Posted by Chris Nguyen on July 11, 2017
Mayor Pro Tem Tyler Diep (R-Westminster)
Cross-posted to OC Daily…
As reported by OC Daily in English and Viet Bao in Vietnamese, Westminster Mayor Pro Tem Tyler Diep has officially thrown his hat in the ring for the 72nd Assembly District, finally confirming rumors that had swirled since mid-June. The seat is being vacated by Assemblyman Travis Allen, who is running for Governor.
Diep comes out of the gate wielding a $260,000 City Council warchest that he can easily transfer to his Assembly race. Diep also wields the most useful endorsement for this seat: the incumbent, Travis Allen. The endorsement of the current occupant of the seat being sought is always uniquely helpful in a campaign, but Allen’s endorsement has an extra degree of usefulness in 2018 due to his increased name ID from his bid for Governor.
The two dominant population centers of AD-72 are Little Saigon and Huntington Beach. In these two areas, Diep has locked up the endorsements of nearly anyone who could run against him. He has sought to not only clear the field but win the support of the field. It is difficult to launch a bid against someone when you have already endorsed them.
Diep quickly rounded up the endorsements of all three rumored candidates from Huntington Beach: Councilmembers Barbara Delgleize, Mike Posey, and Patrick Brenden. (Posey is so popular that he was rumored for AD-72 despite being a resident of AD-74.)
Diep has locked down the endorsements of nearly every Vietnamese-American elected official in AD-72: Westminster Mayor Tri Ta, Westminster Councilwoman Kimberly Ho, Fountain Valley Mayor Pro Tem Michael Vo, Garden Grove School Board Members Dina Nguyen and Lan Quoc Nguyen, and Westminster School Board Members Frances Nguyen and Khanh Nguyen. (In fact, Diep has the endorsement of every Vietnamese-American school board member in AD-72.)
The only other Republican Vietnamese-American City Councilmember in AD-72 (or actually, in all of Orange County) is Phat Bui of Garden Grove. However, Bui was so badly bloodied in the First Supervisorial District race last year in which he came in third behind Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez and Supervisor Andrew Do that an AD-72 bid by Bui would be quixotic. The Democrats’ sole Vietnamese-American City Councilmember is Thu-Ha Nguyen, who was just elected last year, but the AD-72 seat will remain in Republican hands and Councilwoman Nguyen occupies a small district seat since Garden Grove switched to by-district elections last year, so her name ID is confined to a small portion of Garden Grove.
At this point, it is difficult to see any viable opponent to Diep since virtually any viable candidate for AD-72 has endorsed Diep.
In my conversations with other people about the Diep candidacy before he officially announced, I commented that Diep appeared to be borrowing a page from the Mimi Walters strategy, and his official announcement bears that out. In June 2013, when Congressman John Campbell announced that he would not seek re-election in 2014, Walters came barreling out of the gate with a large warchest and a slew of endorsements that included nearly every potential opponent. The strategy worked well for Walters who won her seat and worked to help elect so many other Republicans that she was quickly elected by freshmen Members of Congress to serve as their representative in the House Republican leadership after the 2014 election and then again as the sophomore representative after the 2016 election.
And, yes, Walters has endorsed Diep.
Here’s the full text of the Diep’s announcement:
Councilman Tyler Diep Launches Campaign for 72nd Assembly District
Diep Enters Race with Significant Momentum: $260k COH & Key Endorsement
(Westminster, CA) – Westminster Councilman Tyler Diep announced today that he is running for State Assembly.
The announcement comes after 72nd District Assemblyman Travis Allen opted to vacate the seat in 2018 to run for Governor. Allen has endorsed Diep’s campaign to succeed him in the Assembly.
“Tyler is the right person to represent us in the State Assembly,” said Assemblyman Allen. “He is a dedicated public servant and has a proven record of fighting higher taxes and job killing regulations.”
Councilman Diep will begin the campaign with significant campaign resources – he will transfer approximately $260,000 from his council campaign account to his assembly race.
“I am passionate about public service, my community and fighting to make Orange County a better place to raise a family and start a business,” said Diep. “I look forward to taking my experience in Orange County to Sacramento and between now and election day I’ll work hard to earn the vote of every neighborhood in the 72nd district.”
The 72nd District includes all of Westminster, Garden Grove, Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, a portion of Huntington Beach and the unincorporated county island of Midway City.
Axiom Strategies will serve as general consultants for Diep’s campaign, John Bovee of Capital Development Strategies will assist Diep with fundraising, and Lysa Ray will serve as his treasurer.
