FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — In an exclusive interview with Action News, Fresno City Council District 1 candidate Naindeep Singh Chann, who goes by Naindeep Singh, speaks out about reports that he was driving under the influence of a drug.
On Saturday, Singh was in Tower District observing changes meant to improve safety in the Tower District prior to being pulled over near Wishon and Olive avenues around 11:30 p.m.
According to Singh, a Fresno police motorcycle officer pulled him over for expired tags. Singh says his registration was not expired and he renewed it on June 19, 2026.
Singh showed Action News a Department of Motor Vehicles receipt and said someone had torn the registration stickers from his license plate.
He says he was given a sobriety and breathalyzer test by Fresno police, which tested negative for alcohol, but he did not know why the traffic stop led to a drug investigation.
Fresno police then detained Singh and took him to Community Regional Medical Center, where he cooperated with a blood toxicology exam.
At CRMC, he also requested an additional independent toxicology exam, which he received at 4 a.m. on Sunday.
According to those results, they came back negative for drugs.
Singh says the whole process happened between 11:30 p.m. Saturday night and 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
“I had no problem because I don’t do drugs, I don’t drink, I don’t, I don’t engage in any of these things. So, I complied with the entire process,” Singh said.
The incident has become an issue in the District 1 race. Singh’s opponent, Rob Fuentes, called on him to withdraw from the campaign in a statement provided to Action News on Sunday night.
Asked whether it was fair to call for Singh’s withdrawal before toxicology results are returned, Fuentes said he wants to wait for the findings before reaching further conclusions.
“I do want to wait for those toxicology report results to come in before passing further judgment on the specific incident, but he still has to answer some very serious questions about the arrest,” Fuentes said.
The department said it will not provide further comment while the investigation continues.
“I expect when law enforcement’s toxicology comes back, I will be exonerated from all charges,” said Singh.
At a news conference Monday in front of the Tower Theatre, Singh addressed the allegations alongside dozens of supporters who gathered to back his campaign.
“I believe, no, I know I’m going to be fully exonerated,” Singh said.
Supporters at the event said they continue to support Singh despite the accusations.
“Someone with forward change for our district is what is needed,” Fresno resident Marvin Nakagawa said.
Nakagawa also questioned the timing of the allegations.
“One week outside of the election should be very suspicious,” he said.
The California Working Families Party, which has endorsed Singh, said it continues to support his candidacy. In a statement, the organization said, “California Working Families Party endorsed Naindeep Singh for Fresno City Council District 1 because of his record of advocacy for working families on the Central Unified School Board and in the community. We continue to support his candidacy and look forward to his leadership on lowering costs and investing in our families on the Fresno City Council.”
Singh also serves on the Central Unified School District Board of Trustees. When asked about the allegations, Central Unified Superintendent Dr. Mark Marshall declined to comment.
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