District 7 Councilmember Bien Doan pulls ahead

San Jose Councilmember Bien Doan looks to have broken the District 7 curse, becoming the first incumbent to be reelected in more than decade.

As of 9:22 p.m. on Election Day, early results show Doan appears to be ahead with 62.5% of the vote, or 5,396 votes. Van Le, an East Side Union High School District trustee, trails with 37.4% of the vote, or 3,225 votes. The county’s voter percentage is 23.53%.

District 7 encompasses parts of central and East San Jose, including the Little Saigon Business District, a cultural and business hub for the estimated 145,000 Vietnamese residents in the city. The district also has a sizable Latino voter base.

An incumbent hasn’t won reelection in District 7 since 2010.

Cheers erupted as people came to hug and congratulate Doan for his lead. Doan said his campaign team knocked on every door in his district twice. He felt in his gut that he would come out in front, just as he felt it four years ago.

“We came together as a community because people know and trusted me to do the right thing, and the results show,” Doan told San José Spotlight.

Prior to serving on city council, Doan, 61, had a 21-year career with San Jose’s Fire Department that saw him become the city’s first Vietnamese fire captain. He won a 2022 election victory over then-incumbent Maya Esparza.

Angel Dizon, 52, who knew Doan since his firefighter days, said he’s thrilled that Doan has won another term.

“The city is very fortunate to have him because he always does the right thing and he’s got really good family values and he really cares about the community,” Dizon told San José Spotlight. “He’s always been like that since I first met him.”

Over his first three years on the council, Doan has managed to win support from both sides of San Jose’s labor-business political divide. Labor leaders have lauded his positions — including support for wage theft protections and Med 30, a drug oversight program in the city’s fire department — as pro-worker. Meanwhile, his habit of pushing back against proposals for new tax measures has earned cheers from local business leaders.

Doan said he plans to continue serving as a voice for efficiency in city services and a check on government excess, including accountability in homeless spending. He said he wants to improve housing affordability, increase public safety and bolster small businesses.

Le has tried to unsuccessfully run for the council seat four times.

Le said said she was driven to run because the district deserves new leadership who will listen to the community and restore cultural identity. Le wants to focus on improving public safety and neighborhood conditions, including rooting out illegal dumping.

“I was born as a public servant, so I’m probably going to continue to do things as a public service, but in a different way,” Le told San José Spotlight.

A refugee who fled Vietnam in 1975, Le has called San Jose home for more than 40 years. Le and her family struggled after their arrival, and Le dropped out of San Jose State University to take on two fast food jobs to support her family.

She eventually got her business degree and worked at San Jose City Hall before starting an insurance business more than 20 years ago. She owns a franchised State Farm Insurance agency in San Jose and is in her fourth term as an East Side Union High School District trustee.

Ann Kong, 62, said the district needs a new face.

“I read a lot of stuff on the news regarding Bien Doan. I was disappointed by how they operate,” Kong told San José Spotlight. “(Van) does a lot on her own will, on her own effort.”

This election did not come without mud-slinging between the bitter rivals, with Le condemning Doan of stoking division within the Vietnamese community and dredging up skirmishes on Doan’s record from decades back.

Doan had multiple run-ins with the law between 1985 and 1987, according to Santa Clara County Superior Court records. Over that time, Doan, who had emigrated from war-torn Vietnam as a refugee the decade prior, was arrested several times and later convicted in two separate theft-related cases, though the records suggest his punishments involved no time in jail.

Representatives for Doan’s campaign said that at the time of the convictions, Doan was struggling to find his footing as a young adult and recent immigrant to the U.S.

Campaign finance records show Doan led in fundraising with nearly $190,000, of which $20,000 was a personal loan. He spent  $167,770. Le raised $119,286.00, of which $30,000 was a personal loan. She spent $98,410.

This story will be updated.

Contact Joyce Chu at [email protected] or @joyce_speaks on X.