Van Tran for Assembly

Orange County candidate blazes trail for Vietnamese-Americans
By Laura Wides, Associated Press

(Garden Grove) - Among the keepsakes to be circulated at next month's Republican National Convention in New York is a calendar designed to highlight the party's commitment to civil rights and diversity.

Secretary of State Colin Powell is pictured. So is Abraham Lincoln, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and Van Tran.

Van who?

The 39-year-old city councilman is expect to win the state Assembly seat from his Republican-leaning Orange County district in November. If he does, he will become the first Vietnamese-American elected to the California Legislature and the highest-ranking Vietnamese-American in elective office nationwide.

He also will become an instant poster boy for diversity within the Republican Party.

"I think what's exciting is not that I'm the highest or the first," said Tran, who will be a delegate at the GOP convention. "It's that if you look at my background, it's a great American success story that so many immigrants who have gone before the Vietnamese have experienced."

Tran breezed through the March primary in the 68th district earlier this year to replace termed-out fellow Republican Ken Maddox. He faces Democratic insurance salesman and Korean War veteran Al Snook, 70, in the November election.

Born into an educated family with political connections, Tran fled Vietnam after the fall of Saigon at age 10 and arrived in Grand Rapids, Mich. Like most Vietnamese families fleeing the communist regime then, the Trans received resettlement assistance from the federal government.

They eventually moved to Garden Grove, part of Orange County's Little Saigon and home to the largest concentration of Vietnamese outside Vietnam. Orange County has about 133,000 people of Vietnamese descent, according to 2002 Census data.

Tran's views closely follow those of many native Orange County Republicans. He got his start in politics as an intern for the fiery former California Congressmen Robert Dornan and later worked for Dornan and U.S. Rep. Ed Royce, R-Fullerton.

A self-described "Reagan kid," Tran favors little government intervention and supports President Bush's tax cuts and the administration's policy in Iraq. A Catholic, he said he is against abortion rights and is opposed to gay marriage. If elected, he said his top priorities will be affordable housing and improved transportation.

He supports a part-time Legislature, an idea floated by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a fellow Republican, and favors stricter limits on immigration.

Art Torres, chairman of the California Democratic Party, said he applauds Republicans for seeking out more diversity in their party but said Tran's politics are ultimately more important than his personal story.

"Immigrants who are not citizens, or citizens who were previously immigrants, are not going to buy the fact that just because he's an immigrant, he's going to be for them," he said.

Torres called it sad that someone "who was afforded the opportunity to flee a communist regime and had direct ties to becoming a citizen" would seek to deny opportunities to the majority of immigrants who do not receive such assistance.

Tran said he sees no conflict and maintains that illegal immigration is one of the greatest problems facing the region.

"Immigration and the drain it has on the state is tremendous," he said. "On a personal level, we came through the process legally. So others should get in line to get their papers."

Whether his conservative views can win over large numbers of the state's minorities is an open question. Many Hispanics, for example, were alienated from the California Republican Party in the 1990s because of measures such as Proposition 187, which was approved by voters statewide and denied many social services for illegal immigrants.

Support for the proposition made the party seem "not just anti-immigration but anti-immigrant," said Allan Hoffenblum, a former GOP consultant and publisher of the California Target Book, a nonpartisan guide to state elections.

"The fastest-growing group of voters in California are immigrants, and that's a group that the Republican Party in the last couple of cycles has not done very well with," he said.

The party has made recent strides, however. In 2002, the only two legislative seats picked up by the GOP were by one candidate who is the daughter of Japanese immigrants and another who is the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants.

Tran said his political work has left little time for other activities, although he maintains his law practice and still has dinner once a week with his parents.

His seriousness can be off-putting, said Ahn Do, a radio host and Orange County Register columnist who has written about the local Vietnamese community.

"People tell him to smile more," Do said. "People tell him to just talk to them informally."