Diep was first elected to the Westminster City Council in 2008. He has been a strong taxpayer advocate, is committed to job creation and supporting small businesses by keeping taxes low, and has prioritized hiring more police officers and road repair while on the city council. He also serves as Director of the Midway City Sanitary District and works for the State Board of Equalization where he helps small businesses navigate through the bureaucracy of the IRS and Franchise Tax Board.
To learn more about Diep and his campaign, please visit: www.TylerDiep.com
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(Cue my usual Nguyen disclaimer: I am not related to Garden Grove Councilwoman Thu-Ha Nguyen, Garden Grove School Board Member Dina Nguyen, Garden Grove School Board Member Lan Quoc Nguyen, Westminster School Board Member Frances Nguyen, or Westminster School Board Member Khanh Nguyen. The last name Nguyen is held by 36% of Vietnamese people.)
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Posted in 72nd Assembly District, Westminster | Tagged: Andrew Do, Barbara Delgleize, Dina Nguyen, Frances Nguyen, John Campbell, Khanh Nguyen, Kimberly Ho, Lan Quoc Nguyen, Michael Vo, Michele Martinez, Mike Posey, Mimi Walters, Patrick Brenden, Phat Bui, Thu-Ha Nguyen, Travis Allen, Tri Ta, Tyler Diep | 1 Comment »
Posted by Chris Nguyen on August 15, 2016
Under California law, the deadline for filing for most offices was this past Friday, August 12. However, in races where there is an eligible incumbent who chose not to file for re-election, non-incumbents received an extra five days to file. Consequently, the deadline for non-incumbents to file has been extended until 5:00 PM on Wednesday, August 17 for 20 races for college board, school board, and special districts. None of these require nomination signatures, so a prospective candidate could literally pull and file papers in the final minutes before 5:00 PM on August 17.
Three of these contests actually have more seats than candidates. In other words, there aren’t enough candidates for these races, so anyone who files will go unopposed, but at this point, if no one else files, these three districts will have vacancies:
There’s an additional five contests where the number of seats equal the number of candidates. In other words, if no one else files, all of these candidates will be elected unopposed:
Looking at the list below, some of you may be wondering why Rancho Santiago Community College District, Trustee Area 1 is not listed. In that case, incumbent Jose Solorio (D) actually resigned from the seat, so there is no incumbent. When there’s no incumbent at all, there’s no extension.
For those of you who are curious
Here’s the complete run-down on the 20 contests where filing has been extended to 5:00 PM on August 17 because at least one incumbent failed to file, giving non-incumbents an extra five days to file:
- North Orange County Community College District, Trustee Area 2
- Incumbent Leonard Lahtinen (D) did not file for re-election, opting instead to run for Anaheim City Council. Three candidates have pulled and filed papers to replace him so far:
- Centralia School District Trustee Art Montez (D), who was on the Centralia Board from 1998-2010, when he was defeated for re-election, lost a 2012 bid to return to the Board, and then finally returned to the Centralia Board in the 2014 election, but he’s already looking for another office just two years later
- College Educator Ed Lopez (?)
- Businesswoman/Student Ann-Marie Stinson (D)
- North Orange County Community College District, Trustee Area 7
- Incumbent Tony Ontiveros (R), the only Republican on the North Orange County Community College District Board, did not file for re-election. Only one candidate has pulled papers to replace him:
- Attorney Barry Wishart (D), who served on the North Orange County Community College District Board from 1985 until his resignation in December 2001, three years into his fourth term
- Capistrano Unified School District, Trustee Area 3
- Incumbent John Alpay (R) did not file for re-election, opting instead to run for South Orange County Community College District. Only one candidate has pulled papers to replace him:
- Public Information Officer Laura Ferguson (R), who is the PIO for the City of San Clemente
- Irvine Unified School District
- There are three incumbents up for re-election: Paul Bokota (D), Lauren Brooks (R), and Michael Parham (R). Bokota and Brooks filed for re-election, but Parham did not. In addition to Bokota and Brooks, four other candidates have pulled and filed papers:
- Irvine Businesswoman/Parent Betty Carroll (NPP)
- Army Captain/Parent Mark Newgent (?)
- Irvine Businesswoman/Parent Naz Hamid (D)
- Attorney Geri Zollinger (D)
- Laguna Beach Unified School District
- There are two incumbents up for re-election: William Landsiedel (R) and Jan Vickers (D). Vickers filed for re-election, but Landsiedel did not. In addition to Vickers, two other candidates have pulled and filed papers:
- Constitutional Lawyer/Author Howard Hills (R)
- Community Volunteer Peggy Wolff (D)
- Orange Unified School District, Trustee Area 6
- Incumbent Mark Wayland (R) did not file for re-election. Three candidates have pulled papers to replace him:
- Child Care Supervisor Nicole Baitx-Kennedy (NPP), the only one who has filed papers so far
- Realtor Jeremy Wayland (R), the retiring incumbent’s son
- Danielle Jacobs (R), who is director of operations for Sheldon Development, LLC, run by Orange County Water District Director Steve Sheldon (R)
- Saddleback Valley Unified School District
- There are three incumbents up for re-election: Ginny Fay Aitkens (D), Amanda Morrell (R), and Suzie Swartz (R). Morrell and Swartz filed for re-election, but Aitkens did not. In addition to Morrell and Swartz, five other candidates have pulled papers:
- Retired Educator Edward Wong (NPP)
- Teacher Bill Yarrington (R)
- Water Agency Manager Mark Tettemer (R), a former Lake Forest City Councilman who retired in 2012 after two terms to pursue a Master of Public Administration
- School Maintenance Specialist David Johnson (?)
