Thai Viet Phan
2020 - Present
2024
3
Thai Viet Phan is a member of the Santa Ana City Council in California, representing Ward 1. She assumed office on December 8, 2020. Her current term ends on December 10, 2024.
Phan is running for re-election to the Santa Ana City Council to represent Ward 1 in California. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.[source]
Biography
Thai Viet Phan earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2011. She earned a master's degree from the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy and a J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in 2015. Phan is an attorney.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: City elections in Santa Ana, California (2024)
General election
The general election will occur on November 5, 2024.
General election for Santa Ana City Council Ward 1
Incumbent Thai Viet Phan and Julie Tran are running in the general election for Santa Ana City Council Ward 1 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
 | Thai Viet Phan (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Julie Tran (Nonpartisan) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2020
Santa Ana City Council
See also: City elections in Santa Ana, California (2020)
General election
General election for Santa Ana City Council Ward 1
Thai Viet Phan defeated Tony Adame, Cynthia Contreras, and Thomas Anthony Gordon in the general election for Santa Ana City Council Ward 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Thai Viet Phan (Nonpartisan) | 40.1 | 6,909 |
| Tony Adame (Nonpartisan) | 28.7 | 4,945 | |
| Cynthia Contreras (Nonpartisan) | 19.0 | 3,278 | |
| Thomas Anthony Gordon (Nonpartisan) | 12.1 | 2,087 | |
| Total votes: 17,219 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Phan's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
Recall election
Cecilia Iglesias was subject to a recall election on May 19, 2020.
Cecilia Iglesias recall, 2020
Cecilia Iglesias lost the Santa Ana City Council Ward 6 recall election on May 19, 2020.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✖ | Yes |
55.6
|
11,876 | ||
No |
44.4
|
9,475 | |||
Total Votes |
21,351 | ||||
|
|
Thai Viet Phan ran in a May 19 special general election to replace Cecilia Iglesias as the Santa Ana City Council Ward 6 councilmember.
General election
Special general election for Santa Ana City Council Ward 6
Nelida Mendoza defeated Thai Viet Phan and Angie Rosario Cano in the special general election for Santa Ana City Council Ward 6 on May 19, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Nelida Mendoza (Nonpartisan) | 43.2 | 7,514 |
| Thai Viet Phan (Nonpartisan) | 35.9 | 6,241 | |
 | Angie Rosario Cano (Nonpartisan) | 20.9 | 3,635 | |
| Total votes: 17,390 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Thai Viet Phan has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey. If you are Thai Viet Phan, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?
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You can ask Thai Viet Phan to fill out this survey by using the button below.
2020
Santa Ana City Council
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released August 23, 2020 |
Thai Viet Phan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Phan's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Thai Viet Phan is a Vietnamese refugee raised in Santa Ana. She's lived in the city for over 20 years and is now a homeowner with her husband, a US Air Force veteran. Although her family relied on food stamps and Section 8 to make ends meet, she became the first in her family to graduate from high school. She later earned degrees from both UCLA and USC. Currently, Thai works as a city attorney, providing legal advice to cities throughout Southern California on issues including land use, compliance with state and federal law, and any local matters that arise. She also serves on the Santa Ana Planning Commission.
Thai is running for Santa Ana City Council - Ward 1, which has the highest percentage of Asian American, predominantly Vietnamese, voters in Santa Ana. Despite comprising ¼ of the Little Saigon community, Santa Ana has never elected a Vietnamese resident to the dais.
Thai has the experience of being a homegrown resident and the expertise as a public servant to move Santa Ana forward. Her priorities include addressing housing affordability, expanding economic opportunity, and improving public safety. She's ready on day one and will champion causes benefiting everyday residents.