But as he walked past Garden Grove noodle shops one recent day, supporters rushed up and pumped his hand as if he were a movie star.

Tran is a hero to many in the community. He is a former Eagle Scout, founded a Vietnamese-American voter awareness group in 1990 and testified before Congress about human rights abuses in Vietnam. He recently was part of an effort to pass an anti-communist ordinance that restricts official visits to Garden Grove by members of the Vietnamese government.

His ability to navigate divisions within the war-torn Vietnamese community has translated into an ability to solve conflicts among a broader constituency, said some of his colleagues on the city council.

Tran was among a handful of local leaders chosen recently to host a delegation of young Pakistani and Indian elected officials, part of a State Department effort to improve relations between the two countries.

"He knows what needs to be done, and he does it in a way that at the end of the day everyone is amenable to it," said Andy Quach, a city council member in the neighboring city of Westminster.

Snook said he is not daunted by Tran's popularity, although he realizes the long odds of beating him in November.

"I've always been the underdog. I've always been for the blue-collar worker," he said.

Nationwide, about 160 Asian-Americans serve in state legislatures, with seven in Congress, according to the National Asian Pacific American Political Almanac. Tran will be the first of Vietnamese descent to hold a higher elective office.

Asians comprise 4.5 percent of the U.S. population and 13 percent of California's, according to 2002 Census data.

Each candidate is "a huge catalyst for people to get into the process and get people to campaign and donate energy," said Daphne Kwok, executive director of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies.

Even so, Tran and the Republican Party may have difficulty retaining younger generations that are less connected to the Vietnam War and more concerned about everyday issues such as health care and jobs.

More than 50 percent of Vietnamese-American voters age 55 to 64 in Tran's district are registered Republicans, but that number drops to 35 percent among voters age 18 to 24, according to the independent research group Pacific Opinions.

Tran said reaching out to those younger voters will be a priority.

"Everywhere I go, I always preach more political involvement," he said. "We must start now because it takes training to run for office. You can't just fall from the sky."



