With the odd numbered Fresno City Council districts facing an election in 2022, District 1 council member Esmeralda Soria will be the lone incumbent terming out of office.
As of this writing, two candidates have entered the race to vie for Soria’s spot: public relations executive Cary Catalano and State Center Community College Trustee Annalisa Perea.
Looking at their 2020 fundraising numbers, however, begs the question: Is the race over before it even started?
Their fundraising totals are night and day. Catalano received $1,672.06 in total contributions, including $1,500 in cash.
That $1,500 cash total came from one donor: The local Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents the city’s bus drivers.
On the other side, Perea received $122,518 in cash donations from roughly 115 different donors.
Perea’s donor base was made up of a wide variety across the spectrum in Fresno, including a supermajority of members on the City Council.
Among the notables from Perea’s donor list:
- Fresno City Councilman Miguel Arias – $200
- Fresno City Councilman Nelson Esparza – $100
- [Mike] Karbassi for Fresno City Council District 2, 2020 – $500
- [Esmeralda] Soria for City Council 2018 – $1,500
- Tyler Maxwell for Fresno City Council 2020 – $4,200
- Assemi Group – $2,350
- State Center Community College Trustee Richard Caglia – $500
- California Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D–Encino) – $500
- [Melissa] Hurtado for Senate 2022 – $4,700
- James Martinez for Fresno County Board of Education Trustee Area 3 2020 – $250
- Louis Franco Selma Mayor 2020 – $1,000
- Henry R. Perea – $4,700
- Henry T. Perea – $1,500
- San Joaquin Valley Latino Leaders PAC – $4,000
- State Center Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 1533 Fresno – $2,500
Catalano and Perea will likely face off 16 months from now in California’s gubernatorial primary on June 7, 2022.
