Thirteen Vietnamese Americans seek office in Orange County
The candidates are among many competing in elections for mayor, city council and other posts.
In Santa Ana, voters will decide whether to stick with a veteran mayor who has guided the city for nearly 14 years or elect a newcomer to the post. In nearby Irvine, the entire City Council is running for office. Countywide, there are 13 Vietnamese American candidates running for elected office, 10 in Garden Grove and Westminster alone.
In Santa Ana, voters will choose whether to back veteran Mayor Miguel Pulido or challengers Michele Martinez, the first sitting council member to challenge him in a decade; George Collins; and Stanley Fiala.
Residents also will decide whether to reelect council members Carlos Bustamante and Claudia Alvarez. Bustamante is being challenged by Ana Rebecca Valencia-Verdin, Arturo Pedroza and Steve Rocco. Alvarez, who is running for a third term under newly extended term limits, is being taken on by Lisann Martinez. Councilman Vincent Sarmiento, appointed in 2006, is seeking to win his first election in a battle against Jim Walker.
In Westminster and Garden Grove, home to the largest Vietnamese enclave in the country, 10 Vietnamese Americans are running for various offices, four of them for City Council. The high number in this election is a reflection of the growing political influence of Vietnamese Americans in central Orange County.
Westminster could end up with its first Vietnamese-majority council. Mayor Margie Rice is unopposed in her reelection bid.
In Garden Grove, there is a subtext to the council race with Andrew Do, chief of staff to Supervisor Janet Nguyen, facing off against Trung Nguyen, a Garden Grove school board member who ran against Janet Nguyen for supervisor in 2007. The other candidates are Tom Bailor, Tony Flores, Linh Ho, Joshua Leimbach, Paul Lucas, Robin Marcario and Charles Mitchell. Councilman Steve Jones, who was appointed to his seat in 2007, is seeking to win his first election. Voters will choose whether to reelect Mayor Bill Dalton or put newcomer Karentracy Moreland Urda in office.
Anaheim Councilwoman Lorri Galloway is up for reelection for the first time since bucking city business leaders by pushing for a housing project in the city's Resort District, a plan that was vigorously opposed by Walt Disney Co. and Mayor Curt Pringle. Also vying for two seats on the council are incumbent Harry Sidhu, Jennifer Rivera, Kostas "Gus" Roditis, Faiz Zuberi, Robert J. Flores, Brian Chuchua, Steve Perez, John Karczynski and Gail Eastman.
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