![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790020449584-ea8849fb-f35f-434c-a3a4-50248eead181_1.jpg\")
The flyer accuses District 7 Councilmember Bien Doan of hiding a pair of decades-old convictions from voters, which Doan denies.<\/p>\nA campaign mailer resurfacing decades-old misdemeanor convictions has sparked a war of words in the race for the District 7 San Jose City Council seat.<\/p>\n
A flyer circulated by the challenger in the race, East Side Union High School District trustee Van Le, accuses incumbent Councilmember Bien Doan of concealing his criminal record from voters, pointing to two misdemeanor theft convictions from the mid-1980s.<\/p>\n
Doan has responded by threatening Le with a lawsuit, and accusing her of misrepresenting his record by providing misleading characterizations of his convictions and sentences.\u00a0Doan also denied he has concealed the two convictions \u2014 which he said took place in his early 20s during a turbulent period of his life \u2014 noting that he has publicly discussed his past on several occasions.<\/p>\n
The controversy centers on a mailer from Le\u2019s campaign. Emblazoned with the words \u201cBien Doan is a convicted criminal,\u201d it details his conviction record in English, Vietnamese and Spanish \u2014 drawing on the scant information available in the few remaining records of the cases that have not been purged by the court.<\/p>\n
The flyer accuses District 7 Councilmember Bien Doan of hiding a pair of decades-old convictions from voters, which Doan denies.<\/p>\n
The resurfaced convictions \u2014 which have also circulated on social media and within the local Vietnamese-language press<\/a> \u2014 have roiled the race<\/a> to represent the East and Central San Jose district just weeks before voters are set to receive ballots for the Nov. 3 election. Doan came out of the June 2 primary election<\/a> with a commanding 47.8% vote, trailed by Le<\/a> in second place with 22.4%.<\/p>\n After the flyer began to circulate earlier this month, Doan sent Le a letter demanding a retraction and apology for what he terms \u201cfalse and defamatory\u201d claims. While the flyer includes references to jail terms and the reverse side has a portrayal of a handcuffed prisoner, Doan maintains he has never served time in jail. He\u2019s also accusing Le of unscrupulous campaigning.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople across this country are tired of politics built on division, personal attacks and tearing people down,\u201d Doan, who has clashed publicly<\/a> with Le before, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cI believe Van Le\u2019s campaign is another example of that kind of politics.\u201d<\/p>\n Le has so far refused Doan\u2019s demands,\u00a0and said she stands behind the campaign mailer.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a public record concerning an elected official who is asking voters to return him to office, and I believe that voters have a right to know about them,\u201d Le told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n Dusting off old records<\/p>\n Doan had multiple run-ins with the law between 1985 and 1987, according to Santa Clara County Superior Court records. Over that time, Doan, who had emigrated from war-torn Vietnam as a refugee the decade prior, was arrested several times and later convicted in two separate theft-related cases, though the records suggest his punishments\u00a0involved no time in jail.<\/p>\n Doan also faced a number of more serious charges over that time period. However, in all of those cases the charges were either dismissed or Doan was found not guilty following a jury trial, court records show. The charges included burglary, inducing false testimony and fraud-related crimes, among others.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not one time. This is a pattern,\u201d Le said. \u201cWhen I look at those convictions in the context of the broader court history, I did not believe describing this simply as a youthful indiscretion gave voters the full picture.\u201d<\/p>\n Representatives for Doan\u2019s campaign said that at the time of the convictions, Doan was struggling to find his footing as a young adult and recent immigrant to the U.S. Both arrests took place in Santa Clara County, likely in 1985. In one case, Doan admits to stealing clothing. In the other, a campaign representative said that while Doan was present when the theft took place, he was not involved in the crime himself. Nevertheless, Doan pleaded no contest to the charges in order to avoid jail time, the representative said.<\/p>\n \u201cI made mistakes and was convicted of petty theft for stealing a pair of jeans and clothing to keep warm,\u201d Doan said. \u201cI got in trouble again by hanging around the wrong people. I took responsibility for those mistakes and used my second chance to make a difference by answering the call to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n Doan later went on to a decades-long career as a firefighter, including 21 years with the San Jose Fire Department, where he became the city\u2019s first Vietnamese fire captain<\/a>.<\/p>\n He said he discussed the convictions during his first run for the District 7 seat in 2022, including a glancing reference he included in material posted to his campaign website<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI have also shared my story with at-risk youth groups, from the council dais and at political and community events,\u201d Doan said.<\/p>\n A fair line of attack?<\/p>\n Doan contends Le\u2019s flyer paints a misleading picture of his court record. Under two sections labeled \u201cconviction and sentencing,\u201d one for each crime, the flyer reports \u201c31 days in jail\u201d and \u201c15 days in jail\u201d respectively for the two misdemeanors. The jail terms are verbatim quotes from court records, but those same records suggest Doan likely served jail alternatives outside of custody, according to legal analyst Steven Clark, who reviewed the documents.<\/p>\n Doan said he received suspended sentences and instead served 48 hours of voluntary community service.<\/p>\n In addition, the flyer also characterizes one of Doan\u2019s convictions as \u201cpetty theft of personal property \/ embezzlement by employee,\u201d another verbatim quote from court documents that Doan contends misrepresents the facts of the case. On the reverse side, the flyer states \u201cembezzlement is a serious breach of trust.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a technically correct statement of the charge, but it is misleading,\u201d Clark, a former prosecutor for the Santa Clara County District Attorney\u2019s office, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n Clark said the conviction heading is a generic charge, and could cover a range of different criminal conduct, including crimes that don\u2019t involve embezzlement. The actual criminal conduct is impossible to determine from available records because nearly all of the underlying documents have been purged, meaning that only basic information about charges and final outcomes remain.<\/p>\n Doan denies ever embezzling money from an employer. He said he has not retained court records related to the convictions.<\/p>\n For her part, Le is pushing back on Doan\u2019s criticism. She\u00a0said the flyer accurately quotes sentencing information, and argues it makes no claim about what term Doan ultimately served. She also points out that as rumors about the convictions swirled online in recent months, other prominent Vietnamese American figures in San Jose, including longtime Doan critic<\/a> and community organizer Ha Trieu<\/a>, have pressed the councilmember for a fuller explanation, but have received no response.<\/p>\n Le said Doan\u2019s record and his response to inquiries into the matter raises questions about his character and fitness for office.<\/p>\n \u201cThe District 7 residents deserve integrity at City Hall,\u201d she said. \u201cCan voters trust Councilmember Bien Doan\u2019s integrity?\u201d<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790120172_129_interactive-321838904008.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n