APAICS | Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies

Assemblyman Van Tran has made quick work to advance common-sense solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing California.

Assemblyman Van Tran’s efforts include an act to expand the number of Enterprise Zones in California and help create new jobs, and a measure cutting the excessive salary for members of part-time boards and commissions, saving California over $5 million per year. Assemblyman Tran’s agenda includes balancing the budget deficit through spending restraint, eliminating waste in the bureaucracy, and improving our local roads - NOW!

In an effort to encourage a greater role for parents in the education of their children and to strengthen education by ensuring textbook accuracy, Assemblyman Tran was able to push the state to provide public Internet access of school textbooks - so that teachers, parents, and concerned community leaders can verify the accuracy of what our children are learning.

Public safety has always been Tran’s top priority in Sacramento, supporting vital tough-on-crime protections like Jessica’s Law, Megan’s Law and Three Strikes, to keep criminals locked up behind bars where they belong and protect Orange County families. As an Assistant Republican Leader, Tran has led the fight against a dangerous proposal called “summary parole,” where felons convicted of any number of serious crimes would no longer be supervised by law enforcement while they are out on parole. As a husband and father, Tran realizes that despite what some state bureaucrats may say, many are serious felons who pose a great risk to our community.

Assemblyman Van Tran was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2004. He represents the 68th Assembly District in Orange County, including the cities of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Newport Beach, Stanton, and Westminster.

Van serves as the vice-chair of the Judiciary Committee. He also serves on the Banking and Finance and Governmental Organization Committees. Because Assemblyman Tran knows that International trade means good jobs in technology, computers, high tech and the other important industries of today and tomorrow, he is proud to serve as the Chairman of the Assembly Select Committee on International Trade. Additionally, he is a member of the Select Committee on Community Colleges and co-Chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Joint Caucus. He currently serves as an Assistant Republican Leader in the Assembly.

Vans family first came to America in 1975, evacuated by the U.S. Army a week before the fall of Saigon. Originally settling in Michigan, the family moved to Orange County while Van was in high school. Politically active during his university days, Assemblyman Tran started as an intern for Congressman Robert Dornan and for then State Senator (now Congressman) Ed Royce.

Leading up to his historic election as the first Vietnamese-American in any state legislature, Van was the focus of broad media and public coverage. He was featured in the 2005 Republican Freedom Calendar alongside Colin Powell and Abraham Lincoln. Vans biographical profile has been published in the Los Angeles Times, San Jose Mercury News, Orange County Register, Sacramento Bee, Grand Rapids Press (MI), and by the Associated Press.

Prior to serving in the Assembly, Van was managing partner of his own law practice, served on the Garden Grove Planning Commission, and served as Vice-Mayor of Garden Grove, having garnered the highest number of votes in the history of a citys council election.

His community involvement has been extensive, including as Vice Chairman of the Orange County based El Capitan District of the Boy Scouts of America. He is also a lifetime member of the prestigious American Council of Young Political Leaders, and a 2002 Delegate to the Young Leaders Conference, organized by the American-Swiss Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland. In 2004, OC Metro Magazine recognized Van as one of the Hottest 25 People in Orange County. The Orange County Register recognized him in 2001 as a person to watch.

Van completed his Bachelors Degree in Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, and went on to earn both a Masters Degree in Public Administration and a Juris Doctorate from Hamline University School of Law in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Van and his wife Cyndi have two children, Alex and Sophie.

[Official Bio from Campaign Website]