Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below.
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Name: Lan Quoc Nguyen
Age: 62
Current job title: Vice President, GGUSD Board of Trustees
Incumbent: Yes
Other political positions held: No
City where you reside: Garden Grove
Campaign website or social media: www.Lan4GGUSD.com
What are the top two needs of your school district, and how are you prepared to address them? (Please answer in 200 words or fewer.)
Dealing with the reduction in funding caused by enrollment decline and ever-increasing costs in many major components of the operating budget. I’ll open it for discussion and gather input from all stakeholders to look for ways to work smarter, increase efficiency, and review any ineffective tasks. This process would foster understanding and collaboration from all stakeholders.
To you, what is the role of a school board in education? Is it driving policy, being involved in curriculum, something else entirely? (Please answer in 200 words or fewer.)
Set the vision for the district and direct staff to pursue the best route to achieve such a vision. Help staff decide when they need to choose the best option from among many. As a layperson in education, a board member should not be involved in micromanaging daily operations, but recruit the best staff and encourage and let them do what is the best they set out to do.
How do you feel artificial intelligence is, or isn’t, safe in the classroom? In what instances should it be expanded in the classroom? What about when it should be limited? (Please answer in 200 words or fewer.)
Artificial intelligence provides amazing benefits to education and tremendous opportunity to prepare our students for the new career and job market. But we’re very mindful of the risks that AI can cause to students at their young age and in the learning process. Teachers need to be adequately trained before they engage in this new Wild West technology.
How do you believe schools can better teach or engage students in civil discourse? How would you like to see your district tackle this issue? (Please answer in 200 words or fewer.)
Students should focus on learning what they’re supposed to learn in school. In certain courses or classrooms with older students, they should be encouraged to learn by engaging in practical experience, but within the proper guidance of instructors to avoid them from being taken advantage of or being exploited for economic or political purposes. When students are sent out to get practical experiences, they’re there to learn, not to provide free or cheap labor.
Read more Tracy La, Garden Grove Unified School District Area 4 candidate, 2026 election questionnaire
Some school districts around California are recruiting teachers by building subsidized housing. How would you suggest your district could better attract — and retain — educators? (Please answer in 200 words or fewer.)
Subsidized housing would require substantial financial contributions. If we ever have such funding, we should deploy it to assist or recruit homegrown teachers and staff. Our district is best suited to pursue that endeavor because our district is the best in preparing our students to send out to the world, so it’s only natural that we should bring them back to serve our new generation of students with pride and dedication. Our experience with our homegrown staff is that they are more motivated, more dedicated and more energetic in serving our students.
What experiences and priorities do you bring to this role? What have you learned in prior leadership roles that makes you the person for the job? (Please answer in 200 words or fewer.)
I’ve served on this same board for 24 years, which would give me much-needed experience in continuing to do what is best for our students. I’m homegrown, as I graduated from Bolsa Grande High School and went straight to college at UC Riverside and law school at Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. As a refugee and immigrant who went through public education with financial assistance throughout my education journey, I lived through the experiences of many of our students and understand the challenges they now go through, but only 40 years later. As a lawyer and dedicated community activist in and around Garden Grove for the last 40 years, I’m a role model for many of them, and I’m motivated to give back to repay so much I’ve received in public education.
If your campaign had a mascot, what would it be and why? (Please answer in 200 words or fewer.)
It would be a lion. It is my name in Vietnamese: a dragon-like unicorn, to be exact. But the lion would represent the strength, perseverance, and dominance in what the lion is doing.
Bonus question: What is the best book you’ve read this year? Explain why you found it compelling.
“Leaders Eat Last” by Simon Sinek.
It’s a sample of the servant leadership that I would like to emulate in any leadership role I find myself in. At many events I organized, I had to make sure that the meal was served to everyone, but when it came time for me to eat, there might not be enough for me. But I’m always proud and happy that everyone else was served, and my hunger will go away soon enough.
Read more Quan Vuong, Garden Grove Unified School District Area 4 candidate, 2026 election questionnaire