegiance at the Jan. 
29 meeting. The move drew heavy criticism on social media.

His explanation to Politics 101 is likely to anger even more people.

“I’m sorry to disappoint those interested in my posture, but it was just a 
leg cramp after a long night of home repairs — apparently a normal 
occurrence at my age. More important than that, though, is the growing 
number of lives lost in immigration enforcement actions this year, 
including multiple fatal shootings by federal agents that have drawn 
national outrage and calls for accountability,” Arias said.

Arias provided his response via text message, so readers can interpret the 
context as they see fit.

Councilmember Nick Richardson, a Marine Corp reservist who usually leads 
the pledge, said it is Arias’ right not to stand.

“I’m a firm believer of his right to do so,” Richardson said. “It’s not 
something I would do. That flag means a lot to me.”

Arias was not the only person to sit during the pledge. Politics 101 also 
spotted others in the council audience who did not stand.

Arias vs. ICE
Later at the Jan. 29 meeting, Arias again interjected his opinion on non-
council matters, as he has done for the past eight years. This time, he 
used the term “murder” when describing the deaths of Renee Good and Alex 
Pretti — two protesters in Minneapolis shot and killed by immigration 
agents.

At the Jan. 15 council meeting after Good’s death, Arias used the neutral 
word “killed.”

Earlier this year, Arias claimed another immigration raid was imminent in 
Fresno and Bakersfield. Last year, he claimed a raid would occur at a 
local swap meet. Neither claim materialized.

In both instances, Arias provided no source or verification for his 
information. Most elected leaders avoid spreading unverified rumors. When 
asked by Fresnoland about his most recent “sky is falling” moment, Arias 
said “officials changed their plans,” again without elaboration.

Arias has about 10 months remaining before he is termed out. He recently 
took a side gig as a spokesperson for Madera Community College — a move 
criticized by the anonymous State Center watchdog group SCCCD Insiders.

An immediate political future is unlikely. Arias lost a 2024 primary for 
county supervisor, and members of his own local Democratic Party declined 
to select him as a delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Fresno Council Fundraising
Naindeep Singh has not only raised the most money for Fresno City Council 
District 1 — he is the overall fundraising leader.

Singh, a Central Unified trustee and executive director of the Jakara 
Movement, reported raising $135,399 during the July through December 2025 
reporting period. Most of the money came from individual contributors.

Rob Fuentes, an SCCCD trustee and federal prosecutor, raised $44,500 in 
the same time frame. Mayra Campa, a staff aide to current District 1 
Councilmember Annalisa Perea, raised $14,245.

Perea is running for state Assembly.

State Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, running for District 3, reported 
more than double the fundraising of his two main competitors combined. He 
reported raising $75,512 during the July–December reporting period. 
Fernando Alvarez, a former staffer at the Fresno Chamber, reported 
$20,084. Fresno Unified trustee Keshia Thomas raised $9,115.

Arambula also collected PAC contributions from the International Union of 
Operating Engineers Stationary Engineers Local No. 39, The Doctors Company 
PAC, and UFCW Workers 8 Golden State PAC.

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In District 5, incumbent Brandon Vang, in effect, raised negative funds in 
the latter half of 2025. He did not raise new money but forgave a loan he 
made to himself during the 2025 special election.

SCCCD Trustee Danielle Parra raised $26,401.

In District 7, businessman AJ Rassamni has a nominal lead over attorney 
Nav Gurm. Gurm’s total in the chart does not include the $50,101 he raised 
in 2024, nor a $15,000 loan he gave to himself this year.

He also held a fundraiser last week that included Mayor Jerry Dyer. Gurm 
said the event added $65,000 to his campaign coffers.

“This campaign has made early investments in reaching voters directly 
through door-knocking, community events, and grassroots outreach, and it’s 
clearly paying off,” Gurm said in a news release. “The incredible support 
we’ve received shows that Fresno residents are ready for a new generation 
of leadership that puts people first and delivers real results at City 
Hall.”

Activist Ariana Martinez Lott raised $19,828 during the reporting period.

District 7 incumbent Nelson Esparza is termed out and running for state 
Board of Equalization.

The next reporting deadline is April 23, covering the period from Jan. 1 
through April 18.

