Fresno Council Closes Probes of Janz and Arias
The city council ended internal investigations into City Attorney Andrew Janz and Councilman Miguel Arias after a DUI arrest of a council candidate drew scrutiny.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in City Hall
The Fresno City Council closed internal investigations into City Attorney Andrew Janz and Councilman Miguel Arias, which were opened after the arrest of a council candidate. The council concluded that policies were followed by the City Attorney, and Janz withdrew his letter requesting an investigation of Arias.
Why it matters
The dispute centered on how information about a suspected DUI arrest was released to the media, a question that touches on public trust in city officials handling sensitive information. For Fresno residents, the outcome shows how disputes between city leaders are resolved internally.
Singh trails Rob Fuentes by 199 votes, 5,299 to 5,100, in the Fresno County City Council One race. The record does not show whether the question of how Singh's arrest information reached the media has been answered.
The players
Andrew Janz
Fresno City Attorney who requested an investigation of Councilman Miguel Arias before withdrawing the letter.
Miguel Arias
Fresno City Councilman who called for an independent investigation of City Attorney Andrew Janz.
Mindy Casto
Fresno Police Chief who defended the arrest of Naindeep Singh before apologizing to him after the blood test came back negative.
The details
Naindeep Singh was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence on October 24 and denounced the charges at a news conference on October 26. A blood test came back negative on October 28, and Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto apologized to Singh at a second news conference that day.
Timeline
October 24, 2026: Naindeep Singh arrested for suspected DUI.
October 26, 2026: Singh holds news conference denouncing the charges.
October 28, 2026: Blood test returns negative and Chief Casto apologizes.
October 29, 2026: Councilman Miguel Arias calls for investigation of City Attorney Andrew Janz.
October 30, 2026: Janz submits open letter requesting investigation of Arias and the District 3 Office.
City Hall
Internal reviews of conduct among local officials in California municipalities are generally conducted under the open-government framework of the Brown Act. The Fresno outcome follows that pattern of resolving disputes through council-level review rather than external investigation.
Residents of Fresno can see how council-level reviews resolve disputes among city officials. The outcome affects how much weight voters might give to internal findings when assessing local leaders.
The takeaway
Internal council reviews can close disputes without resolving every question raised, and voters may want to follow whether the unanswered questions about information release are pursued elsewhere. Tracking follow-up actions on local officials' conduct helps residents judge how these processes work.
Further reading
For more on local government decisions, see City Hall coverage in Fresno.
