Bao Nguyen (politician)

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.{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-ff-1119-little-saigon-mayor-20141119-story.html|title=Two cities in Little Saigon elect Vietnamese American mayors|last=Do|first=Anh|date=November 18, 2014|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2016-09-14}} He attended school within the Garden Grove Unified School District. He attended Garden Grove High School, and graduated from Pacifica High School.{{Cite web|url=https://bao2016.com/about/|title=Meet Bao: His Story|publisher=Bao Nguyen for Congress 2016|language=en-US|url-status=dead|access-date=2016-09-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609042953/http://bao2016.com/about/|archive-date=2016-06-09}}

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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.smartvoter.org/2010/11/02/ca/or/vote/nguyen_b/index.html|title=Voter Information for Bao Quoc Nguyen|website=SmartVoter|publisher=League of Women Voters of California Education Fund|url-status=live|access-date=2016-09-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110103192249/http://www.smartvoter.org:80/2010/11/02/ca/or/vote/nguyen_b/index.html |archive-date=2011-01-03 }} Nguyen also earned a master's degree in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies from Naropa University.

Nguyen was appointed to the Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education in 2011,{{cite news|url=http://patch.com/california/fountainvalley/bao-nguyen-appointed-to-ggusd-board|title=Bao Nguyen Appointed to GGUSD Board

|last=Petruccelli|first=Justin|date=June 27, 2011|work=Fountain Valley Patch|access-date=2016-12-14}} 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.{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-lam/bao-nguyen-rabble-rouser_b_6297432.html|title=Bao Nguyen, Rabble Rouser Transforming Politics in Little Saigon, OC|last=Lam|first=Andrew|date=December 9, 2014|work=The Huffington Post|access-date=2016-09-14}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.ocweekly.com/news/updated-majority-of-trustees-agree-bao-nguyen-garden-grove-unified-trustee-to-ask-district-not-allow-homophobic-tet-parade-organizers-use-of-school-bus-6465351|title=[UPDATED: Majority of Trustees Agree!] Bao Nguyen, Garden Grove Unified Trustee, To Ask District Not Allow Homophobic Tet Parade Organizers Use of School Bus|last=Arellano|first=Gustavo|date=2013-02-06|work=OC Weekly|author-link=Gustavo Arellano|access-date=2016-09-14}} He resigned from the board of trustees in 2014 due to becoming mayor.{{cite web|url=http://www.ggusd.us/ourpages/board//Board%20Minutes/2014/12-02-14.pdf|title=Garden Grove Unified School District Board Minutes, December 2, 2014|publisher=Garden Grove Unified School District|url-status=dead|access-date=2016-09-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005024319/http://www.ggusd.us/ourpages/board//Board%20Minutes/2014/12-02-14.pdf|archive-date=October 5, 2016}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/board-644586-replacement-school.html|title=School board to appoint replacement for Bao Nguyen|last=Haire|first=Chris|date=2014-12-11|newspaper=Orange County Register|access-date=2016-09-14}}

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.{{cite news|url=http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/11/18/48168/garden-grove-s-new-mayor-bao-nguyen-plans-to-be-a/|title=Garden Grove's first Vietnamese-American mayor plans to be a hands-on leader|last=Ramirez|first=Bianca|date=November 18, 2014|work=Southern California Public Radio|access-date=2016-09-14}} As mayor, he sought to improve government transparency and accountability, and to engage voters by making city finance records available online.{{Cite news|url=http://voiceofoc.org/2015/05/after-year-of-scandal-garden-grove-makes-transparency-top-priority/|title=After Year of Scandal, Garden Grove Makes Transparency High Priority|last=Vo|first=Thy|date=2015-05-19|work=Voice of OC|access-date=2016-09-14}}{{Cite press release|title=New Open Government Site Furthers City Transparency|date=2015-11-16|publisher=City of Garden Grove|url=http://www.ci.garden-grove.ca.us/citymanager/open-gov|access-date=2016-09-14}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/bao-nguyen-first-vietnamese-american-mayor-major-u-s-city-n462421|title=Bao Nguyen, First Vietnamese-American Mayor of Major U.S. City, is Running For Congress|last=Bai|first=Stephany|date=November 18, 2015|work=NBC News|access-date=2016-09-14}} Nguyen was appointed by the state governor to the Orange County Fair and Event Center Board of Directors. He resigned the position in 2015.{{cite web|url=http://ns.ocfair.com/ocfadmin/admin/PublicMeetings/Downloads/111_mnts_15_11_November_Board_Transcript.pdf|title=Transcript Meeting Of The OCFEC Board of Directors 32nd District Agricultural Association|last=Taylor|first=Janet|date=November 19, 2015|website=|publisher=}}