What is Deadline for Transportation Tax Sigs?
A social justice group, supported by Mayor Jerry Dyer and Clovis City 
Councilmember Lynne Ashbeck, filed a notice of intention to collect 
signatures for a successor to Measure C — the Fresno Countywide sales tax 
for transportation projects that expires next year.

Moving Fresno Forward filed the notice with the Fresno County Clerk on 
Jan. 26. The following deadlines were provided by Fresno County 
Clerk/Registrar of Voters James Kus:

County counsel has 15 days to provide an official title and summary.
Proponents must then publish the notice, including the title and summary, 
in designated newspapers. Once proof of publication is delivered to the 
county clerk within 10 days, the group may begin gathering signatures.
Supporters have 180 days to gather signatures.
Once signatures are submitted, the clerk’s office has 30 workdays — about 
42 calendar days — to conduct a random sample review. The process could 
take up to 60 workdays if all signatures must be examined. If the petition 
is deemed sufficient, the clerk will certify the signatures and forward 
the matter to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors for placement on the 
ballot.
The Board of Supervisors has until Aug. 7 to adopt an ordinance placing 
the measure on the Nov. 3 ballot. The last meeting scheduled before that 
deadline is July 14.
Clearly, the petitioners cannot take the full 180 days, as that would put 
them past the Aug. 7 deadline. If Kus requires the full 60 workdays — 
excluding weekends and holidays — for signature review, petitions would 
need to be submitted by May 12. The earliest proponents could begin 
gathering signatures would be around Feb. 20.

Kus “strongly” recommends the petition be submitted by April.

Proponents need 21,909 valid signatures from registered voters to qualify.

“This would give any petition deemed sufficient during a random sample 
review enough time to be heard by the Board of Supervisors and placed on 
the November ballot. If a petition uses the full 180 days allotted for 
circulation, or if a full-count review is required, a petition found 
sufficient would qualify for the 2028 election cycle or a special 
election,” Kus said.

Signature sampling will include either 500 signatures or 3% of the total 
submitted — whichever is greater. For example, if Moving Fresno Forward 
submits 30,000 signatures, the clerk will sample 900.

The clerk will apply the validation rate to the total number of signatures 
and compare that figure to the number of valid signatures required.

For example, if the validation rate of a 900-signature sample is 75%, 
applying that rate to 30,000 submitted signatures would yield 22,500 valid 
signatures — or 102% of the required total.

If the overall validation rate exceeds 110%, the clerk will certify the 
petition. If the rate falls between 95% and 110%, the clerk will examine 
all submitted signatures. If the rate is below 95%, the petition will 
fail.

Petitioners will need at least 24,099 valid signatures to avoid a full-
count review.

For comparison, Measure P — the 2018 city of Fresno’s sales tax for parks 
— had a validation rate of 78.5%, which passed the random sample test. 
Using that same rate, Measure C successor petitioners would need 30,699 
total signatures to avoid a full count.

Rewind: Seven Candidates for Governor Debate
Seven candidates for governor met in San Francisco on Tuesday for a two-
hour debate televised by KTVU in the Bay Area and KTTV in Southern 
California, both Fox stations.

Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton, Matt Mahan, Tom Steyer, Tony Thurmond, 
Antonio Villaraigosa, and Betty Yee met at the Ruth Williams–Bayview Opera 
House in San Francisco. Hilton was the only Republican; the others are 
Democrats.

The debate topics included Proposition 36, wildfires, homelessness, and 
immigration.

The full debate can be viewed here.

Hilton said he supports legal immigration and would ensure laws are 
“peacefully enforced.”

He also criticized the only other notable Republican in the race, 
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, calling him “BLM Bianco” and urging 
him to drop out.

Mahan, the San Jose mayor who recently entered the race, said President 
Donald Trump’s policies are “dividing us” and urged immigration reform.

Steyer, a billionaire businessman, called for ICE to be abolished. 
Thurmond, the state superintendent of public instruction, said he would 
restore universal healthcare for undocumented immigrants.

Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles, said he would take on Trump 
“wherever he raises his ugly head.”

Yee, the former state controller, said she would also resist ICE.

Said Becerra, the former U.S. health and human services secretary and 
state attorney general: “We will police the immigration police.”

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