Lou Correa accuses Bao Nguyen of voting in his own self-interest

For Immediate Release: October 27, 2016

Contact: Nina Tognazzini, (949) 933-7533, Shallman Communications

NGUYEN RENEGES ON CAMPAIGN PROMISES, VOTES IN HIS OWN SELF-INTEREST

Bao Nguyen’s Record Reveals a Troubling Pattern of Prioritizing Personal Gain Over the Well-being of his Constituents

Santa Ana, CA– Bao Nguyen is not a true progressive. He has made a career out of promising one thing to voters, but then immediately abandoning his principles the moment it becomes personally or politically expedient to do so. That’s why it is not surprising that he failed the residents of Garden Grove both as their School Board Member and later, as their Mayor.

In the 2012 and 2014 elections, Bao vowed to protect our children’s future and provide teachers with the tools they needed to successfully do their jobs. In reality, he broke this promise and protected neither. In 2013, in an attempt to fix the $60 million deficit he helped create on the Garden Grove School Board, Bao voted to cut teachers’ hours, increase class sizes and decrease the overall number of teachers on four separate occasions. Rather than eliminating bureaucratic waste and creating a bright future for our children, Bao voted to renege on his campaign promises and reduce the resources available to our students and teachers.

Bao’s less-than-stellar voting record on the Garden Grove School Board proves that he is not in politics to serve his community, but rather to serve himself. He consistently votes to stay in the good graces of his colleagues, even if it means supporting a policy that is not in the best interest of his constituents. Out of the 944 votes Bao participated in while a member of the Garden Grove School Board, he voted 100%, or 944 out of 944 times, with his peers.

As Garden Grove Mayor, Nguyen continued to prioritize his needs over the needs of local residents. With Garden Grove’s multi-million dollar budget deficit crisis still unresolved, Bao Nguyen opted to give himself a pay raise. Even worse, while Garden Grove struggled to survive financially, Bao attempted to create a new staff position for a personal assistant, his own personal assistant. This decision was so outrageous that his own colleagues reprimanded him saying, “we are here because we want to volunteer our time – not act as a celebrity that needs an entourage.”

Bao has a proven record of prioritizing political gain over doing the right thing. He clearly wasn’t listening when Senator Sanders said, “What kind of nation are we when we give tax breaks to billionaires, but we don’t take care of the elderly or our children?” Bao doesn’t stand up for progressive ideals because he cares more about advancing his own career and cushioning his salary, than he does about addressing the needs of community members. Time and time again, Bao has failed to deliver on his campaign promises and jeopardized the well-being of his constituents. Thus, it is safe to assume, that he would do so in Congress as well.

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