Amanda Nguyen, a candidate for Garden Grove City Council District 3 in the 2026 election, has outlined her positions on several key issues facing the city, including housing mandates, fiscal health, public transparency, and public safety. Nguyen currently serves as a Senior Paralegal at the Orange County Alternate Public Defender's Office.
Addressing the demand for housing, Nguyen stated her support for concentrating new units, including deed-restricted affordable housing, along transit corridors and in mixed-use and infill sites where appropriate. She emphasized avoiding the upzoning of single-family neighborhoods that are not designed for higher density. Her approach to housing development includes working closely with neighbors early in the planning process, rather than presenting projects at final public hearings. Nguyen also underscored the importance of ensuring that infrastructure, parking, and traffic planning keep pace with new development. Furthermore, she expressed a desire to streamline the city's permitting process to accelerate the construction of smaller, affordable housing types, such as accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and infill projects. Nguyen clarified that for her, "Local control does not mean saying no to housing," but rather the city deciding where and how development occurs, with residents having a meaningful voice in shaping it.
On the subject of the city's financial health, Nguyen advocated for an honest approach to the budget, supported by regular, independent audits to identify savings. She called for the same discipline to be applied to pension obligations, stating a commitment to funding these responsibilities transparently. Rather than solely raising fees, Nguyen proposed that economic development, through attracting new business investment and supporting existing small business corridors, offers a better path to growing the tax base. She also highlighted the importance of building healthy reserves, enabling the city to manage economic downturns without reducing essential services like public safety. Nguyen views financial management as a comprehensive effort, requiring careful action across cutting, taxing, and growing the economy, with clear transparency regarding any trade-offs.
Regarding transparency in governance, Nguyen suggested that merely posting documents online is insufficient. Drawing on her professional experience, she stressed the need for city budgets and spending reports to be published in clear, understandable language for residents, not just financial professionals. She proposes regular town halls where residents can ask direct questions and receive direct answers, and advocates for honesty about trade-offs before decisions are made. Nguyen also seeks to improve accessibility for public meetings by posting materials sufficiently early and providing multilingual access for Garden Grove’s Vietnamese- and Spanish-speaking communities. She views accountability as stemming directly from residents' ability to understand their government's actions.
Nguyen identified public safety as Garden Grove's most significant need, specifically focusing on ensuring the police department has adequate staffing and resources. She cited resident concerns about officer visibility, response times, and the prioritization of public safety in the city budget. Her plan includes supporting a data-driven staffing study to identify needs, followed by a funded plan to address gaps through competitive pay and retention incentives, aimed at preventing officers from moving to other Orange County cities. Concurrently, Nguyen emphasized that public safety and accountability are complementary goals, supporting independent oversight to ensure fair investigations when incidents occur.
Nguyen offered insight into her qualifications for leadership, referencing her career at the Orange County Alternate Public Defender's Office, where she has advocated for those without a voice. She stated her commitment to showing up, listening first, and fighting for her constituents. As a union member herself, represented by OCEA, she stated her understanding of the need for fair treatment in the workplace. Recognizing Garden Grove's diverse population, including large Vietnamese American and Latino communities, Nguyen stated that representing this diversity involves listening to the specific needs of each community, whether for language access, small business support, or safer streets, and engaging community by community. She also expressed a commitment to practicing compassion and empathy as a councilmember.
