Janet Nguyen caught seeking and accepting union money for her Senate campaign

Jose Solorio for the 34th State Senate District

OC REPUBLICAN SENATE CANDIDATE JANET NGUYEN QUIETLY SEEKING & ACCEPTING UNION MONEY

Santa Ana, CA — Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen has been quietly seeking union endorsements and money on the campaign trail. Below is one example.

Behind in fundraising and trying to get support from wherever possible, Nguyen has violated the so-called “Baugh Manifesto” by accepting public union PAC money.

Initiated by Hon. Scott Baugh, chairman of the Orange County Republican Party, the manifesto stipulates: “A minimum standard for our support is that no candidate will be supported by this party who receives contributions from public employee unions. If you have already taken their money — give it back.”

On May 2, 2014, Nguyen reported to the Secretary of State her acceptance of a $4,000 donation from the Santa Ana and Orange County Professional Firefighters Association Political Action Committee.

“I saw my Republican opponent interview right after I did with the Orange County Professional Firefighters, Union Local 3631, on Wednesday, April 9th at 9:30 a.m. They’ve provided financial support for my Senate race in the past, but I guess my opponent was also able to make the case she’d also be a good labor vote for their members,” say Community College Trustee Jose Solorio. As a member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Nguyen serves on the Board of Directors of the Orange County Fire Authority as an alternate.

The donation grab is one in a series of desperate actions as Supervisor Nguyen works in a Democratic district, realizes she’s behind in fundraising, and continues to receive questions about her leadership role at CalOptima. Federal auditors intensely critiqued CalOptima’s 16,000-member OneCare program, citing a “serious threat to the health and safety” of its elderly patients. Her Republican colleagues were concerned enough to dispatch fellow Supervisor Todd Spitzer to the CalOptima Board to help correct the many administrative, governance, and health program deficiencies at CalOptima.

Aware that Nguyen’s bid for the 34th Senate District seat will be among the most hotly-contested races in California this year, OC Republicans recognized her in January as “local elected official of the year” despite the brewing problems. In a written statement, Baugh declared, “the Republican Party needs more leaders like Janet Nguyen” and Nguyen said in her press release that “the award is given each year to local elected officials that show exemplary commitment to service in their local community while maintaining the values of the Republican Party.”

Community College Trustee Jose Solorio is the President of the Board of Trustees for the Rancho Santiago Community College District, which oversees Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College, and represents 700,000 residents in the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Irvine, Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin, and Villa Park. Prior to that, he represented the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana in the State Assembly for six years. He holds a bachelor’s degree from UC Irvine and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University. To learn more about Trustee Solorio, please visit him online at Facebook.com/Solorio4California, Twitter.com/JoseSolorio and SolorioForSenate.com.

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