Fresno Council D1 runoff: Fuentes vs. Singh positions

Rob Fuentes and Naindeep Singh are facing off in the Nov. 3 runoff for Fresno City Council District 1 seat. The Fresno Bee examined where the candidates stand on three key issues shaping the race.

Here are key takeaways

• Tower District policing: The candidates back a stronger police presence in the Tower District nightlife scene but differ on approach. Fuentes supports preventative patrols and community policing, with officers working proactively to deter crime and build ties with residents and business owners. Singh wants the city to execute the Tower District Specific Plan: systematic code enforcement, deploying the federally funded Metro Bike Unit at peak hours and investing in art, retail, walkable streets and a public library. He says boarded buildings and disorder — not just crime data — are driving people away.
• Flock cameras: Each opposes renewing the city’s roughly $1.5 million Flock camera contract, which expires in 2026. Fuentes, a former federal prosecutor and civil rights attorney, says the system creates “a surveillance record of every single innocent person who drives through our neighborhoods.” Singh wants data on hit rates, crimes solved and access policies before any renewal, citing documented abuses in other cities including warrantless surveillance, stalking and immigration enforcement misuse. He called renewal without “ironclad protections” negligent.
• Support for LGBTQ+ and minority communities: Asked how they would support LGBTQ+, undocumented, Black, brown and unhoused residents, Fuentes pledged in a written statement to expand multilingual outreach, strengthen the Fresno EOC LGBTQ+ Resource Center and back a housing-first approach for the unhoused. Singh said “budgets ultimately tell you your values” and he promised investments in communities long “neglected and disinvested,” pointing to a new council majority to shift priorities.

Original stories by Liliana Fannin.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.