About this Event
On Saturday, August 24th from 1 pm to 4 pm at Yerba Buena High School, in partnership with partners from Vietnamese American community-serving organizations across the South Bay Area, the Vietnamese American Roundtable (VAR) will be hosting a candidate forum.
This event is a concerted effort to recognize the economic and social significance of the Vietnamese American community's vote in the South Bay, Santa Clara County, and the city of San Jose by providing an opportunity for local constituents to engage in the civic process and directly with candidates vying for their support and representation.
Our goal is to demonstrate this significance alongside our partners by hosting candidates from the City, County, and Federal levels of government to address key issues impacting the Vietnamese American community and to help community members make informed decisions at the polls this election cycle.
This forum will be non-partisan, unbiased, and impartial. Kevin V. Nguyen from the SF Standard will serve as the Moderator.
The following organizations and associations are confirmed as community partners for the forum:
- Asian Law Alliance (ALA)
- Friends of Hue Foundation
- International Children's Assistance Network (ICAN)
- Museum of Boat People and the Republic of Vietnam (Viet Museum)
- The Progressive Vietnamese American Organization (PIVOT)
- Radio Bolsa
- Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN)
- San Jose Vietnamese Running Club (SJVRC)
- Step Forward Foundation
- Tiếng Mõ Bắc Cali Radio
- Tully Road Eastridge Business Association San Jose (TREBA)
- United Vietnamese Student Associations of Northern California (NorCal UVSA)
- Văn Thơ Lạc Việt
Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation (VIVO)
Yerba Buena High School ASB
Yerba Buena High School Key Club
All registered candidates for the CA-16 Congressional District, Santa Clara County Supervisorial District 2, and San Jose City Council District 8, have been invited to the Vietnamese American Community Candidates Forum. Candidates unable to attend in-person have been asked to participate by submitting pre-recorded responses to questions.
The following candidates have confirmed their attendance and participation:
City of San Jose City Council District 8
- Domingo Candelas was born and raised in Council District 8. Domingo’s parents immigrated here from Zacatecas Mexico and started a small HVAC business in 1989 that helped raise their family of seven in San José. He is a proud product of the Evergreen School District as well as the East Side Union High School District. After completing his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and later his Master’s in Public Administration from San José State University, he went on to work for California Senator Jim Beall from 2012 – 2019. Domingo also worked at Valley Water, where he tackled various water and environmental issues and more recently, Domingo was the Director of Local Government Affairs at Stanford University where he advocated for higher education at the local and regional level.
While serving as San Jose’s District 8 Councilmember, Domingo has been laser focused on the most pressing issues in our community: the desperate need for more affordable housing for working families, support for our homeless communities to transition them from the streets into shelter and services, and improved public safety.
Domingo is running for four more years to dig even deeper into the most pressing issues and to serve our community. As Councilmember, he has, and always will, continue to make sure his neighbor's are heard and to see that issues get solved. His approach to City Council has been simple, and will remain that way: respond to questions and concerns, make informed and fair decisions, and put the public’s interest first.
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 2
- Betty Duong is ready to lead. The daughter of immigrants, Betty’s family relied on county services to thrive in San José. Now, Betty is a lawyer, a mom, and an effective leader in county government. She’s running for Supervisor because she is a homegrown leader who understands our challenges and wants to improve our community for her family and yours. Betty is ready to use her experience to create more housing we can afford, make our neighborhoods safer, and tackle our homelessness crisis. That’s what she did when she helped create 4,800 affordable housing units by passing Measure A, the biggest and boldest housing bond in the nation. As Supervisor, she will continue to innovate — helping to address housing insecurity to keep people in their homes and off our streets, and tackling the root causes of crime. Betty is the effective, innovative leader we need to tackle our greatest challenges.
- Madison Nguyen is a longtime public servant. She was born in Vietnam and came to America as a child. As a teenager, she worked alongside her parents and siblings in the agricultural fields of the Central Valley and relied on government programs to get by. She has spent her life fighting for vulnerable children and families, so they have the same strong support that helped her family. Madison served on the San Jose City Council from 2005 - 2014, with four years as Vice Mayor, where she worked to create hundreds of new jobs, build more affordable housing, and expand public parks. She previously taught at DeAnza College, and served on the Franklin-McKinley Board of Education. After leaving office, she led a local nonprofit that provided food and household supplies to families and currently helps small businesses grow. She lives in San Jose, with her husband, Terry, and daughter, Olivia. Madison’s top priorities are accountability, solving homelessness, reducing crime, building more affordable housing, and partnering with businesses and school districts to create more vocational, technical, and trade programs for young people. Madison received a sole endorsement from the San Jose Mercury News as well as many current and former elected officials, community leaders and neighbors.
California Congressional District 16 - Evan Low and Sam Liccardo are unable to attend in-person and have been requested to provide pre-recorded video responses to questions
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Yerba Buena High School, 1855 Lucretia Avenue, San Jose, United States
USD 0.00
