Ahead of the June primary election, the Bay Area News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates for San Jose City Council District 7. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and clarity.
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Name: Hanh-Giao “HG” Nguyen
Current job title: Director of Public Affairs of SJ City District 5
Other political positions held: None
District where you reside: Santee Neighborhood, East San Jose
What are the top three problems you’re seeking to solve if elected to represent this district?
Public Safety
Affordable Housing & Youth Programs
Small Businesses & Local Jobs Support
Why are you uniquely qualified to address the three problems you’ve identified above?
I am uniquely qualified to address public safety, affordable housing and youth programs, and small business and local jobs support because my life and career reflect the very challenges and opportunities our District 7 faces.
As a political refugee, I understand the challenges of adapting to a new city, lifestyle, language, and building a stable life. As a mother of two and working wife, I understand the pressure of keeping our neighborhoods safe, finding affordable housing and making ends meet. As a banker and small businesswoman, I know firsthand the financial realities, the resilience and innovation it takes to build and sustain a business. And as a city employee and a founding president of the Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce of Silicon Valley, I have dedicated my career to serving the public and uplifting our local economy.
How do this district’s challenges differ, in degree or kind, from the rest of the city’s, if at all?
Our District 7 faces many of the same challenges as the rest of the city, however the intensity and impact are different here.
– Families in our neighborhoods are living with a combination of public safety concerns, from crimes and robberies to drug activity, and ongoing quality-of-life issues, such as speeding, illegal parking, illegal dumping, blight, graffiti and encampments.
– On affordable housing, District 7 has a higher concentration of working-class and immigrant families who are more vulnerable to displacement. Many households are overcrowded or living paycheck-to-paycheck, so rising rent hit harder in our district than in other districts.
– Small businesses in our district 7 are incredibly diverse and culturally rich, but many are immigrant and mom-and-pop businesses, operating on thin margins. They often face language barriers, limited access to capital, and challenges navigating city processes, which makes recovery and growth are more difficult compared to other districts in our city.
What differentiates you from your most serious competitors for this seat?
What differentiates me is that I bring lived experience, deep knowledge of City Hall, and a proven records of getting things done.
I have worked with the City of San Jose for many years, including with the San Jose Redevelopment Agency and in Districts 7, 4 and 5. These experiences have provided me with a deep understanding of how our city operates, where it succeeds, and where stronger leadership can make a difference.
Since my college years, I have believed that real progress requires collaboration and action. Working alongside Councilmember Ortiz, our District 5 team submitted 28 policy memos within the first 100 days, with 80% approved by the City Council. To date we have initiated and submitted over 150 memos, with a consistently high approval rate. These are real, measurable results which translate into action for our residents.
Most importantly, I bring both the heart to serve and the effectiveness to deliver, and I know how to bring people together, within City Hall and across our neighborhoods, to build consensus and get things done. Others may talk about change; I have already been delivering it.
What committee or board would you most like to lead, if given the opportunity? And how would that position serve your constituents?
If given the opportunity, I would most like to serve as Chair of the Neighborhood Service and Education (NSE) Committee so I can advocate for meaningful improvements to the quality of life in our District 7. My priorities include keeping our neighborhoods clean and well-maintained, strengthening youth and gang intervention programs, expanding lifelong learning opportunities, addressing abandoned vehicles in residential areas, and supporting diverse housing options along with community services.
I would also like to serve as Chair of the Police and Fire Committee to ensure District 7 receives the public safety resources it needs to reduce crime and confront gang violence effectively.
San Jose is now close to finalizing its third four-year review of its Envision 2040 General Plan, the details of which will shape the city’s future development path. What priorities would you like to see in this revised general plan?
San Jose continues to face a jobs-housing imbalance, and our General Plan must respond with clarity and purpose. While we work to expand housing, we must also protect and grow the economic engine that sustains our city.
That means prioritizing commercial space, supporting innovation and reinforcing San Jose’s role as a premier destination for jobs and investment.
Our ability to deliver essential city services, public safety, infrastructure, and quality of life, depends on a strong and growing tax base. And that tax base depends on a thriving economy.
If we want a fiscally sustainable future, economic development cannot be an afterthought. It must be a core priority of this plan.
What solutions do you support to reduce housing costs in San Jose? How are they any different than ones that have already been tried and have failed?
Housing in San Jose is simply too expensive, and for many families, it feels out of reach. There just are not enough homes. What solutions do I support to reduce housing costs in San Jose? I support:
Increase supply: Build more housing everywhere, especially cheaper types of housing, such as ADU, duplexes, fourplexes in every neighborhood.
Reduce the cost to build: Make it easier to build by reducing fees, delays and complexity. And
Preserve affordability: Invest directly in deeply affordable housing, because the private market alone cannot meet every need.
We must prioritize production, at scale, and with urgency, because solving our housing crisis is about building enough homes for everyone who needs one.
San Jose has placed a 2% hotel tax increase on the June ballot. Do you support that tax? Why or why not?
I support the hotel tax increase with reservations. While we offer a near-term solution to help close San Jose’s budget gap and protect essential services, it does not address the root causes of the deficit. We should be asking deeper questions about structural spending fiscal sustainability and operational efficiency. Without that, we risk returning to the same situation in future budget cycle and relying again on temporary fixes instead of durable solutions.
Why should renters in your district vote for you?
Renters in my district 7 should vote for me because I will continue to fight to keep housing stable, affordable and fair. I will continue to work to limit unfair rent increases, strengthen tenant protections, and hold negligent landlords accountable. I’ll also continue to push for more affordable housing and expanding rental assistance and services to prevent displacement and homelessness.