- Thai will help small businesses, not only survive the Coronavirus pandemic, but also thrive in Santa Ana by developing policies that make it easier for residents to navigate the permitting process, receive financial and translation assistance, and open a business in the city. Expanding economic opportunity for residents and businesses is of utmost importance, because we need to make sure our residents can take care of their families and mom and pop shops, which are the heart of Santa Ana, survive this pandemic. Thai is committed to working with the community to expand financial support received from the state and federal governments and to ensuring that all residents and businesses that need help get the services they require.
- She will also work to increase public safety and implement public safety reforms to build trust between our officers and residents, including efforts toward responsible community policing and a reduction in 911 response times. Trust between our officers and our community helps to ensure we are all safe. This is why we must invest in hiring local residents who know our culture, language, and our values. This is also why we must have an oversight commission to hold our public servants accountable. These strategies promote a thriving and safe community for all.
- She will address housing affordability by promoting new developments that keep the American Dream within reach, while protecting property values and helping renters stay in their homes. By increasing medium density housing such as townhomes and duplexes as well as mixed-use developments, the City of Santa Ana will be able to capitalize on underdeveloped economic corridors, such as Harbor Boulevard and South Bristol Street while helping to ensure an adequate housing supply for current and future residents.
Thai will also work to address the homelessness crisis in Santa Ana by ensuring our current shelters are well-run and standing up to the County of Orange for its failure to address the issue. The County has millions of dollars at its disposal and has the ability to open shelters throughout the county, but refuses to do so. We must stand up to the County and other cities that refuse to do their fair share. Santa Ana has gone above and beyond and should no longer bear the brunt of this countywide epidemic.
Integrity, dedication, collegiality, and conviction are all important qualities for an elected official.
Voting with residents' best interests in mind, acting with integrity, and being transparent with issues and policies that arise.
One of my first jobs was working at In-N-Out Burger! I worked there on and off for 6 years, including a year-and-a-half full time. Working at In-N-Out Burger helped me pay for college and law school. The management was incredibly flexible and worked with my class schedule to make sure that I could do well while working my way up the ranks. Not only did I go from taking out the trash and wiping down tables to cooking burgers every day, I was also an "All Star," which meant I went to newly opened In-N-Outs to train new employees. It was a great experience, and I recommend it for all students!
As a first-generation refugee raised in Santa Ana, my family relied on government benefits like Section 8 vouchers, Medi-Cal, and food stamps to get by. I know what it's like to live in garages and overcrowded housing units. I know what it's like to now know where my next rent payment will come from and to skip buying groceries to afford housing. I have been my mom's translator since I was old enough to speak English, because she doesn't speak English and doesn't have an education. I know what it's like to think I'd never be able to afford a home (but I am very lucky to be married to a veteran and get a VA Loan). These are the experiences of many Santa Ana residents, so I want to work on issues that affect them like it did my family and me. I want to make life better, healthier, and safer for the community that raised me.
City Councils are responsible for making policy affecting all aspects of a residents life, including where a resident may live, where they can work, and where they play. A council member votes on matters such as public safety, land use and zoning that affects housing developments throughout the city, how tax dollars are spent on services for residents. City Councils have more affect on a resident's everyday life than most other political bodies, which is why it is crucial to elect a council member whose committed to residents.
Yes, I think it's definitely beneficial for a Santa Ana Council Member to have previous experience in government or politics. Santa Ana is the second-largest city in Orange County and faces myriad issues, including a housing attainability crisis, a revenue shortfall as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a homelessness crisis, and a need to decrease 911 response times, among others. As a city attorney and a planning commissioner, I already work on the complex issues affecting cities today. I'm ready to get to work today and will be ready to get to work on day one. There's no learning curve.
The ability to collaborate with colleagues is essential to being a successful council member. Too often, politics is about saber rattling rather than focusing on adopting policies that help residents or meeting in the middle. I believe it's crucial to communicate and work with a broad coalition of community members and stakeholders, because everyone has a different experience and point of view.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Recall election
Thai Viet Phan did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Santa Ana City Council Ward 1 |
Officeholder Santa Ana City Council Ward 1 |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 17, 2020
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