I don’t know if I will continue my Vietnamese Buzz. I have recently unsubscribed from about almost 10-15 different Vietnamese mailing lists in preparation for my grad school, so I’ll be a bit out of the loops with what’s shaking in this vibrant community, but we shall see. Anyways, we are about two months away from the November election, and with that the political wheels are turning, bringing all the good and bad of the typical campaigns.
The Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tran Thai Van, Lynn Daucher and Phu Nguyen Controversy
Last month, Little Saigon was visited by the California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. In an almost-surprise visit, Schwarzenegger showed up in Westminster at the Asian Garden Mall, along with the entire local Vietnamese Republican Party machine to sign a largely symbolic measure honoring the Vietnamese Freedom and Heritage Flag.
During the above-mentioned event, Assemblyman Tran Thai Van, R-Westminster, and Arnold Schwarzenegger promoted and endorsed Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher, R-Fullerton, in her bid for state senate.
Community activist, former UVSA president Phu Nguyen then spoke out in a recent VietWeekly issue that this political stunt was used to endorse a candidate who does not have any track-record of fighting for issues that pertain to the Vietnamese community, and the controversy started when Tran Thai Van and Nguyen Quoc Lan lashed out and labeled Phu Nguyen as a naive adolescent who is only jealous because the candidate he supports, Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), didn’t get any credit, and that his comment in VietWeekly will only be beneficial to Vietnam’s Communist Party as it’s another dividing factor in Vietnamese community.
(Warning, personal opinion to follow)
Puh-lease, when does the Vietnamese community ever get away from using communism as an argument for everything? First and foremost, Lynn Daucher does not have track record in supporting the Vietnamese community before this event. I’ve been involved in the Vietnamese community for years, and she literally came out of nowhere to the Vietnamese community. Lou Correa, on the other hand, has been involved within our community as early as the Tran Van Truong incident in 1999. I have personally walked with Lou Correa to hang up our flag on the streets of Little Saigon and was sitting beside him during the 24-hour hunger strike for the Faith over Force campaign in 2003. I see his active participation in the Vietnamese community not only during each Tet Festival but throughout the year, regardless of whether it’s an election year or not.
John Quoc Duong running for Mayor of Irvine
John Quoc Duong, the former Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (appointed by the Bush administration in 2001), is running for mayor of the city of Irvine. John is not a newcomer to the Vietnamese arena; we got to see him at many Vietnamese event, including a few VPS and VPAC conferences and of course VANG. This marks John Quoc Duong’s first run for political office and is aiming at taking the seat of current mayor Beth Krom.
Cindy Chavez in San Jose
So, what’s cooking for the Vietnamese community here in San Jose, home to the largest Vietnamese population of any US city? Cindy Chavez. I got to meet Cindy Chavez a few times earlier this year at a few Vietnamese functions, including the Asian American Women's Alliance annual dinner here in San Jose. Two of my fellow Vietnamese community activists including Huy Tran and Lilly Nguyen even left his job and her home in Minnesota (respectively) to join her campaign.
So here’s my plug for them and for Cindy. Why should the Vietnamese community vote for Cindy Chavez? My friend says it best:
“Because she’s the real deal. Cindy is one of those people who get into public office for the right reason and is good at it! She has a record of achievements in all of the areas that affect the Vietnamese community the most, which is education, healthcare, and affordable housing.
In education, Cindy Chavez is a visionary. She understands that it takes a village to raise a child, and takes that approach in looking at ways to better our schools. Look at what she did for Horace Mann Elementary. That school used to be all portables, but with some city funds and a partnership between the people who live in that neighborhood and the city, Horace Mann is now a state-of-the-art academy with higher test scores and more and better supplies. You know how Vietnamese people are about education!
In healthcare, Cindy is a fighter! In her very first year on the city council, she challenged Ron Gonzales and got the city council to approve subsidizing healthcare insurance for children using settlement money from the tobacco industry. Rich or poor, we all have to take care of our families, and Cindy understands that.
In affordable housing, Cindy has led the charge. Because of her efforts, San Jose has more affordable housing than any other city in California, including Los Angeles and San Diego. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone in the Vietnamese community is wealthy or well-off. Many families in our community are poor and they rely on low-income housing to have a roof over their heads.
I know that many of you know who Chuck Reed is. The question should be what Chuck Reed has done. It was Cindy who worked with Madison Nguyen to get the funding for the Vietnamese Community Center (and that’s why Madison endorsed her). It was Cindy who put in funding and resources to support the Vietnamese Heritage Day Festival (and that’s why Dr. Ngai Nguyen has endorsed her). She won’t put on an Ao Dai and do a song and dance, because she has more respect for our people than that.
What Cindy will do is get us results.”
Past Vietnamese Buzz entries: July 2006 June 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006