- Businessman Theo Hunt (D)
- Santa Ana Unified School District
- There are three incumbents up for re-election: Jose Hernandez (NPP), Cecilia Iglesias (R), and Rob Richardson (R). Iglesias filed for re-election, but Hernandez and Richardson did not. In addition to Iglesias, seven other candidates have pulled papers:
- Recreation Program Coordinator Gloria Alvarado (D)
- Attorney/Santa Ana Commissioner Bruce Bauer (D)
- Teacher/Parent Rigo Rodriguez (?)
- Supervising Social Worker Alfonso Alvarez (D)
- Congressional Liaison/Parent Bea Mendoza (D), who works for Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D)
- Educator/Santa Ana Commissioner Mark McLoughlin (NPP), a former Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee
- Santa Ana Businesswoman/Economist Angie Cano (R)
- Huntington Beach City School District
- There are two incumbents up for re-election: Bridget Kaub (R) and Brian Rechsteiner (R). Kaub filed for re-election, but Rechsteiner did not. In addition to Kaub, three other candidates have pulled papers:
- Retired Elementary Principal Ann Sullivan (AI)
- Rob Fishel (NPP)
- Elementary Teacher/Parent Karrie Burroughs (R)
- Ocean View School District
- There are two incumbents up for re-election: Gina Clayton-Tarvin (D) and Debbie Cotton (R). Clayton-Tarvin filed for re-election, but Cotton did not. In addition to Clayton-Tarvin, only one other candidate has pulled and filed papers:
- Social Worker Amalia Lam (D)
- Westminster School District
- There are two incumbents up for re-election: Jamison Power (D) and Amy Walsh (R). Power filed for re-election, but Walsh did not. In addition to Power, two other candidates have pulled and filed papers:
- Attorney/Business Owner Karl Truong (?)
- Educator/Entrepreneur Frances Nguyen (R), a former President of the Westminster Chamber of Commerce
- Capistrano Bay Community Services District
- No one has pulled papers for these two seats! There are two incumbents up for re-election: Ambrose Mastro (R) and Stephen Muller (R), the two Republicans on a board with one Democrat and two NPPs. Neither Mastro nor Muller filed for re-election.
- At this point, anyone who pulls and files papers will walk into elected office unopposed. If fewer than two people file for these two seats, the Orange County Board of Supervisors will appoint people to fill the vacancies.
- Emerald Bay Service District
- There are two incumbents up for re-election: William Hart (R) and John Marconi (R). Marconi filed for re-election, but Hart did not. In addition to Marconi, only one other candidate has pulled and filed papers:
- Real Estate Investor Phil De Carion (NPP)
- Surfside Colony Community Services District
- Incumbent Michael Farrell (NPP) did not file for re-election. Two candidates have pulled and filed papers to replace him so far:
- Retired Business Owner Rudy LaLonde (R)
- Linda Garofalo (NPP), ex-wife of former Huntington Beach Mayor Dave Garofalo (R)
- Three Arch Bay Community Services District
- No one has pulled papers for the third seat! There are three incumbents up for re-election: Alan Anderson (R), Elizabeth Gapp (R) and Gary Rubel (R). While Anderson and Rubel filed for re-election, Gapp did not. Only Anderson and Rubel have pulled and filed papers.
- At this point, anyone who pulls and files papers will walk into elected office unopposed. If a third person does not file for these three seats, the Orange County Board of Supervisors will appoint someone to fill the vacancy.
- Silverado-Modjeska Recreation and Park District
- There are two incumbents up for re-election: John Olson (D) and Chay Peterson (NPP). Neither Olson nor Peterson filed for re-election. Four candidates have pulled and filed papers:
- IT Consultant Steven Duff (D)
- Retired Educator Tara Saraye (D)
- Realtor/Artist/Parent Heidi Murphy-Grande (?)
- Dion Sorrell (D)
- Surfside Colony Storm Water Protection District
- No one has pulled papers for the second seat! There are two incumbents up for re-election: John Cahoon (L) and Stephen Rowe (D). While Rowe filed for re-election, Cahooon did not. Only Rowe has pulled and filed papers.
