Fresno City Councilman Nelson Esparza is running for the California Senate.
Esparza announced Wednesday that he is running to succeed Sen. Anna Caballero (D–Merced) – who will be termed out – in Senate District 14.
The big picture: If Esparza is successful, he will expand his reach to not only cover much of Fresno as the 14th District includes much of western Fresno County and parts of Madera and Merced Counties.
- He was elected to the Fresno City Council in 2018 and reelected in 2022. He will be termed out of office in January 2027.
- Along with his work as a councilman, Esparza also is employed by Fresno City College as an economics instructor.
- Esparza is the first candidate to launch a campaign for District 14.
State of play: Esparza announced a slate of local endorsements as he launched his campaign on Wednesday, including support from fellow councilmembers Luis Chavez, Mike Karbassi and Tyler Maxwell.
- Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, a Republican, also endorsed Esparza, who is a Democrat.
Flashback: Esparza’s time on the Fresno City Council was struck by controversy in 2022 when he was charged by the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office with attempting to extort former City Attorney Doug Sloan.
- The District Attorney’s Office alleged that Esparza threatened to fire Sloan if he refused to only work for the council’s liberal majority at the time.
- The misdemeanor charges were dropped after Esparza read a statement admitting that he threatened to fire Sloan.
- Esparza also had a legal run-in with fellow Councilman Garry Bredefeld over the Sloan case.
- Bredefeld accused Esparza of extorting Sloan, and Esparza responded by filing a defamation lawsuit against Bredefeld.
- Esparza dropped the defamation lawsuit three days before a hearing over an Anti-SLAPP motion by Bredefeld.
What they’re saying: “The Central Valley is the breadbasket of the world,” Esparza said on Facebook. “But for too many, the California dream is out of reach. I’m running for State Senate to invest in our working families, make housing more affordable, and protect our valley resources. We can do this – together.”
Watch: Here’s the campaign video Esparza put out to launch his campaign:
