By Katie Ngo
In the upcoming 2024 election, voters will be able to vote for elected officials on a municipal, county, state and national level. For voters living near Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) or within the 92708 area code, these are some of the upcoming election races across various levels of government.
Huntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSD)
In 2024, the new trustee area election method will be implemented for the first time in HBUHSD, where the district will be divided into sub-areas or trustee areas. Each area will cast votes for their own trustee which will represent them on the board, rather than the entire district voting for multiple candidates. This system will also utilize a new trustee area map, created in February.
The current HBUHSD school board has five nonpartisan members: President Duane Dishno, Vice President Susan Henry, Clerk Michael Simons, Alternate Clerk Bonnie Castrey and member Diana Carey.
This fall, Henry’s and Simons’ terms will expire. However, as no other candidates are running in Trustee Area 2, Simons’ area, this leaves only one seat open this election cycle. Henry, a long-time incumbent of the school board, serving 24 years, will run against teacher Leeann Corral for Trustee Area 3.
Fountain Valley
Similar to the HBUHSD school board, the Fountain Valley City Council also has a nonpartisan five-member council with two seats open. Mayor Glenn Grandis and Vice Mayor Ted Bui’s seats are set to expire this November after both were initially elected in 2020. In the upcoming election, two other candidates, Alicia “Rudy” Huebner and Katy V. Wright, will contest the incumbents for their open seats.
Current Mayor Glenn Grandis, a Baron alumna, has been a resident and dedicated community member in Fountain Valley for over four decades. As mayor, his top priorities include community engagement, innovation, fiscal responsibility and embracing diversity.
Incumbent Vice Mayor Ted Bui’s commitment to his local community can be seen through his work in ensuring fiscal responsibility, support for local businesses and desire to improve the quality of life for residents. Bui has served as the Council Liaison for the Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce as well as Vice Chair for the Orange County Waste Management.
Rudy Huebner, a Fountain Valley resident for over 25 years, enjoys giving back to her community and has served on the Board of Directors for the Fountain Valley Community Foundation, a non-profit focused on community development. Through her efforts, she has supported local families and small businesses. She firmly believes in community safety, supporting local businesses, fiscal accountability and broadband access.
Katy V. Wright is dedicated to her community and fostering community involvement through her past experiences in communication. She currently serves as the executive director for Art On A Box, a non-profit focused on celebrating community involvement and artists. Wright also serves as a secretary on the board of directors for the Dayle McIntosh Center for the Disabled.
Orange County
A seat is open for the Orange County Board of Supervisors District 1, where FVHS is located. Incumbent Andrew Do will not be running for office again, with calls for his resignation due to a corruption scandal. Instead, Frances Marquez and Janet Nguyen advanced past the primary election in March, defeating Michael Vo, Kimberly Ho and Van Tran.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors is officially a nonpartisan office.
Frances Marquez is currently serving as a member of the Cypress City Council, endorsed by the Democratic Party of Orange County. Having been elected to the city council in 2020, she has assisted families and small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. She previously served as the Legislative Director for the former United States Representative Alan Lowenthal.
Janet Nguyen is a current California State Senator, serving the 36th District. Beyond being a state senator, Nguyen has past experience as a Republican Assemblywoman, Garden Grove City Council member and was previously on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. She has also accumulated a number of awards, including the Legislator of the Year award from the American Legion, the Association of the United States Army and the Vietnam Veterans of America.
State-Level Elections
On the state level, most statewide government seats will not be up for election until the 2026 midterms. However, in the California State Assembly’s 70th District where FVHS resides, incumbent Tri Ta and Jimmy Pham will go head to head this November.
Republican Tri Ta, first elected to the California State Assembly in 2022, has been in politics since 2006 when he first served on the Westminster City Council. Later, in 2012, he became the first Vietnamese-American mayor in the United States. Previously, as an employment counselor, he helped his clients and the overall community. Ta is fiscally conservative, believing in a middle-class tax cut and reductions to costly housing regulations.
Jimmy Pham, a Democrat, has worked first and foremost in law, focusing his law firm on immigration and personal injury cases. An immigrant himself, Pham is committed to protecting immigrants’ and citizens’ rights. He also has experience as the Chair of the Westminster Traffic Commission and as the Board Secretary for the Vietnamese American Democratic Club.
National Elections
Although both United States Senate seats will not be up for election this cycle in California, all United States House of Representatives seats will be, including the 45th Congressional District. Michelle Steel and Derek Tran will be on the ballot this year.
Michelle Steel, the Republican incumbent in this election, has previously served on the California State Board of Equalization and on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. As a congresswoman, Steel has fought to lower taxes, support law enforcement and aid her community. In Congress, she serves on the following committees: Ways and Means, Education and the Workforce and Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. Additionally, she serves on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and the Bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence. Steel’s priorities are to stop inflation, fix the economy and ensure that the government is working for the people.
Democrat Derek Tran, a veteran and lawyer, wants to help his country and community by fighting for the rights of immigrants, workers and consumers. Despite having no prior elected political office experience, Tran has served on the Orange Traffic Commission and currently owns a small business with his wife. Some of his goals include creating clean energy jobs in California, reducing the cost of prescription drugs and expanding healthcare coverage.
Regardless of their position and political party, all candidates have one thing in common — a desire to support their communities. On Election Day, November 5, registered voters can vote at a polling place near them. Voters can also opt to vote by mail by mailing their ballot to their county’s elections official, returning it in person to a polling place or dropping it off at a ballot drop box.
For United States citizens who are at least 18 years old, they can register to vote online at registertovote.ca.gov. The deadline for online registration or postmarked by mail is October 21. In-person registrations may be completed on the day of the election.
