Six Questions with
Kim Nguyen
The OCCOG Governing Board includes 18 Orange County elected officials and 9 ex-officio non-voting members who work together to represent Orange County’s interests in regional planning policy. Let’s meet Director Kim Nguyen:
Q1: What area of Orange County do you represent for OCCOG?
A1: I represent SCAG Regional Council District #18. District 18 includes Cypress, Garden Grove and La Palma.
Q2: What is your favorite thing about living in Orange County?
A2: There’s a little bit of everything for everyone. From amusement parks, awesome food spots, beaches, trails, and so much more!
Q3: What issue got you interested in becoming a city councilmember?
A3: I first ran at the age of 25 back in 2016 because there hadn’t been a person of Latin descent or a person truly from the east side of the City elected to serve on City Council. I wanted to uplift the voices of my community who had been historically disenfranchised from local government.
Q4: What is Garden Grove doing about the affordable housing issue?
A4: With an affordable housing stock of nearly 1,100 units, the City of Garden Grove is
dedicated to providing high quality, affordable housing for all its residents. Utilizing
federal, state, and local funding sources, as well as the recently updated California
Density Bonus and Accessory Dwelling Unit legislation, the City aims to increase
and sustain its housing stock through both new construction and rehabilitation
projects. Per its Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation, Garden
Grove is currently planning to accommodate 19,168 new housing units over the
next eight years, of which, nearly 7,000 are scheduled to be made available to low
and very-low income households.
Q5: What is Garden Grove’s best kept secret?
A5: Garden Grove is truly a hidden gem. I would say our best kept secret is all of our amazing foodie spots. In the district I represent specifically, Sabroso Mexican Grill, which was featured on the food network show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives!
Q6: What’s your favorite flavor ice cream to beat the summer heat?
A6: Dark Chocolate