{"id":2292,"date":"2026-05-19T19:02:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T19:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/fresno-council-candidate-benefits-from-1-5m-pac-he-cofounded-why-fellow-dems-are-upset\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T19:02:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T19:02:19","slug":"fresno-council-candidate-benefits-from-1-5m-pac-he-cofounded-why-fellow-dems-are-upset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/fresno-council-candidate-benefits-from-1-5m-pac-he-cofounded-why-fellow-dems-are-upset\/","title":{"rendered":"Fresno council candidate benefits from $1.5M PAC he cofounded. Why fellow Dems are upset"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

A candidate running for Fresno City Council has benefitted from the financial backing of a political action committee he cofounded \u2014 a PAC some political experts say stands out for its high overhead expenses and relatively sparse political spending.<\/p>\n

Read more Death penalty possible for man accused of murder in Placer County cold case<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Youth Save Democracy<\/u>, a PAC that aims to mobilize young Democratic voters across the nation\u2019s college campuses, donated the maximum allowable limit of $5,500 to its cofounder, Nav Gurm, a 26-year-old attorney running in the competitive District 7 council race.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

One of the PAC\u2019s cofounders, Johnathon Burrows, is a former Fresno City Hall staffer who enlisted Gurm as a campaign consultant in an unsuccessful bid to unseat former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield). Burrows, a Democrat, suspended his campaign before the congressional primary and, in January 2024, repurposed the funds he raised to start Youth Save Democracy.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Burrows and Gurm previously worked in the office of District 7\u2019s current seatholder, Councilmember Nelson Esparza, and each has received five-figure consulting contracts with Youth Save Democracy.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

According to its website, The PAC\u2019s mission is to mobilize young voters to strengthen democracy, protect voting rights and fight against authoritarianism in America. Gurm said the youth-led PAC has helped activate dozens of college campus Young Democrats chapters across the country, as well as register Gen Z voters and support young candidates running for public office.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But experts say Youth Save Democracy\u2019s spending on political strategy consultants and operating costs is \u201cunusually high\u201d compared to its political contributions toward candidates for elected office.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Political peers in Fresno County on both sides of the political aisle also have noted that much of the funds raised nationwide by the PAC for political spending has been funneled toward local Fresno elections and candidates. The PAC\u2019s cofounders have also personally benefited financially from the funds raised, as political candidates and consultants.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Gurm said in an interview with The Bee that Youth Save Democracy does not shy away from the fact that it supports young candidates in the region because creating a bluer, more Democratic, Central Valley is in part why the PAC was created. He downplayed some of the criticism, saying it came from a few voices within the local Democratic Party, and said the necessary firewalls are in place to ensure his personal campaign and his political consulting work don\u2019t intermingle.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the extra scrutiny on Youth Save Democracy and whatnot has been a product of me running for council,\u201d Gurm said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Bee analyzed Youth Save Democracy\u2019s public financial records filed with the Federal Elections Commission and fundraising emails, as well as conducted more than a dozen interviews with PAC founders, affiliates, nonpartisan campaign finance watchdogs and members of Fresno\u2019s political community.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2018Local Democrats are concerned\u2019<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

A lion\u2019s share of the PAC\u2019s spending \u2014 83% \u2014 is used for operational costs.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Between Jan. 1, 2025 and March 31, Youth Save Democracy spent $1.45 million of its $1.74 million total expenditure to pay for political consultants, texting software, legal compliance, fundraising software, website software and more, according to the Federal Elections Commission.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

During that same period, the PAC only spent about $297,159 on political races, according to county, state and federal data. About 40% of the spending that went toward local and state races, or $58,800, went toward Fresno political entities, nonprofits and candidates, including Gurm, according to the latest FEC data<\/u>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Spending on political consultants has been a noticeable line item of their expenses. Esparza, earned $41,000 as a consultant in 2024, as well as a maximum campaign contribution to his state assembly race. Since 2025, Youth Save Democracy has paid six Fresno area consultants nearly half a million dollars for political and digital consulting work.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Some, like Esparza, said it\u2019s important to provide political engagement opportunities to young people and that the organization\u2019s impact has been a positive one.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m incredibly proud of the work YSD has done throughout the years to build a bench,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Others are worried about the impact the organization could have on local politics.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cMany local Democrats are concerned about the ethics of using so much money from a national PAC to financially benefit so many local individuals, their friends, their consulting firms, and their friends planning to run for office,\u201d Dee Barnes, an alternate for the Fresno County Democratic Central Committee, said in a statement to The Bee.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How did Youth Save Democracy get started?<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The race for the 20th Congressional District seat, then held by House Speaker McCarthy, an ally of President Donald Trump, was an uphill battle from the start for Burrows in the encompasses parts of Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare counties.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Still, Burrows, a first-time political candidate and former public relations director for Esparza\u2019s office, aggressively raised money from a base of donors nationwide after he announced his candidacy in February 2023.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ten months later, after McCarthy announced his retirement, Burrows announced on Dec. 13, 2023 that he was suspending his campaign<\/u> in order for a fellow Democrat in the race to make it onto the ballot. His campaign raised a total of $672,855 by the end of 2023, <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Gurm, who worked on Burrows\u2019 campaign, said the goal was to \u201chold McCarthy\u2019s feet to the fire and not allow him to get distracted by the national stuff, and still remember that he has a district to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cJohn (Burrows) ran for Congress to also work on flipping local seats in the hopes of creating a bluer Central Valley to one day flip the Congressional seats that don\u2019t seem very flippable right now,\u201d Gurm said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Less than a month after dropping out of the race, on Jan. 11, 2024, Burrows\u2019 campaign committee fund was renamed Youth For Democracy, according to FEC filings<\/u>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Burrows currently serves as the top communications official for the Central Unified School District.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Youth Save Democracy awarded one Central Unified trustee a $3,000 political strategy consulting contract in 2023; they also made four campaign contributions in 2024 totalling $7,000 to another.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Michael Beckel, director of money in politics reform at Issue One, a nonprofit seeking to reduce the influence of money in politics, said it\u2019s not uncommon for an unsuccessful losing candidate to convert their war chest into a PAC.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cPACs give politicians a perch from which they can continue to influence elections and support like-minded candidates,\u201d Beckel said in an email.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Experts say it\u2019s not uncommon for PACs to be administered by consultants. Because PACs are loosely regulated at the federal level, there are few limitations on how its funds can be spent, Beckel and Holman said.<\/p>\n

Read more Blue Diamond finds buyer for majority of midtown campus. Developer plans housing<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But what is uncommon is that Youth Save Democracy spends about 80% of its budget on operational costs.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s unusually high,\u201d Beckel, of Issue One said. \u201cDonors and potential donors might have serious questions and legitimate concerns if a PAC spends an unusually high portion of its funds on administrative costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n