Long Pham is running for California's 42nd Congressional District — his latest bid in a decade-long string of campaigns that has drawn repeated scrutiny from the state's campaign finance watchdog.
Pham, a Vietnamese-American nuclear engineer based in Little Saigon, has run for the state legislature at least three times: the 34th State Senate District in 2014 and Assembly District 72 in 2012 and 2018. Each time, he lost. Now he's targeting Congress — and bringing with him a documented record of FPPC enforcement actions spanning nearly every major campaign he's run.
A Pattern the FPPC Has Noticed
The enforcement record is not a one-time stumble.
In 2015, the FPPC proposed a $400 fine against Pham's 2014 Senate campaign for failing to timely file campaign statements.
That was the opening act. In 2024, the FPPC settled a case stemming from his 2018 Assembly campaign — "Long Pham for Assembly 2018" — with a $38,500 stipulated penalty. The violations included failing to establish a designated campaign bank account as required under Government Code §85201, and inadequate record-keeping under §84104.
At its October 2024 meeting, the FPPC took up a second enforcement action against Pham's committee — this time also naming treasurer Mary Pham — with an additional $38,500 proposed penalty. The violations were nearly identical: untimely campaign filings, a missing 24-hour contribution report, no designated bank account, and poor recordkeeping.
All told, Pham's campaigns have faced over $77,000 in FPPC fines and proposed penalties.
Who Is Long Pham?
Pham's background includes a nuclear engineering career dating to 1979, a term as Vice President of the American Society for Mechanical Engineers, and service on the Orange County Board of Education from 2008 to 2012. Governor Pete Wilson appointed him to a regulatory reform task force in 1996.
His congressional pitch centers on deregulation and community ties to Little Saigon. His electoral record, however, is thin — a third-place finish in the 2014 Senate primary and no general election victories across four attempts.
What It Means for CA-42
California's 42nd Congressional District covers portions of central Orange County, including communities with large Vietnamese American populations where Pham may carry name recognition from prior runs.
Whether those ties outweigh an enforcement record spanning a decade of regulatory failures is a question voters will have to answer. The FPPC's files offer a cautionary portrait of a campaign operation that has repeatedly failed basic compliance requirements — in race after race.