Andrew Do blew off the First District Candidates Forum in Santa Ana

Predictably Andrew Do blew off the First District candidates forum that was held in Santa Ana yesterday.  Why would he want to put himself in a position to have to explain why he quit the Garden Grove City Council in 2011 or answer the questions about whether or not he actually lived in Garden Grove at that time?

The rest of the candidates showed up including Lou Correa, Chuyen Van Nguyen, Chris Phan, Lupe Moreno and a write-in candidate, Mark I. Lopez.

Here are a few highlights from the forum courtesy of the OC Political Blog:

• Correa said that “the County’s top job is public safety; his wife was attacked by an assailant two years ago but she managed to escape after being beaten.”
• Moreno expressed “concern about the safety of the Civic Center with its homeless population.”
• Van Nguyen said that “He wants to improve learning opportunities, fiscal responsibility, and public safety. He hopes County politics is safer than anti-aircraft missiles.”
• Phan spoke about “wanting to expand opportunity and improve public safety.”
• Lopez said that “the community is too segregated by race and we are all Americans.”

On the subject of the homeless here is what the candidates had to say:

• Phan said that “homelessness is widespread and is not just a First District problem.”
• Moreno blamed the homeless problem on “the growth of government,” and Federal handouts.
• Van Nguyen called “on city, county, and state governments to work together to solve the problem.”
• Correa pointed “to the Illumination Foundation’s recently-opened homeless shelter near the Civic Center. He says the neighbors can’t even tell the shelter is there.”

Picture courtesy of David DeLeon

Regarding strategies to encourage business growth in Orange County using local preference programs, here is what the candidates said:

• Correa said that he “supports local preference programs in County contracting, like the State and federal governments have. He points to IT contracts going to out of County companies. He supports holding more workshops for OC businesses to explain and encourage their bids on County contracts.”
• Moreno said that “the way to help business is to cut regulations and taxes. She wants the community businesses to not be reliant on government. She believes the Supervisors must have a reason for “not having special favors” with local preferences.”
• Van Nguyen called for “for collaboration between government and local chambers of commerce to help find solutions for local business.”
• Phan suggested “incentives, tax credits, and loans for businesses wanting to stay in Orange County or coming into Orange County. He pointed to the “Buy in Garden Grove” program in his City. He said bringing in large national companies locally brings local jobs.”
• Lopez spoke about “the City of Santa Ana stopping his effort to open a hot dog stand.”

Write-In Candidate Mark I. Lopez

Here is what the candidates said about  fixing the property tax equity problem for Orange County:

• Moreno said that “she would oppose any tax increases.”
• Lopez said “he would oppose tax increases and says people pay too much.”
• Correa said “the question is not about raising taxes but about allocation of existing property taxes. He says the allocation formula is stuck in 1978 when OC was rich and young. He says OC gets 11 cents per dollar whole San Francisco gets 60 cents per dollar. He says he has fought this in Sacramento. He says OC needs to get up to the average. He notes in 2009 he secured $50 million in additional allocation for OC on an ongoing basis but says there needs to be a greater allocation to reach equity.”
• Van Nguyen said that “OC should get its fair share of tax dollars from Sacramento. He says he will surround himself with experts both paid and unpaid to study the issue and fight in Sacramento.”
• Phan called for “a comprehensive study of the funding equity issue to arm OC’s legislative delegation with proof that OC should have a greater allocation to achieve funding equity.”

Republican Candidate Lupe Moreno

The last panel question was about CalOptima and Obamacare.  Here is what the candidates said:

• Van Nguyen said that “there needs to be checks and balances with additional appointees to ensure all aspects of CalOptima are examined. He said that quality of care must be balanced with fiscal responsibility.”
• Phan said that “the appointment of a second Supervisor to CalOptima is a good first step. He does not want to create more bureaucracy and wants a comprehensive study on how to improve CalOptima. He wants to encourage more preventative care. He called for more oversight, eliminating duplicate services, and preventative care.”
• Lopez said that “he falls under VA. He proposes opening a County hospital or two instead of CalOptima. He said that he will donate one year’s salary to build a County hospital.”
• Correa said that “he worked closely with CalOptima as a State Senator to help fix the problems at CalOptima. He acknowledges Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who was in the audience for his work fixing CalOptima. Correa called for greater access to health care. He wants to grow and strengthen CalOptima with vigilance and oversight. He wants the best, cost-effective, and timely services through CalOptima.”
• Moreno said that “CalOptima started as an experiment and it has not been replicated anywhere else in the state. She describes her work on CalOptima, children’s services, and MediCal, along with the bureaucratic burdens with these programs. She wants to study other counties to determine the best model.”

The audience then asked the candidates how they “can help combat the climate of California being unfriendly to business.”

• Moreno “blasted the influence of unions and corporations on career politicians. She wants to lower taxes and fight federal unfunded mandates. She said that citizens are shortchanged. She said that career politicians are not helping the people.”
• Van Nguyen said that “California’s economy is doing well.”
• Phan called “for reducing bureaucracy. He wants to lead by example. He wants to make it easier for businesses to start and grow by reducing burdens upon local business.”
• Lopez  “lamented the lack of manufacturing in the United States. He wants to reject outside businesses in favor of local businesses in Orange County.”
• Correa said that “He wants to listen to local businesses, business groups,and taxpayer groups. He spoke of when he was locked out of his office by the Senate leadershop for not being liberal. He spoke of biotechnology and venture capital in California. He wants to turn to the strengths of California not its weaknesses. He spoke of voting for tax incentives to keep the B3 bomber in California.”

The mysterious Chuyen Van Nguyen (the only candidate with no Facebook page)

The audience then asked for each candidate’s top three priorities.

• Lopez said that “his top priorities are education, transportation, and housing. He calls for better bus routes and more affordable housing for all. He says tough decisions need to be made. He supports more straight talk from elected officials like the way George Wallace talked.”
• Correa said that “public safety is the top priority. He wants cost effective monitoring of criminals after realignment and Prop 47. He want to hire more probation officers. He wants to increase crime prevention programs. He says growing the economy is his second priority and education is third.”
• Moreno said that “public safety is her top priority. She was beaten five years ago in Santa Ana. She worries about her family’s safety. She worries about the community’s safety. Her second priority is fighting eminent domain. Her third priority is encouraging businesses in the Civic Center and wants other Supervisors to take the First District more seriously.”
• Van Nguyen said that “public safety is his top priority. He wants more funding for juvenile justice programs. He wants to “beef up the Probation Department” to “keep a tighter lid” on crime due to AB 109 realignment. His second priority is education and wants to expand preschool. His third priority is transportation, as he wants to create circular bus routes rather than north-south routes.”
• Phan said that “public safety, the economy, and fiscal responsibility are his top priorities. He wants to ensure the Sheriff’s Department is well equipped and wants to work on more crime prevention programs for youth. He notes his experience as a prosecutor. He wants to reduce regulatory burdens on businesses to encourage economic growth. He wants to streamline government to ensure fiscally responsible spending.”

None of these candidates spoke about the wasteful County spending and the influence of mostly Republican lobbyists on County business.  None of them spoke about the corruption that was now former Supervisor Janet Nguyen.  And apparently none of them ripped Do – the only candidate who blew off the debate.

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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