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.{{Cite news|url=http://www.ocweekly.com/news/garden-grove-police-union-boss-secretly-recorded-private-conversation-with-mayor-6439801|title=Garden Grove Police Union Boss Secretly Recorded Private Conversation With Mayor|last=Moxley|first=R. Scott|newspaper=OC Weekly|access-date=2016-03-11}} 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".

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.{{cite news|url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/nguyen-687229-orange-mayor.html|title=Garden Grove mayor Bao Nguyen to announce bid for Congress|last=Wisckol|first=Martin|date=October 12, 2015|work=Orange County Register|access-date=2016-09-14}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.ocweekly.com/news/in-the-heart-of-santa-ana-bao-nguyen-makes-his-third-stand-6464592|title=In the Heart of Santa Ana, Bao Nguyen Makes His (Third) Stand|last=Lam|first=Charles|date=2015-10-14|newspaper=OC Weekly|access-date=2016-09-14}} In the June primary Nguyen came in second with 14.6% of the vote after Correa received 43.7%.{{Cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/California%27s_46th_Congressional_District_election,_2016|title=California's 46th Congressional District election, 2016|website=Ballotpedia|url-status=live|access-date=2016-09-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820003233/http://ballotpedia.org:80/California's_46th_Congressional_District_election,_2016 |archive-date=2015-08-20 }}{{Cite news|url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/state-718581-nguyen-dunn.html|title=46th Congressional District: Lou Correa advances to November|last=Wisckol|first=Martin|date=2016-06-07|newspaper=Orange County Register|access-date=2016-09-14}} In the November Nguyen lost to Correa after receiving just under 30% of the vote in the general election.{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-election-day-2016-lou-correa-bao-nguyen-1478453213-htmlstory.html|title=Democrat Lou Correa elected Orange County's next congressman|last=Mai-Duc|first=Christine|date=November 9, 2016|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2016-11-12}}

Nguyen's term as Garden Grove mayor ended in December 2016, and he was succeeded by council member/Mayor Pro Tem, Steve Jones.{{cite news|url=https://voiceofoc.org/2016/11/election2016gardengrove/|title=Garden Grove Elects First Latina to City Council|last=Vo|first=Thy|date=November 9, 2016|work=Voice of OC|access-date=2016-11-12}}{{Cite web |url=http://gardengrove.novusagenda.com/Agendapublic/MeetingView.aspx?MeetingID=89&MinutesMeetingID=-1&doctype=Agenda |title=AGENDA- Garden Grove City Council- Regular Meeting- December 13, 2016 |publisher=City of Garden Grove |accessdate=December 13, 2016}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170703191948/http://www.ci.garden-grove.ca.us/BaoNguyen Mayoral biography] at the City of Garden Grove website
• [http://www.bao2016.com Congressional campaign website]

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Category:1980 births

Category:California Democrats

Category:University of California, Irvine alumni

Category:Living people

Category:California politicians of Vietnamese descent

Category:American mayors of Asian descent

Category:LGBTQ mayors of places in the United States

Category:American gay politicians

Category:Naropa University alumni

Category:American LGBTQ rights activists

Category:21st-century mayors of places in California

Category:Mayors of places in California

Category:American LGBTQ people of Asian descent

Category:Activists from California

Category:LGBTQ people from California

Category:People from Garden Grove, California

Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people