"As your Assemblyman, I will make restoring the fiscal health of California my top priority."	Orange County candidate blazes trail for Vietnamese-Americans By Laura Wides, Associated Press (Garden Grove) - Among the keepsakes to be circulated at next month's Republican National Convention in New York is a calendar designed to highlight the party's commitment to civil rights and diversity. Secretary of State Colin Powell is pictured. So is Abraham Lincoln, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and Van Tran. Van who? The 39-year-old city councilman is expect to win the state Assembly seat from his Republican-leaning Orange County district in November. If he does, he will become the first Vietnamese-American elected to the California Legislature and the highest-ranking Vietnamese-American in elective office nationwide. He also will become an instant poster boy for diversity within the Republican Party. "I think what's exciting is not that I'm the highest or the first," said Tran, who will be a delegate at the GOP convention. "It's that if you look at my background, it's a great American success story that so many immigrants who have gone before the Vietnamese have experienced." Tran breezed through the March primary in the 68th district earlier this year to replace termed-out fellow Republican Ken Maddox. He faces Democratic insurance salesman and Korean War veteran Al Snook, 70, in the November election. Born into an educated family with political connections, Tran fled Vietnam after the fall of Saigon at age 10 and arrived in Grand Rapids, Mich. Like most Vietnamese families fleeing the communist regime then, the Trans received resettlement assistance from the federal government. They eventually moved to Garden Grove, part of Orange County's Little Saigon and home to the largest concentration of Vietnamese outside Vietnam. Orange County has about 133,000 people of Vietnamese descent, according to 2002 Census data. Tran's views closely follow those of many native Orange County Republicans. He got his start in politics as an intern for the fiery former California Congressmen Robert Dornan and later worked for Dornan and U.S. Rep. Ed Royce, R-Fullerton. A self-described "Reagan kid," Tran favors little government intervention and supports President Bush's tax cuts and the administration's policy in Iraq. A Catholic, he said he is against abortion rights and is opposed to gay marriage. If elected, he said his top priorities will be affordable housing and improved transportation. He supports a part-time Legislature, an idea floated by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a fellow Republican, and favors stricter limits on immigration. Art Torres, chairman of the California Democratic Party, said he applauds Republicans for seeking out more diversity in their party but said Tran's politics are ultimately more important than his personal story. "Immigrants who are not citizens, or citizens who were previously immigrants, are not going to buy the fact that just because he's an immigrant, he's going to be for them," he said. Torres called it sad that someone "who was afforded the opportunity to flee a communist regime and had direct ties to becoming a citizen" would seek to deny opportunities to the majority of immigrants who do not receive such assistance. Tran said he sees no conflict and maintains that illegal immigration is one of the greatest problems facing the region. "Immigration and the drain it has on the state is tremendous," he said. "On a personal level, we came through the process legally. So others should get in line to get their papers." Whether his conservative views can win over large numbers of the state's minorities is an open question. Many Hispanics, for example, were alienated from the California Republican Party in the 1990s because of measures such as Proposition 187, which was approved by voters statewide and denied many social services for illegal immigrants. Support for the proposition made the party seem "not just anti-immigration but anti-immigrant," said Allan Hoffenblum, a former GOP consultant and publisher of the California Target Book, a nonpartisan guide to state elections. "The fastest-growing group of voters in California are immigrants, and that's a group that the Republican Party in the last couple of cycles has not done very well with," he said. The party has made recent strides, however. In 2002, the only two legislative seats picked up by the GOP were by one candidate who is the daughter of Japanese immigrants and another who is the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants. Tran said his political work has left little time for other activities, although he maintains his law practice and still has dinner once a week with his parents. His seriousness can be off-putting, said Ahn Do, a radio host and Orange County Register columnist who has written about the local Vietnamese community. "People tell him to smile more," Do said. "People tell him to just talk to them informally." But as he walked past Garden Grove noodle shops one recent day, supporters rushed up and pumped his hand as if he were a movie star. Tran is a hero to many in the community. He is a former Eagle Scout, founded a Vietnamese-American voter awareness group in 1990 and testified before Congress about human rights abuses in Vietnam. He recently was part of an effort to pass an anti-communist ordinance that restricts official visits to Garden Grove by members of the Vietnamese government. His ability to navigate divisions within the war-torn Vietnamese community has translated into an ability to solve conflicts among a broader constituency, said some of his colleagues on the city council. Tran was among a handful of local leaders chosen recently to host a delegation of young Pakistani and Indian elected officials, part of a State Department effort to improve relations between the two countries. "He knows what needs to be done, and he does it in a way that at the end of the day everyone is amenable to it," said Andy Quach, a city council member in the neighboring city of Westminster. Snook said he is not daunted by Tran's popularity, although he realizes the long odds of beating him in November. "I've always been the underdog. I've always been for the blue-collar worker," he said. Nationwide, about 160 Asian-Americans serve in state legislatures, with seven in Congress, according to the National Asian Pacific American Political Almanac. Tran will be the first of Vietnamese descent to hold a higher elective office. Asians comprise 4.5 percent of the U.S. population and 13 percent of California's, according to 2002 Census data. Each candidate is "a huge catalyst for people to get into the process and get people to campaign and donate energy," said Daphne Kwok, executive director of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies. Even so, Tran and the Republican Party may have difficulty retaining younger generations that are less connected to the Vietnam War and more concerned about everyday issues such as health care and jobs. More than 50 percent of Vietnamese-American voters age 55 to 64 in Tran's district are registered Republicans, but that number drops to 35 percent among voters age 18 to 24, according to the independent research group Pacific Opinions. Tran said reaching out to those younger voters will be a priority. "Everywhere I go, I always preach more political involvement," he said. "We must start now because it takes training to run for office. You can't just fall from the sky."