Frances Marquez on the Andrew Do Scandal: Now with Videos!

We need an honest, smart, humane corruption fighter like Frances Marquez on the OC Board of Supervisors, and the Anaheim Democrats Club considers her one of the most important candidates running this Fall – that’s why we held a fundraiser for her at the Quirk-Silvas’ (even though her district is outside of Anaheim.)

If district 1 replaces crooked Andrew Do with crooked Janet Nguyen, that will be no change at all; and Sarmiento and Foley will continue to be an outvoted minority. And we just received this press release from Frances. [UPDATE – below press release, see two videos of Frances speaking out against this giveaway LAST YEAR!]

Cypress City Councilwoman Calls for the Board of Supervisors to Create
an Independent Ethics Commission and Office of Contract Compliance

Cypress, CA — Cypress Councilwoman Frances Marquez, candidate for Orange County Supervisor District 1, is calling for transparency after reporting that Orange County’s leaders cannot explain how Viet America Society received 13.5 million in taxpayer funds, including a $2.2 million contract, to provide meals and mental health outreach to seniors during the pandemic for which accounting records do not exist.

“Orange County residents are experiencing a crisis of trust. It is unfathomable that Viet America Society cannot account for the taxpayer dollars directed by Supervisor Andrew Do nor is it acceptable that the County can’t answer simple questions about the funding’s origins.

“It is infuriating that we are represented by a county supervisor who directed millions in taxpayer funded lucrative contracts to an organization started by his friend and employs his daughter. We need answers and we need to put guardrails in place so this never happens again.

“I am calling on the Board of Supervisors to create an Independent Ethics Commission without political appointees so we can have our conflict-of-interest laws enforced to end the misuse of taxpayer dollars this crisis has exposed. I am also demanding the board create an Office of Contract Compliance. This office will be tasked with independently vetting nonprofits and businesses applying for funding from the county. Any nonprofit or contractor doing business with the county and anyone in a position to evaluate, approve, or vote on any contracts should also be required to comply with stricter ethical standards. It is the job as Supervisors to ensure that the work of nonprofits and contractors be executed in the best interest of our residents and their taxpayer dollars.

“As my track record shows, it is possible to have a positive impact in our community without bending the rules. That’s why we need reliable leadership at the Board of Supervisors — public servants who will prioritize working families and taxpayers, not stuff the pockets of their donors or family members. 

“That’s why Janet Nguyen is fundamentally unfit to serve on the Board of Supervisors. Under her stewardship, CalOptima — the agency tasked with offering health insurance for Orange County’s most vulnerable residents including our senior community — almost “imploded” because Nguyen blatantly handed the agency over to hospital lobbyists and her campaign donors.

“We need new leadership that will restore constituents’ faith in government. When I am elected as supervisor, we will enact a plan that brings a new era of accountability to Orange County and restores the public trust in their government.”

Viet America Society’s ties to Supervisor Andrew Do have been detailed in reporting by LAist. The organization was incorporated by Peter Pham who worked on a high-profile project with Supervisor Andrew Do. Pham then founded the Warner Wellness Center where Do’s daughter is an executive officer. County contracts were granted despite Viet America Society violating state nonprofit registration laws and Do failing to disclose the organization’s ties to his daughter. After multiple reports in the media, the County demanded the organization return $2.2 million after missing county deadlines to prove the funds were spent appropriately.   

Update: Videos

Board of Supervisors, November 2023

Board of Supervisors, December 2023

About Frances Marquez

Frances Marquez has never backed down from fighting for what is right. As a Cypress City Councilwoman, she has used her voice to call for transparency and shine a light on backroom deals at City Hall.

Throughout Marquez’s career in public service, she helped create more opportunities for students, working families, small businesses, veterans, and seniors.

Elected to the Cypress City Council in November 2020, Marquez wasted no time helping families and small businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic. She organized volunteers to help senior citizens with online vaccination appointment registration. When families found it challenging to find vaccine sites close to Cypress, Marquez advocated with the County of Orange to bring a mobile vaccination site to the Los Alamitos Racetrack. She voted to provide resiliency grants for small businesses and to support entrepreneurs starting home-based businesses.

Marquez is often the sole dissenting voice on the council challenging the status quo and speaking for residents who have long gone unheard. She was the only Council member who voted against a 15-year trash contract extension that increased rates on residents by 32% and stopped a rate hike during the pandemic. She fought for residents and halted the building of a garbage truck fueling station near an elementary school. When the City of Cypress allowed the dumping of large amounts of trash at its public works yard, Frances advocated for nearby residents and called for the city to stop the practice.

Marquez has been a watchdog for taxpayers by demanding transparency before voting on spending, whether it be the city budget, the redistricting lawsuit, or trash services. She has fought to make it easier for residents to access campaign finance disclosures and participate in city council meetings.

Professionally, Marquez is an Associate Professor of Government teaching deaf and hard-of-hearing students and helped open doors for them to pursue careers in public service.

She served as the Legislative Director for now-retired Orange County area Congressman Alan Lowenthal. Marquez worked closely with the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee to secure funding for the STARBASE and Sunburst National Guard Youth Challenge Programs at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base (JFTB). The STARBASE Program encourages fifth-grade students to study science and math, and Sunburst helps youth who have dropped out of high school complete their GED at the JFTB in six months. She also helped advocate for better access to health and childcare for veterans.

Orange County provided Marquez with a strong foundation for a successful life. The granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, Marquez’s father served our country during the Korean War. He operated his parent’s small family farm where her mother worked as the bookkeeper. Their hard work earned them enough to buy a home in Cypress in 1974, where Marquez and her five siblings grew up. The quality education she received from Damron and Vessels Elementary, Lexington Junior High, and Cypress High School enabled her to earn a Bachelor of Arts in History from UCLA. She then earned a Master’s in Public Policy and a Doctorate in Political Science from Claremont Graduate University.

Marquez has decades of experience increasing participation in our democracy. She was the statewide director for a New Citizen Voter Registration Project in 1991 and has campaigned for local, state, and national candidates, including President Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama, and then Congressmember Xavier Becerra.

Marquez resides in Cypress, where she cares for her mom and her dog, Benito.

Orange County Board of Supervisors District 1 is represented by Supervisor Andrew Do, who will complete his final term in December 2024. The district includes the cities of Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, and Westminster.

Learn more at www.FrancesMarquezforSupervisor.com