Immigrants of the Day: Immigrant politicians Janet Nguyen (Viet Nam) and Jose Solorio (Mexico) fight for votes in the heart of Orange County
The Los Angeles Times brought to my attention our two immigrants of the day, Janet Nguyen Viet Nam) and Jose Solorio (Mexico) who are running for the California State Senate seat representing Orange County, California.
As election day nears, thisa pair of immigrant politicians — one a refugee from Vietnam, the other the son of a migrant farmer from Mexico — are fighting for votes in the heart of Orange County.
Solorio, the Democratic candidate, is a former State Assemblyman. He is President of the Rancho Santiago Community College District Board.. As a visiting professor at UC Irvine, Solorio has helped educate young adults on how government and public policy works. He’s also the owner of his own marketing and public affairs firm. Solorio is endorsed by the California Small Business Association, the Association of California Highway Patrolmen and the California Nurses Association, among others. He attended Harvard University where he earned a Master’s degree in public policy. He was student body president at UC Irvine, which bestowed upon him a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Janet Nguyen, the Republican candidate, is a small businesswoman and County Supervisor elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors in February 2007 and re-elected in 2008 and 2012. She is former Vice-President of Government and Public Affairs for the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. Janet was the first woman Supervisor to represent the First District, the first Asian-American and the first Vietnamese-American to serve on the Board of Supervisors, as well as the youngest Supervisor elected in Orange County history. In addition, Supervisor Nguyen is the highest ranking Vietnamese-American elected official in California and the highest ranking Vietnamese-American woman elected official in the United States. Janet Nguyen previously served on the Garden Grove City Council where she was the first woman Councilmember elected in nearly 35 years and the youngest member ever elected. She was awarded the We Give Thanks 2004 Women of Vision Award, which recognizes outstanding women who have provided exceptional services to the community. Nguyen was also named to the Class of 2008 Latino OC 100 for her work with the Latino community, and was awarded the 2008 St. Anselm’s Cultural Diversity Award. In addition, the Orange County Register has listed her as one of the “30 Vietnamese-Americans to Watch” and she was named one of OC Metro Magazine 2006 “25 Hottest People” in Orange County for her demonstrated leadership and influence in Southern California. Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Janet Nguyen and her family escaped their homeland on a small wooden 10-meter boat sailing across the South China Sea in search of freedom. After passing through numerous refugee camps, Janet and her family arrived in California in 1981. She is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine.
KJ