Fresno City Attorney dismisses racist complaints against Sikh council candidates

Anonymous complaints aimed at two Sikh candidates in Fresno’s June 2 primary have been dismissed by City Attorney Andrew Janz, who said the allegations did not fall within his jurisdiction. The rejection lands in a crowded election season for Fresno City Council District 1 and District 7, where Naindeep Singh and Nav Gurm are on the ballot.

The filings, described as racist-tinged smears, targeted Singh in District 1 and Gurm in District 7. District 1 stretches across the Tower District, Fresno High, Quigley Park and parts of greater Fig Garden, while District 7 covers east-central Fresno and portions of southeast Fresno, including Manchester, Radio Park and Romain Park. Both candidates have called the complaints unfounded.

Janz, who was appointed Fresno City Attorney in December 2022, said he had already closed the case. His office oversees about 38 to 39 attorneys and roughly 190 support staff, with an annual budget in the range of $28 million to $32 million. The swift dismissal underscores how high the evidentiary bar is for complaints that try to turn identity into a political attack, especially when the claims are not tied to a matter the city attorney can investigate.

For Fresno’s Punjabi Sikh community, the episode has struck a deeper nerve because Singh and Gurm could become the city’s first Punjabi Sikh councilmembers if elected. Their campaigns come as Sikh residents across Fresno County have pushed for more visible representation in public office and a stronger answer to bias in civic life.

The complaints also echo warnings from Sikh advocacy groups that anti-Sikh narratives have been building in California. In 2024, the Sikh Coalition, Jakara Movement, SALDEF and the American Sikh Caucus Committee issued a joint statement saying they were alarmed by efforts to blur the lines between Sikhs, Khalistan supporters and extremists. The groups said there was no evidence that pro-Khalistan or Sikh individuals were responsible for vandalism or similar crimes in California.

That context has helped explain why the Fresno complaints resonated so strongly beyond the council races. The city’s Sikh community has recently marked milestones that reflect its growing presence in public institutions, including Raj Singh Badhesha becoming the first Sikh judge appointed to the Fresno County Superior Court in 2024. In 2025, Jaswant Singh Khalra Elementary opened as the first U.S. school named after a Punjabi Sikh human rights activist.

In Fresno, the complaints now read less like a credible challenge to the candidates than a test of whether local institutions and voters will reject bigotry dressed up as civic concern.