San Jose Spotlight logo. San Jose Spotlight is nonprofit newsroom covering San Jose, Calif. and cities and communities in Santa Clara County. (San Jose Spotlight via Bay City News)
San Jose Spotlight/San Jose Spotlight via Bay City News
Election season is in full swing in San Jose District 7, where incumbent Councilmember Bien Doan is squaring off against three challengers, including two bitter rivals.
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The three challengers aiming to unseat Doan include City Hall staffer Hanh-Giao “HG” Nguyen, youth sports leader Rafael Garcia and Van Le, an East Side Union High School District trustee.
Le and Nguyen have publicly clashed with Doan, and the pair have incorporated these longstanding feuds into their electoral cases against the incumbent. All three are prominent figures in San Jose’s Vietnamese community and emigrated to the United States from Vietnam in the 1970s.
Whoever wins will represent a district that encompasses parts of central and East San Jose, including the Little Saigon Business District, a cultural and business hub for the estimated 145,000 residents of Vietnamese descent in the city. The district also has a sizable Latino voter base.
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Doan’s incumbency may not be the advantage it would be elsewhere in the city. District 7’s notoriously fickle voters haven’t reelected an incumbent councilmember for a second term in more than a decade.
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The candidates’ platforms share much in common. All four have laid out plans centered on improving public safety, reducing homelessness and addressing quality of life issues such as blight and street conditions.
The race could hinge, instead, on the candidates’ competing claims they are the best positioned to unify the sometimes fractious district around these goals.
Here are the District 7 San Jose City Council candidates in alphabetical order by last name:
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Doan’s 2022 election victory over then-incumbent Maya Esparza came after a 21-year career with San Jose’s Fire Department that saw him become the city’s first Vietnamese fire captain.
Over his first three years on the council, Doan has managed to win support from both sides of San Jose’s labor-business political divide. Labor leaders have lauded his positions — including support for wage theft protections and Med 30, a drug oversight program in the city’s fire department — as pro-worker. Meanwhile, his habit of pushing back against proposals for new tax measures has earned cheers from local business leaders.
Doan, 62, is also highlighting his record supporting causes backed by the local Vietnamese community and his stances on public safety, such as his support for the San Jose Police Department’s efforts to procure a fixed-wing aircraft.
“I am excited to continue that work over the next four years by bringing people together and focusing on the fundamentals,” Doan told San Jose Spotlight.
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Doan said if he wins a second term, he plans to continue serving as a voice for efficiency in city services and a check on government excess.
“Our city has become too expensive, and many District 7 residents are struggling just to pay rent, keep food on the table and support their families,” Doan said. “They need a strong voice on the city council who will push back against unnecessary taxes and government policies that further increase the cost of living.”
Garcia, an electrician of 30 years, is defining his candidacy by his many forms of civic engagement.
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An active leader in youth sports, Garcia, 55, has served in multiple coaching and volunteer roles at Yerba Buena High School, supporting the school’s varsity baseball, junior varsity football and wrestling teams.
Garcia, a longtime union member, also holds a leadership position in the South Bay chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and serves as vice president of the Seven Trees Neighborhood Association.
“I’m highly, highly involved in the community wherever I’ve gone,” Garcia told San Jose Spotlight. “This experience — how to get out there and unite people together — will actually give me an upper edge.”
Garcia said as District 7 councilmember, he would focus on improvements to affordability as well as public safety, including by expanding neighborhood watch programs. Also high on his agenda, he said, would be boosting civic engagement in the neighborhood by expanding community events and programs for youth. In addition, Garcia said he sees room to improve public outreach between the city and District 7 residents.
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“Being a blue collar worker all my life, I know what the grind is,” he said. “I don’t neglect having to do some hard work for myself, getting out there and getting dirty and having it taken care of.”
Le, who is in her fourth term as an East Side Union High School District trustee, traces her passion for public service to her experience as a Vietnam War refugee who fled the country in 1975.
“That’s why I really treasure freedom,” Le, 67, told San Jose Spotlight. “We left our country. That’s why I want to give back to this community — give back to this country.”
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It’s a drive that has fueled Le’s multiple runs at public office. This race marks Le’s fourth consecutive attempt to win the District 7 council seat. In 2016, Le also unsuccessfully ran for the 27th Assembly seat.
A longtime community leader, in 1992 Le founded the Children’s Moon Festival, an annual cultural celebration that has raised funds for homeless students in the East Side Union High School District. As for her day job, Le owns a franchised State Farm Insurance agency in San Jose.
Le said as councilmember, she would continue efforts to support youth and older adults in the district.
This election cycle Le’s campaign has been buoyed by an early fundraising lead over her opponents. Le has drawn in $65,217 in donations, while Doan has hauled in $23,746 and Nguyen has raised $6,950, according to campaign finance documents through Dec. 31. There is no information for Garcia.
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“So that’s really good momentum and a really positive feeling that I have much stronger support from different sectors,” Le said. “I’m going to work very hard here to build that coalition across all communities in the district.”
Nguyen has a decades-long track record of leadership in San Jose’s Vietnamese community.
In 1991, she founded the Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce of Santa Clara Valley, an organization that supports small Vietnamese businesses. She has also co-hosted the locally broadcast Vietnamese-language radio program “San Jose Co Gi La,” or “What’s Happening in San Jose.”
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Nguyen said her own experience as an immigrant informs her leadership priorities, which include ensuring city services are available in multiple languages.
“My journey, from rebuilding my life in America to actively serving my community, has fostered my strong commitment to public service,” she told San Jose Spotlight.
Nguyen contends her more than three decades of public service, spanning multiple roles in government, sets her leadership apart from her opponents.
Nguyen worked for San Jose’s redevelopment agency in the 90s, supporting efforts to beautify the East Santa Clara Street business corridor, and later served as a senior consultant for former Assemblyman Manny Diaz. Presently she works as director of public affairs in District 5 Councilmember Peter Ortiz’s office.
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“I have dedicated years to ensuring that our community’s voices are heard at City Hall,” she said. “With my extensive experience working within the city of San Jose, I know how the system operates and how to improve it for the benefit of our community.”
Both Le and Nguyen contend Doan’s leadership has sowed division within the community.
Last year, Le threatened to file a defamation suit against Doan after one of his staff members called for a school district probe into Le over whistleblower accusations that she improperly used school facilities for political purposes. Le has denied wrongdoing.
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Meanwhile, Nguyen made waves last year when she heckled Doan during an April council meeting. Doan responded by calling for her to be fired from her city job.
Separately, Doan is facing defamation lawsuits from two other prominent Vietnamese American leaders — fallout from yet more public dust ups involving the councilmember.
Responding to the criticism, Doan said his disagreements with Le and Nguyen came as a response to serious concerns over their conduct.
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“When concerns are brought forward, it is our responsibility to ensure they are reviewed appropriately,” he said. “Disagreements will happen, but my priority remains delivering results for District 7, uniting our community and keeping our city safe, accountable and moving forward.”
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