Andrew Do
Andrew Do (Vietnamese: Andrew Đỗ) is an American politician currently serving as Orange County Supervisor, representing the First District and is the Board Vice Chair as a Republican.[1]
Andrew Do | |
|---|---|
| Vice Chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors | |
| In office January 10, 2023 – January 9, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Donald P. Wagner |
| Succeeded by | Doug Chaffee |
| In office January 1, 2020 – January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Michelle Steel |
| Succeeded by | Doug Chaffee |
| In office January 1, 2016 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Michelle Steel |
| Succeeded by | Shawn Nelson |
| Member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors from the 1st district | |
| Assumed office February 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Janet Nguyen |
| Chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors | |
| In office January 3, 2021 – January 11, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Michelle Steel |
| Succeeded by | Doug Chaffee |
| In office January 3, 2018 – January 1, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Michelle Steel |
| Succeeded by | Lisa Bartlett |
| Member of the Garden Grove City Council | |
| In office December 9, 2008 – April 12, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Mark S. Rosen |
| Succeeded by | Kris Beard |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Saigon, South Vietnam |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | University of California, Davis (BA) University of California, Hastings College of Law (JD) |
Do was a candidate for California State Treasurer in 2022, but was eliminated in the primaries.[2]
Early life edit
Do fled with his family from Vietnam to the United States following the Fall of Saigon, with only the clothes they were wearing and a "suitcase full of dictionaries."[3] Do grew up in Garden Grove, California and subsequently attended UC Davis.[4] Do earned a JD from Hastings College of the Law.[4]
Career edit
Do served on several professional boards, including the Vietnamese-American Bar Association of Southern California and the Orange County Bar Association.
In 2007, Do served as the chief of staff for Janet Nguyen, a politician from Southern California.[5]
In 2008, Do was a city council member of Garden Grove, California. He was also a deputy district attorney of Orange County as well as an adjunct professor at California State University of Fullerton.[4]
In 2022, Do ran in the California State Treasurer election, but lost to Cudahy City Councilman Jack M. Guerrero in the primaries.[6][2] According to campaign spending data from Cal-Access, Do’s campaign raised $212,401 until May 21 for the campaign. [7]
Racist abuse edit
Do has been subjected to racist abuse while serving in his official capacity as supervisor. During an Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting on COVID-19 prevention efforts in July 2021, one speaker, under the pseudonym of "Tyler Durden", told Do: “You come to my country, and you act like one of these communist parasites. I ask you to go the f--- back to Vietnam," despite Do being an American citizen and living in the country for more than 46 years.[8]
Residency controversy edit
In the 2008 Garden Grove City Council race, Do's political opponent filed a complaint that he lives in a North Tustin home he purchased in 2002 making him ineligible to sit on the Garden Grove council. No charges were brought against Do. [9]
In 2015, Do has been accused by the same political opponent of residency fraud, stating that his primary residence is outside the district he serves (1st district) and is instead in North Tustin (3rd district) where he owns a house purchased in 2002.[9][10] Do acknowledged that he bought the Westminster residency in the 1st district to meet residency requirements to run for office in 2015. However, Do denied the allegations that he still lives in his North Tustin home, but declines to state whether it is being rented out or not.[9]
CalOptima edit
In March 2017, Do attempted to become the supervisor to CalOptima, Orange County's $3.7 billion publicly-funded health insurance plan for low-income citizens. His bid was rejected by the CalOptima board of directors.[11] Do then attempted, but was blocked by state legislators, to take control of CalOptima by proposing that all 5 board members of the OC Board of Supervisors become board members of CalOptima. When a fellow supervisor said the takeover effort was motivated by being rejected as chairman, Do did not respond and instead reiterated his qualifications to be chairman.[12] The move was also seen as an attempt to pull CalOptima back from the medical industry and install elected-officials instead, after a former county supervisor and lobbyist gave the industry control in 2011.[12]
Do eventually became chairman of CalOptima in 2020, making him the first Vietnamese American to take this seat.[13] At this time, he hired Veronica Carpenter, one of his longtime advisors, to the newly-created chief of staff role, paying $282,000 plus benefits.[14] Multiple former CalOptima chairmen raised concern given Carpenter having less than a year of hospital administration experience.[14] [15]
In 2021, Do led the effort on the board to appoint Blair Contratto as the hospital administrator of CalOptima, despite Contratto lacking experience in Orange County.[16] This caused a rare public rebuke by the Hospital Association of Southern California noting that diverging from the traditional appointment of a local leader "disregards the breadth of knowledge and experience our hospital leaders bring to CalOptima".[16][15] Under Do's leadership as board chair, CalOptima has increasingly become under fire for its substantial turnover in key positions and salaries having jumped significantly (from $400,000 to at least $560,000 for the CEO position). [15]
In February 2022, the board abruptly fired its entire in-house legal team of attorneys and support staff in a closed session meeting.[15]
