Bao Nguyen (politician)
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Bao Nguyen (born 1980) is an American Democratic politician from Orange County, California, and a former mayor of Garden Grove, California.[1] He also previously served as a trustee on the Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education.
Bao Nguyen | |
|---|---|
| 17th Mayor of Garden Grove, California | |
| In office December 9, 2014 – December 13, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Bruce Broadwater |
| Succeeded by | Steven R. Jones |
| Trustee of Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education | |
| In office July 19, 2011 – December 2, 2014 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1980 (age 42–43) Thailand |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of California, Irvine Naropa University |
| Occupation | Community organizer, educator, politician |
Early life and education Edit
Nguyen was born in a United Nations refugee camp in Thailand to parents escaping Vietnam, and arrived in the United States when he was 3 months old.[2] He attended school within the Garden Grove Unified School District. He attended Garden Grove High School, and graduated from Pacifica High School.[3]
Nguyen graduated from UC Irvine with a bachelor's degree in political science. As an undergraduate, he interned for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Rockville, Maryland.[1][4] Nguyen also earned a master's degree in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies from Naropa University.[1]
Political career Edit
Nguyen was appointed to the Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education in 2011,[5] after a close race in 2010. He was elected as a trustee in 2012, and served a term as vice president. As a board member, he fought against the exclusion of LGBT Vietnamese from the annual Little Saigon Tết Parade.[6][7] He resigned from the board of trustees in 2014 due to becoming mayor.[8][9]
Nguyen defeated incumbent Bruce Broadwater by 15 votes in the 2014 election to become mayor of Garden Grove. He also became the first Vietnamese-American mayor of the city.[10] As mayor, he sought to improve government transparency and accountability, and to engage voters by making city finance records available online.[11][12][13] Nguyen was appointed by the state governor to the Orange County Fair and Event Center Board of Directors.[1][14] He resigned the position in 2015.[14]
The president of the Garden Grove Police Association, a political opponent of Nguyen, "surreptitiously recorded a conversation" in June 2015 with Nguyen, then newly elected mayor.[15] According to the OC Weekly, "during the discussion, Nguyen called [Garden Grove] City Councilman Phat Bui 'a fucking dick,' a reference to efforts by Bui's supporters to label Nguyen a communist sympathizer for not vehemently protesting Riverside's sister-city relationship with Can Tho, Vietnam". Nguyen stated the insinuation was inaccurate and that he simply "didn't think one city council should tell another what to do".[15]
In the 2016 elections Nguyen ran for congress in California's 46th district, long held by Loretta Sanchez, with former California State Senate member Lou Correa as his opponent.[16][17] In the June primary Nguyen came in second with 14.6% of the vote after Correa received 43.7%.[18][19] In the November Nguyen lost to Correa after receiving just under 30% of the vote in the general election.[20]
Nguyen's term as Garden Grove mayor ended in December 2016, and he was succeeded by council member/Mayor Pro Tem, Steve Jones.[21][22]
References Edit
- ^ a b c d . City of Garden Grove. Archived from the original on 2017-07-03. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ Do, Anh (November 18, 2014). "Two cities in Little Saigon elect Vietnamese American mayors". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ . Bao Nguyen for Congress 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-06-09. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ "Voter Information for Bao Quoc Nguyen". SmartVoter. League of Women Voters of California Education Fund. from the original on 2011-01-03. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ Petruccelli, Justin (June 27, 2011). "Bao Nguyen Appointed to GGUSD Board". Fountain Valley Patch. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
- ^ Lam, Andrew (December 9, 2014). "Bao Nguyen, Rabble Rouser Transforming Politics in Little Saigon, OC". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ Arellano, Gustavo (2013-02-06). "[UPDATED: Majority of Trustees Agree!] Bao Nguyen, Garden Grove Unified Trustee, To Ask District Not Allow Homophobic Tet Parade Organizers Use of School Bus". OC Weekly. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ (PDF). Garden Grove Unified School District. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 5, 2016. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ Haire, Chris (2014-12-11). "School board to appoint replacement for Bao Nguyen". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ Ramirez, Bianca (November 18, 2014). "Garden Grove's first Vietnamese-American mayor plans to be a hands-on leader". Southern California Public Radio. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ Vo, Thy (2015-05-19). "After Year of Scandal, Garden Grove Makes Transparency High Priority". Voice of OC. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ "New Open Government Site Furthers City Transparency" (Press release). City of Garden Grove. 2015-11-16. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ Bai, Stephany (November 18, 2015). "Bao Nguyen, First Vietnamese-American Mayor of Major U.S. City, is Running For Congress". NBC News. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ a b Taylor, Janet (November 19, 2015). "Transcript Meeting Of The OCFEC Board of Directors 32nd District Agricultural Association" (PDF).
- ^ a b Moxley, R. Scott. "Garden Grove Police Union Boss Secretly Recorded Private Conversation With Mayor". OC Weekly. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
- ^ Wisckol, Martin (October 12, 2015). "Garden Grove mayor Bao Nguyen to announce bid for Congress". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ Lam, Charles (2015-10-14). "In the Heart of Santa Ana, Bao Nguyen Makes His (Third) Stand". OC Weekly. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ "California's 46th Congressional District election, 2016". Ballotpedia. from the original on 2015-08-20. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ Wisckol, Martin (2016-06-07). "46th Congressional District: Lou Correa advances to November". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ Mai-Duc, Christine (November 9, 2016). "Democrat Lou Correa elected Orange County's next congressman". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
- ^ Vo, Thy (November 9, 2016). "Garden Grove Elects First Latina to City Council". Voice of OC. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
- ^ "AGENDA- Garden Grove City Council- Regular Meeting- December 13, 2016". City of Garden Grove. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
External links Edit
- at the City of Garden Grove website
- Congressional campaign website