Diedre Thu-Ha Nguyen is Mayor Pro Tem of Garden Grove, a laboratory cancer scientist, wife and mother of three active sons.
As a Council Member for the City of Garden Grove, she has worked closely to build coalitions with the Garden Grove Unified School District, nonprofits, labor, and first-responders to collaboratively promote education, public safety, and enhance business growth and career opportunities in the City of Garden Grove.
Diedre was first elected to serve on the Garden Grove City Council in 2016 and re-elected in 2018. During the pandemic, she has championed financial relief for renters who desperately need it, assistance to small businesses, and funding for non-profits providing direct help to local residents.
Working at the first lab in California approved for testing for the novel coronavirus, I’ve seen how the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the shortcomings of our healthcare system. As a cancer scientist, I will use my experience to help us expand coverage and quality within our system to serve those who struggle to get care. We need a rational, fact-based approach to meeting the challenge of solving the pandemic and planning for a future where everyone receives the care they need.
We also need to protect our kids and serve our elderly. I will support banning tobacco products that target our kids and lead to lifetime addictions that strain our healthcare resources.
And our population is getting older with the “silver tsunami” of an aging population set to hit California in the next decade. COVID has shown the weaknesses of our nursing homes and other facilities responsible for serving the elderly. We need a rational plan with adequate resources behind it.