Fresno City Council District 7 race turns personal over homelessness plans

Mailers from Nav Gurm and AJ Rassamni have pushed Fresno City Council District 7’s final stretch into a sharper, more personal fight over who can actually fix homelessness without selling voters a slogan. The clash matters in east-central and southeast Fresno, where the open council seat will be decided in neighborhoods like Manchester, Radio Park, Romain Park, Lafayette Park and Fresno High, plus stretches near Blackstone Avenue, Shields Avenue and Temperance Avenue.

The seat is open because Nelson Esparza is termed out. The primary is June 2, 2026, and if no candidate wins a majority, the top two will move on to the Nov. 3, 2026 general election. Four candidates are running: Ariana Martinez Lott, AJ Rassamni, Jason Keomanee and Nav Gurm. District 7 has 34,211 registered voters, including 14,662 Democrats, 7,708 Republicans and 8,755 voters with no party preference.

The harshest exchanges have centered on homelessness. Gurm has attacked Rassamni’s plan for so-called safe zones, calling it half-baked and pressing him to say where such sites would go. Gurm has also said he supports the city’s anti-camping ordinance, a stance that separates him from candidates looking for a less punitive approach. Rassamni, meanwhile, has cast himself as a business owner and neighborhood fixer, building his campaign around the Blackstone corridor and the problems small businesses say they face there.

Rassamni founded the Blackstone Merchants Association and previously owned the Great American Car Wash. His homelessness proposal pairs safe zones with wraparound services, drug treatment and job training. In a podcast appearance, he said the approach could reduce crime, cut city fires by 50% and boost small-business revenue. That pitch has made him one of the race’s most visible voices, but it has also drawn criticism from opponents who want firmer details and a more realistic timeline.

Gurm has tried to redirect the race toward basics that often define life in central Fresno: broken pavement, cracked sidewalks and aging water and sewer systems. He said those infrastructure problems are among the most pressing issues he hears about in District 7 and said he would fight for the district’s fair share of Measure C funding and other public investment. Measure C has already provided more than $600 million in local-control money since the 2006 renewal, and a new plan could generate nearly $7 billion over 30 years, including more than $4.8 billion for roads, sidewalks and active transportation.

The Fresno Bee editorial board withheld an endorsement in the district, saying the race offered multiple candidates who each represented important needs. That judgment fits the mood in District 7 now: the insults are getting louder, but the next councilmember will still have to answer for homelessness, roads and whether south Fresno gets its share of city and county resources.