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.
Read more Quan Vuong, Garden Grove Unified School District Area 4 candidate, 2026 election questionnaire
Name: Tracy La
Age: 31
Current job title: Nonprofit Executive Director
Incumbent: No
Other political positions held: Santa Ana Rental Housing Board Chair, Orange County Housing & Community Development Commissioner
City where you reside: Santa Ana
Campaign website or social media: votetracyla.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.)
Our schools must remain places of safety and opportunity for Garden Grove Unified students, families, and staff. As a Garden Grove Unified trustee, I will advocate for needed expansions to mental health support and basic needs programs, such as farm-to-school nutrition programs and support for GGUSD families facing immigration issues. I will champion Vietnamese and Spanish dual-language immersion education, early college credit opportunities, career technical education, and support for students with special needs at GGUSD. I believe that all GGUSD students should have what they need to succeed, whether they live in Santa Ana, Westminster, Garden Grove, or Fountain Valley.
Additionally, as a trustee, I will fight for accountability and transparency in GGUSD’s fiscal resources. Every dollar spent at GGUSD should go toward strengthening the quality of public education at GGUSD schools – including retaining quality teachers and staff, upgrading classrooms and facilities so they are safe and modern, and ensuring all students have the resources they need to succeed.
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.)
Our school board is responsible for driving policy to ensure the school district is responsive and accountable to the public. Garden Grove Unified students and families deserve school board members who fight to make sure the school district puts our tax dollars to work effectively – whether through expanding academic programs like early college credit, investing in modernized classrooms, or growing mental health and basic needs services to support GGUSD families.
Our school board is also responsible for making important decisions about how taxpayer dollars are spent by the school district. School board members must ensure that the school district maintains fiscal responsibility and transparency so our schools can continue to deliver quality public education for our students.
Ultimately, our district’s teachers should lead decisions about instructional materials and curriculum because they are the experts when it comes to teaching. While the school board does play a role in curriculum adoption, I am committed to following the leadership of Garden Grove Unified teachers to ensure that curriculum meets academic standards, is responsive to community needs, and represents our shared values.
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.)
Many educators, parents, and students have raised serious concerns about the cognitive and privacy risks of carelessly incorporating artificial intelligence, especially generative AI, into learning spaces. School districts already have guardrails in place that limit students’ internet access to appropriate websites and sources. A similar approach should be used regarding any AI tools to ensure students only have access to academically appropriate content while using school devices. School districts are responsible for keeping our students safe, and that includes keeping students’ data, privacy, and well-being safe as well.
Our educators must also be given the training and resources to teach students about how to use relevant technological tools while safeguarding their well-being and privacy. Too often, teachers and staff are tasked with implementing the use of various digital technologies or programs without adequate support to set themselves and their students up for success.
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.)
As the executive director of a nonprofit that works directly with youth and teaches students about local government, I believe that strengthening civil discourse starts with promoting mutual respect and open-mindedness. Safe, inclusive schools help foster campus communities where students are encouraged to engage in respectful and productive conversations with their peers about issues that are important to them.
Read more Katie McEwen, Irvine Unified School District Area 2 candidate, 2026 election questionnaire
Our schools can also better engage students in civil discourse by ensuring that teachers are supported enough to do so. Garden Grove Unified teachers are already doing the work of not just teaching government and history classes, but also serving as advisors for a variety of student clubs like debate, civics, and culture clubs where students learn to engage in civil discourse and respect one another. We should make sure that teachers have the resources, support, and training they need to continue to promote civil discourse at our schools.
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.)
When it comes to school employees, their working conditions are our students’ learning conditions. GGUSD can better recruit and retain high-quality staff by guaranteeing competitive compensation and adequate support for school employees. I am committed to ensuring that Garden Grove Unified invests in our teachers and classified staff so that they are supported in delivering quality and inclusive education – whether that be enhancing core subject curriculum instruction, strengthening dual language immersion programs, expanding career technical education offerings, improving special education classes, or implementing ethnic studies. When school staff know their district has their back during difficult times, they can feel more empowered to continue delivering quality, inclusive education to all students and will be less likely to search for employment elsewhere.
GGUSD families and staff continue to struggle to make ends meet. I am committed to working with municipal and county officials to ensure that our school staff can afford to live where they work, including by exploring any potential options for education workforce housing.
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.)
For the past eight years, I have served as the executive director of VietRISE, a nonprofit organization in Little Saigon that works with Vietnamese and immigrant communities in Orange County. Through VietRISE, I led the development of an educational program for Little Saigon youth, have overseen training for dozens of staff members, and understand how to manage an organizational budget. I also led several key efforts to support working families in our community — including the passage of the Santa Ana rent stabilization ordinance, which was achieved by organizing with Vietnamese senior mobile home residents.
In my role as a nonprofit leader, I work every day with Garden Grove Unified students and families. I hear directly from them about problems they face, like housing insecurity, fears of immigration enforcement, concerns about the quality of their education, and anxiety about their futures. I also serve on the OC Housing & Community Development Commission and previously served as chair of the Santa Ana Rental Housing Board. My nonprofit leadership and public service have provided me with the insight and experience needed to ensure Garden Grove Unified effectively serves our working-class community and provides all of our students with the quality public education they deserve.
If your campaign had a mascot, what would it be and why? (Please answer in 200 words or fewer.)
If our campaign had a mascot, it would be a water buffalo. Because of their key role in rice farming in Southeast Asia, many people consider water buffaloes to be the embodiment of strength and the humble dignity of providing for others. They also travel in herds to protect the vulnerable among them. Water buffaloes represent some of the core values of our campaign: hard work, perseverance, and standing with our community in the face of difficult challenges.
Bonus question: What is the best book you’ve read this year? Explain why you found it compelling.
I recently read “The Mountains Sing” by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai in preparation for an installment of the VietRISE member book club.
“The Mountains Sing” is, hands down, the best book I’ve read this year. The book is a historical fiction novel that traces a Vietnamese family’s experiences through much of the 20th century, from the French colonial period to the post-war era after 1975. “The Mountains Sing” illustrates multiple generations of struggles and conflict that the Vietnamese people endured, including the famine under Japanese occupation, the violence that occurred during the North Vietnamese “land reforms” of the mid-20th century, and, of course, what we refer to here in the U.S. as the Vietnam War. I admire the author’s presentation of complex Vietnamese histories, and I also appreciate how the characters in “The Mountains Sing” are all grappling with ideas of independence in their own ways.
Read more Ron Scolesdang, Irvine Unified School District Area 2 candidate, 2026 election questionnaire