Every renter deserves the security of a safe home and the ability to stay in their community, not constant fear of being pushed out.
Is PG&E serving San Jose residents well? If not, explain what actions you would take to lower energy costs for San Jose ratepayers.
PG&E has improved some services, but customers still face high bills and outage concerns. Lowering costs will require both individual actions like using better rate plans and off-peak energy use, and broader reform to reduce utility infrastructure and wildfire-related expenses that are passed on to ratepayers.
What actions do you support to tackle homelessness? How are your policy prescriptions different than what’s already been done?
The policy change is prioritizing long-term housing solutions and prevention over temporary responses. The focus should shift from mainly expanding shelters to building more permanent affordable housing and strengthening prevention like rent assistance and eviction support.
Why should your district’s commuters vote for you?
Every day our District 7 commuters lose hours stuck on 101, 280, or waiting on VTA, Caltran and Bart connections. I will work to fix that so our commuters can experience faster, more reliable transit and smarter traffic solutions so they can get their time back.
San Jose is facing a $56 million budget shortfall. With property and sales tax revenue growth slowing and labor costs rising, how should the city balance its budget? What specific programs or services would you cut? What contracts, if any, would you renegotiate?
I will work with my colleagues and City staff to review discretionary programs, improving efficiency, reduce overtime, and renegotiate or eliminate duplication, and prioritize contracts that deliver measurable results. We will also have to improve internal efficiency so that more resources go to frontline services.
San Jose PD spent more than $71 million in overtime last year. This year, it is on track to surpass its personnel services budget once again. What financial cuts or reforms will you demand of SJPD, if any?
The City of San Jose has capped police overtime, which highlights a staffing shortage. Officers are working overtime due to insufficient hiring. I will prioritize recruitment to increase staffing and reduce overtime.
San Jose PD has an exceptional record closing murder cases, and the city has a low violent crime rate relative to many other big U.S. cities. But in what ways could SJPD better serve your district?
SJPD could better serve our District 7 by strengthening community policing through more consistent neighborhood policers, improving response times and follow-up communica-tions, expanding foot patrols along business and cultural corridors, and focusing on prevention strategies for property crimes, such as vehicle break-ins, and retail theft. Expanding mental health crisis response teams, increasing youth outreach and school partnerships and improving transparency by regularly sharing local crime data and outcomes would also help build stronger trust, safety, and accountability with our residents.
Explain your position on San Jose’s policy to cite and arrest homeless residents who repeatedly refuse shelter.
I have worked with unhoused individuals in different situations, including those who initially refused shelter even during critical weather. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to homelessness. What does work is compassion, patience, and consistent outreach. When people are approached repeatedly in a respectful and non-judgmental way, given time to build trust, and clearly informed of available resources, many will eventually accept help.
In my experience, success comes not from punishment and pressure, but from steady human connection and individualized support. I believe we can achieve better outcomes by continuing to invest in patient, compassionate outreach and tailored services that meet people where they are.
Explain your position on San Jose’s use of Flock license plate cameras.
I support this tool. It has been very helpful in several commercial plazas known for thefts and break-ins. Since its implementation, crime has decreased significantly and both the business community and customers feel much safer.
Should San Jose have more data centers than what’s already been approved? Why or why not?
San Jose should approve new data centers only when there’s clear proof that the necessary energy and infrastructure upgrades can keep up with growth.
San Jose office vacancy rate remains stubbornly high post-pandemic. In downtown, offices sit empty and countless retail storefronts are boarded up. What policies would you support to revitalize the city’s downtown core?
I would support a policy to revitalize downtown San Jose by converting vacant office buildings into mixed used developments, activating empty spaces with arts, entertainment, events, and small businesses,
improving safety and cleanliness, and making streets more walkable, welcoming, and transit-friendly so the area can become a vibrant 24/7 neighborhood.
San Jose is attracting a fraction of Bay Area venture capital. And the city, relative to San Francisco, is weak in attracting seed- and early-stage startups, per overwhelming VC data reports. What should San Jose be doing to attract tech firms, if anything at all?
San Jose should strengthen its competitiveness by making it faster and easier for tech companies to invest, build and expand in the city.
It needs to streamlined permitting, targeted incentives, and better infrastructure for AI, semiconductor, and advanced manufacturing firms.
At the same time, it needs to expand housing, transit and workforce pipelines will ensure companies can access talent and employees can live nearby.
By reducing barriers and aligning city policies with the needs of fast-growing tech industries, San Jose can remain a leading destination for innovation and investment.
Have you been convicted of any felonies? If so, when and of what?
N/A
Are you a plaintiff or a defendant in any current civil litigation? Please explain, if yes.
N/A
How much has your campaign raised cumulatively as of today?
$30K
What do the biggest contributors to your campaign expect from you?
They can expect my sincere appreciation, transparency in how all donations are reported, and regular updates on our progress and community engagement. They may be invited to campaign events or volunteers’ activities.
My responsibilities will always be to serve the entire community fairly and openly.
What more should we know about you that might inform our board’s judgment of your capacity to serve this district’s constituents?
Thank you for the opportunity.
District 7 has the talent, heart, and potential to succeed. What we need now is leadership that brings people together and gets real results.
My life experience and my journey as a city employee over the past decades have prepared me to serve District 7 effectively from day one.
I respectfully request for your sole endorsement, and I am honored to have earned the sole endorsements from the CA Fire Firefighter Local 2881, Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte, Silicon Valley Asian Pacific American Democratic Club, and the South Bay Progressive Alliance, as well as the endorsements from the South Bay Labor Council, Santa Clara Democratic Party, and UA Local 393.
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