Do also presided over and approved many salary-increases for CalOptima officers, including a 50% salary increase of CEO Michael Hunn to a base salary of $841,000 per year in 2022 and HR Director, Brigette Hoey's salary increase from $300,000 year to $512,000 per year.[17]
Former chairman of CalOptima, Dr. Paul Yost, voiced concerns that “those are healthcare dollars that ought to be going to provide healthcare for the neediest population.”[17] and the organization is now facing a state probe for controversial hiring and contracting practices with a report due in April 2023.[18]
In February 2023, a day after a local non-profit news agency reported on a state investigation into CalOptima's hiring and pay practices including controversially large salary hikes, Do abruptly resigned as chair. [19]
Pay-to-play violations edit
In July 2022, the non-partisan California Fair Political Practices Commission published a stipulation revealing that Do -- while serving on the board of CalOptima in 2016 and 2017 -- has steered government contracts to two lobbyists that were donors of his political campaigns.[20] This is in violation of California's pay-to-play restrictions. The commission noted that "Do made, participated in making, and attempted to use his official position to influence governmental contracting decisions involving a participant who contributed to his campaign".[21] The commission revealed a sum of roughly $5,000 that were donated by the two lobbyist, but that Do did not disclose this or recuse himself from the vote to award the government contracts to them.[20] The commission imposed an administrative penalty of $12,000 and that Do has "apparently" agreed to this fine.[21]
In the same stipulation, the commission also noted that Do violated regulations on a series of behested payments for a statue project at Mile Square Park by filing the required reports late.[21] The commission noted that "Payments made at the behest of elected officials—including charitable donations—are a means by which donors may seek to gain favor with elected officials. Timely reporting of such activity serves to increase public awareness regarding potential attempts to influence in this manner."[20]
The commission met again on July 21 2022 to determine these cases.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Do, Anh (November 10, 2016). "O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do moves closer to reelection in hotly contested race". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
- ^ a b service, City News Service City News Service is the nation’s largest regional wire; Angeles, is headquartered in Los (March 10, 2022). "Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do declares candidacy for state treasurer". Daily Pilot. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
- ^ . Ocgov.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Andrew Do, Orange County Supervisor 1st District". octa.net. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ Vo, Thy (May 17, 2016). "Once a Mentor to Do, Nguyen Now a Fierce For". voiceofoc.org. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
- ^ . Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
- ^ Rodriguez, Sal (July 8, 2022). "OC Supervisor Andrew Do blew $160,000 to bomb horribly in the primary". Orange County Register. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ "In Orange County, Anti-Vaccine Activists Attack Top Elected Official For His Vietnamese Heritage". LAist. July 30, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
- ^ a b c "O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do dismisses allegation that he lives outside his district". Orange County Register. April 14, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
- ^ Gerda, Nick (September 22, 2020). "OC Supervisor Andrew Do Accused of Residency Fraud Again as He Runs for Re-Election". Voice of OC. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ^ Gerda, Nick (March 3, 2017). "Supervisor Andrew Do Loses Bid for CalOptima Chair". Voice of OC. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ a b Gerda, Nick (July 26, 2017). "OC Supervisors' Attempted Takeover of CalOptima Health Plan Appears Dead". Voice of OC. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "OC Supervisor Andrew Do Unanimously Selected as Chair of the CalOptima Board of Directors". Orange County. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ a b Gerda, Nick (December 27, 2021). "Local Politicos Fuel Takeover of Orange County's Health Plan For the Poor". Voice of OC. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Staggs, Brooke (February 7, 2022). "CalOptima abruptly fires entire legal team as concerns mount over agency's direction". Orange County Register. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ a b Gerda, Nick (November 30, 2021). "OC Supervisors Make Controversial Hospital Executive Appointment to Public Health Plan Board". Voice of OC. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ a b Gerda, Nick (February 15, 2023). "Should a Public Official Be Making $840,000 Handling Healthcare for OC's Neediest?". Voice of OC. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Gerda, Nick (February 1, 2023). "Sacramento is Investigating Pay Spikes and Hiring Practices at OC's Health Plan for the Poor". Voice of OC. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Gerda, Nick (February 3, 2023). "Top Official Resigns From OC's Health Plan for the Poor Following Revelations of State Probe". Voice of OC. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ a b c Brereton, Angela (July 11, 2022). "Andrew Do Spiluation" (PDF). California Fair Political Practices Commission. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ a b c Custadio, Spencer (July 11, 2022). "Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do Faces $12,000 State Fine Over 'Pay to Play' Politics". Voice of OC. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
External links edit
- Andrew Do at ballotpedia.org
- Andrew Do at ocpolitical.com