The city of Fresno, in the heart of California’s Central Valley, is one of the nation’s most diverse, home to some 90 ethnic groups.. Despite a historic population of Japanese-American farmers and Southeast Asian immigrants, no Asian-American has ever been elected to Fresno’s city council. This month, a Hmong refugee born in Laos became the first. He won that position not only because of the Asian vote, but also by earning the support of the city’s Latinos.