| Senator Janet Nguyen was elected to represent the 36th Senate District in 2022. Janet is a small-business owner, former State Senator for the 34th Senate District, former State Assemblywoman for the 72nd District, and a former Orange County Supervisor. She is the former Vice-President of Government and Public Affairs for a local Chamber of Commerce.
As a State Senator, Assemblywoman Janet Nguyen was named Legislator of the Year by the American Legion, the Association of the United States Army and the Vietnam Veterans of America. She was named "Champion of Manufacturing" by the California Manufacturers and Technology Association for her work to protect jobs. Janet received top ratings from California's leading taxpayer groups and small business organizations, including the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and California Taxpayers Association.
Senator Janet Nguyen is known for her "firsts." With her victory to represent the 72nd Assembly District, Assemblywoman Nguyen was the first woman to represent the 72nd Assembly District, the first Vietnamese-American in the country to be elected to serve both the State Senate and State Assembly, the highest-ranking Vietnamese-American elected official in California and the only Asian American woman Legislator in California.
In addition, she was the first Vietnamese-American elected to the State Senate, was the first woman County Supervisor to represent the First District, the first Asian-American and the first Vietnamese-American to serve on the Board of Supervisors, as well as the youngest Supervisor elected in Orange County history. During her tenure as the State Senator, she was the highest-ranking Vietnamese-American elected official in California and the highest ranking Vietnamese-American woman elected official in the United States. Janet also served on the Garden Grove City Council where she was the first woman Councilmember elected in nearly 35 years and the youngest member ever elected.
Senator Janet Nguyen was awarded the We Give Thanks 2004 Women of Vision Award, which recognizes outstanding women who have provided exceptional services to the community. In addition, the Orange County Register has listed her as one of the "30 Vietnamese-Americans to Watch" and she was named one of OC Metro Magazine 2006 "25 Hottest People" in Orange County for her demonstrated leadership and influence in Southern California.
Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Senator Janet Nguyen and her family escaped communism on a small wooden 10-meter boat sailing across the South China Sea in search of freedom. After passing through numerous refugee camps, Janet and her family arrived in California in 1981. She is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine and the Aspen Institute's Aspen-Rodel Fellowship Leadership Program. She resides in Huntington Beach with her husband, Tom and two sons. |