Garden Grove Councilmember Kim Nguyen is the first candidate to officially announce their campaign for the newly-drawn and numbered 2nd Supervisor District in central Orange County, which encompasses Santa Ana, Tustin, most of Orange, west Anaheim and parts of central Anaheim, the eastern section of Garden Grove.
Her move came in the wake of the Orange County Board of Supervisors finalizing new district lines as part of its once-in-a-decade reapportionment. The new 2nd District takes the place of the old 1st District as the supervisor seat representing central Orange County, and was drawn specifically to be a Hispanic-majority district.
Nguyen stressed “working family” issues in her announcement, pointing to homelessness, housing costs, the COVID-19 pandemic and public health as her top issues.
“We need a bold voice at the County that understands the issues of working families,” Nguyen said in a statement. “I know the struggle of working multiple jobs to make ends meet while attending school and the frustrations of high rent and skyrocketing housing costs. As a lifelong resident of District 2, I’ve watched as the County failed to address our housing crisis, leaving many, especially in my generation, priced out of a home. At the same time, the County has turned a blind eye to our homelessness crisis, creating a public health and safety emergency. I’ve never shied from a fight and will work toward solutions to our toughest problems, it’s what I’ve done as a Councilwoman, it’s what I do everyday as a health care analyst, and it’s what I will continue to do as your Supervisor.”
At 30 years old, Nguyen is the youngest member of the Garden Grove City Council. She represents District 6, from which she was first elected in 2016 with 56.2% of the vote. She was re-elected in 2020 with more than 70%. She is of Vietnamese and Mexican heritage.
The Nguyen campaign listed a number of endorsements from local elected officials from District 2, including:
Garden Grove Councilmembers John R. O’Neill and Diedre Thu Ha Nguyen; Santa Ana City Councilmembers Thai Viet Phan and David Penaloza; Tustin Councilwoman Letitia Clark; Santa Ana Unified School District Board member Valerie Amezcua; Orange Unified School District Board members Ana Page and Kris Erickson.
District 2: Very Hispanic, Very Democratic
An explicit goal during the county map drawing process was ensuring there would be a majority-Hispanic supervisor – and the 2nd District is overwhelmingly so.
The demographic breakdown is as follows:
- 66.8% Hispanic
- 16.2% White
- 12.9% Asian
- 1.9% Multiracial
- 1.4% Black
It is also strongly Democratic in terms of voters’ party affiliations:
- 48.2% Dem
- 22.5% Rep
- 23.9% No Party Preference
