The Republican Party of Orange County issued a formal warning May 21 calling Congressman Derek Tran's direct outreach to Republican primary voters an "act of weakness." The party published it in Vietnamese.
A political text promoting Chi Charlie Nguyen to Republican primary voters used the same CLAIMS vs. REALLY playbook as a documented Derek Tran mailer — and skipped the federally required paid for by line.
Nguyen issued a press release calling Tran scared and negative. Our reporting shows Tran's operation has been funding mailers to keep Nguyen in the Republican primary — because Nguyen is the opponent Tran wants in November.
The former CA-45 congresswoman testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on May 21, making the case for her nomination as U.S. Ambassador to South Korea while a 16-month vacancy in Seoul hangs over the whole proceeding.
Tracy La's GGUSD campaign pitches her as a nonprofit director and county commissioner. Her nonprofit, VietRise, has spent years pushing ICE defunding and noncitizen voting rights in Orange County.
A campaign mailer paid for by Derek Tran For Congress is hitting Republican households in the district, painting Chi Charlie Nguyen as a committed MAGA loyalist. Of all the Republicans running in CA-45, he may be exactly the opponent Tran wants.
Chuong Vo, a Vietnamese refugee and retired law enforcement officer running in California's 45th Congressional District, has secured the endorsement of the California Young Republicans.
Randy Harper, a former fire battalion chief now working as a county emergency manager, has announced a run for Cypress City Council District 5 in 2026.
A LAist investigation found former campaign staff accuse La Palma councilmember Janet Keo Conklin of misusing campaign funds and sexual harassment — and her endorsers are now running.
Heading into the June primary, Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung holds $347,433 in cash on hand — more than Connor Traut, Rose Espinoza, and Tim Shaw combined, with six weeks to go.
California Democrats are making another run at restoring race-based preferences in education. Young Kim just introduced a federal bill to stop them, and the history here is worth knowing.
The White House has nominated Michelle Steel, the former Republican congresswoman who represented Orange County's 45th district, as U.S. Ambassador to South Korea. Steel was born in Seoul, speaks Korean, and served on the Orange County Board of Supervisors before her two terms in Congress.
The Fair Political Practices Commission has opened a formal investigation into Westminster Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen, according to a letter obtained exclusively by North OC Pulse. The FPPC's Enforcement Division confirmed it will investigate a sworn complaint filed under Case No. 2026-00278.
Congressman Derek Tran voted against the federal spending bill that delivered $1 million to Westminster's Senior Center renovation — because it included funding for ICE. The bill passed without him. Westminster got the money. Now his office is accepting the credit.
Chuong Vo, a Vietnamese refugee and retired law enforcement officer running for California's 45th Congressional District, sent letters to both the Westminster and Garden Grove city councils this week urging each city to adopt a policy barring the Vietnamese Communist government and affiliated entities from purchasing, leasing, or renting city-owned property.
The California Republican Assembly has endorsed Chuong Vo for California’s 45th Congressional District after rival candidate Charlie Nguyen reportedly expressed support for allowing Sharia law to operate alongside American law at a Republican grassroots forum. The comments drew audible gasps from activists in attendance, according to Vo’s campaign.
Rep. Derek Tran voted against the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2026 over objections to ICE funding. Days later, his office announced more than $5 million in federally funded local projects — money that came through the same appropriations process he opposed.
North OC Pulse ran the official ballot statements of all five Republican candidates in the CA-45 congressional race through Grok AI and asked it to predict a winner. Here is what it found.
Tom Vo has emerged as the leading fundraiser among Republican challengers in the CA-45 race, reporting $502,800 for the most recent quarter — while Amy Phan West draws support from a broad base of small individual donors.
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.