- At this point, anyone who pulls and files papers will walk into elected office unopposed. If a second person does not file for these two seats, the Orange County Board of Supervisors will appoint someone to fill the vacancy.
- South Coast Water District
- There are three incumbents up for re-election: Dick Dietmeier (NPP), Rick Erkeneff (R), and Wayne Rayfield (D). Erkeneff and Rayfield filed for re-election, but Dietmeier did not. In addition to Erkeneff and Rayfield, four other candidates have pulled papers:
- Retired Business Owner Bob Moore (R), a former South Coast Water District Director who lost a 2014 re-election bid after foolishly using a non-incumbent ballot designation
- Retired Project Manager Bob Oakley (R)
- Civil Engineer Douglas Erdman (NPP), who appears to be the son of South Coast Water District Director Dennis Erdman (R)
- Former South Coast Water District Director Richard Gardner (D), who lost a 2012 re-election bid seeks a return to his old seat after losing a 2014 bid to reclaim a seat on this board (or he might not seek a return since he has also pulled papers for Municipal Water District of Orange County, Division 7)
- Yorba Linda Water District
- There are two incumbents up for re-election: Michael Beverage (R) and Ric Collett (R). Collett filed for re-election, but Beverage did not. In addition to Collett, only one other candidate has pulled and filed papers:
- Retired Business Advisor Benjamin Franklin Parker (R)
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- Incumbent Susan Hinman (R) did not file for re-election. Three candidates have pulled papers to replace her so far:
- Moulton-Niguel Water District Director Donald Froelich (R)
- Business Owner/Consultant Evan Chaffee (R)
- Registered Professional Engineer Raymond Miller (R)
- Former South Coast Water District Director Richard Gardner (D), who has also pulled papers for South Coast Water District
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Posted in Anaheim, Capistrano Bay Community Services District, Capistrano Unified School District, Centralia School District, Emerald Bay Service District, Huntington Beach City School District, Irvine Unified School District, Laguna Beach Unified School District, Moulton-Niguel Water District, Municipal Water District of Orange County, North Orange County Community College District, Ocean View School District, Orange Unified School District, Saddleback Valley Unified School District, Santa Ana Unified School District, Silverado-Modjeska Recreation and Park District, South Coast Water District, South Orange County Community College District, Surfside Colony Community Services District, Surfside Colony Storm Water Protection District, Three Arch Bay Community Services District, Westminster School District, Yorba Linda Water District | Tagged: Alan Anderson, Alfonso Alvarez, Amalia Lam, Amanda Morrell, Ambrose Mastro, Amy Walsh, Angie Cano, Ann Sullivan, Ann-Marie Stinson, Art Montez, Barry Wishart, Bea Mendoza, Benjamin Parker, Betty Carroll, Bill Yarrington, Bob Moore, Bob Oakley, Brian Rechsteiner, Bridget Kaub, Bruce Bauer, Ceci Iglesias, Cecilia "Ceci" Iglesias, Cecilia Iglesias, Chalynn Peterson, Daivd Johnson, Danielle Jacobs, Dave Garofalo, Debbie Cotton, Dennis Erdman, Dick Dietmeier, Dion Sorrell, Donald Froelich, Douglas Erdman, Ed Lopez, Edward Wong, Elizabeth Gapp, Evan P. Chafee, Frances Nguyen, Gary Rubel, Geri Zollinger, Gina Clayton, Gina Clayton-Tarvin, Ginny Aitkens, Gloria Alvarado, Heidi Murphy-Grande, Howard Hills, Jamison Power, Jan Vickers, Jeremy Wayland, John Alpay, John Cahoon, John Marconi, John Olson, Jose Hernandez, Jose Solorio, Karl Truong, Karrie Burroughs, Laura Ferguson, Lauren Brooks, Leonard L. Lahtinen, Leonard Lahtinen, Linda Garofalo, Loretta Sanchez, Mark D. Wayland, Mark McLoughlin, Mark Newgent, Mark Tettemer, Mark Wayland, Michael Beverage, Michael Farrell, Michael Parham, Naz Hamid, Nicole Baitx-Kennedy, Paul Bokota, Peggy Wolff, Phil De Carion, Raymond Miller, Ric Collett, Richard Gardner, Rick Erkeneff, Rigo Rodriguez, Rob Fishel, Rob Richardson, Rudy LaLonde, Stephen Muller, Stephen Rowe, Steven Duff, Susan Hinman, Suzie Swartz, Tara Saraye, Theo Hunt, Tony Ontiveros, Wayne Rayfield, William Hart, William Landsiedel | 1 Comment »
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