Are you sure they're all the same guy? It's possible there's multiple Joseph Dovinhs.

Dear Bloggers:

I welcome any research and posting regarding my background and campaign. My qualifications are diverse and I seek to serve the public in either/both capacity as Trustee of CCCD or Director of MCSD. Simply "googling" me will reveal much information. I will also make myself available for clarifications and explanations as appropriate through blogs and personal emails. Please feel free to email me: josephdovinh@msn.com. I plan to run a clean and fair campaign. I sincerely hope that we will all work together to create a better political climate. Thank you for your time and attention.

Joseph Dovinh.

Hello Joseph, it is nice to meet you! Is everything in Ladyfingers post true and did you live in the Central Valley, when did you move to OC? Were you involved in the Oakland exhibit; are you still a member of the DA Vietnamese advisory committee? Why did you choose both of the different ballot designations for both of these offices? Thanks for posting here.

Dear Bloggers:

I have lived in OC off and on since 2000, continuously for the past 2 years. I referred Thuy-Linh Tran to OCDA for the Outreach / Coordinator position and we recruited Vietnamese American leaders for the original Vietnamese Advisory Committee. (I have not been on OCDA's Vietnamese advisory committee since Thuy-Linh's departure from there). I was involved in the Okland Museum's "What's Happening?" Exhibit as an advisor in 2004-2005. I believe I have explained why I chose to run for both offices in the last posting. I will elaborate further at press conferences and at other times as my campaign evolves. Thank you for your questions. Your trust and support is valuable to me and I will earn them. I fully anticipate skepticism and criticism from all sides. It is my responsibility to clarify and provide further information. I only ask that you keep an open mind and refrain from personal attacks, thanks again.

Joseph Dovinh

Joseph - ...tell us...why you decided to run for both offices?

Because he can?

Anonymous: Identify exactly who you are and I will elaborate on my decision to run for both offices. I will not get into the habit of cross-talking with a complete stranger who uses false names. Further pestering is nothing but harrassment and I will not dignify your questions with a response. Thanks for your understanding, Joseph Dovinh.

Do Vinh,

As a candidate, get used to getting attacked and being maligned. Welcome to the big game. Grow some hair on your chest and stop making demands. Get used to receiving demands. You are so GREEN that you got a long way to go, and learn.

Dear Mr. Dovinh:

RedCounty.com announced you’ve entered the race for the Area 2 seat on the Coast Community College District Board (CCCD) of Trustees.

I am an OCC student and have served as the president of student government during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 school years. As president, I attended virtually every CCCD board meeting during those years, and attended for the two years prior as a writer for the student newspaper, the Coast Report.

As you know, district enrollment is about 60,000 students of which about 25,000 attend Orange Coast College (OCC).

Let me begin by thanking you for your willingness to serve the community as a trustee. The quality, experience and character of our trustees have a pervasive influence on the quality of all students’ classroom experience. Its mission is to assure the delivery of excellence in educational opportunities to all.

Having read the questions posed and your responses on the RedCounty blog, I begin with three observations followed by three questions.

Observations. The Registrar of Voters Website says you filed no candidate statement. Thus far, then, district students and county voters have no specific information regarding either your background or experience with respect to community college education. Neither do we know your assessment of the district’s needs and your proposals to address them. Reading about you on the Internet, as you’ve suggested, hasn’t helped.

In addition, while I have attended CCCD board meeting over the past four years, I have no recollection of you appearing and/or participating in any discussion of issues there or on the OCC campus. Campus leaders and representatives who regularly interact with the board or on the campuses therefore have no information regarding your specific interests in the colleges, the faculty, staff, students and district administration.

Regarding your candidacy, in your Aug. 9 RedCounty blog you said, without elaboration, “My qualifications are diverse,” and on Aug. 10 you said “I have lived in OC off and on since 2000, continuously for the past 2 years.” I’m sure you agree these comments are quite vague. In addition, you responded to Anonymous’ question regarding your qualification saying “Identify exactly who you are and I will elaborate on my decision to run for both offices.”

Having identified myself, here are my questions:
(1) Specifically what background and experience do you have that in your view qualifies you to act as a trustee of a California community college district? (That is, What is your record of service and experience with giving leadership to community college education? Or what specifically have to done in other fields that would demonstrate your qualification to act as a district trustee?)
(2) What specific CCC district issues/needs have you identified? How would you prioritize these? What are your proposals to address your priority concerns? And
(3) You’re running to replace 12-year incumbent trustee, Jerry Patterson. Specifically, on what issues do you separate yourself from the positions Patterson’s taken on the board? With which of his actions or positions do you agree? Disagree? And why?

Your responses are of great importance to district students and the community at large.

Thank you for your considered responses.

Lynne Riddle, Student
Orange Coast College

Mr. DoVinh never answered your questions Lynne, and with good reason I'm sure.

Research on his voting registration reveals that Mr Dovinh is practically a nomad, having lived in several different places in the past year. He only recently registered in Westminster, so it seems we may have a carpetbagger on our hands here. He is also a registered Democrat.

Dear Mr. Dovinh,

On August 14 -- more than two weeks ago -- I addressed to you and posted a request for information regarding your candidacy for the Coast Community College District Board of Trustees.

Hopefully you are not ill or away on an emergency; if so, please just let voters know.

Based on your statements in a prior postings -- "It is my responsibility to clarify and provide further information" and " I will also make myself available for clarifications and explanations as appropriate through blogs ...." -- I hoped to receive a response by now.

The district has some very serious issues before it, and thus hearing your analysis and plans will be very helpful to voters' decision making.

Will you please respond?

Do you have any campaign literature or a campaign statement available as yet?

Thank you for your reply,

Lynne Riddle, Orange Coast College Student

Dear Lynne Riddle/Bloggers:

Thank you for your inquiry, I will answer your questions the way I want to answer them, when I want to answer them, not the way you want me to answer them, when you want me to answer them. I refuse to be bullied and harrassed into debating, particularly when bloggers have already began name-calling and negative campaigning against me. Thank you for your understanding. I will define my agenda, my platform, and my campaign on my terms, and make it known when I decide it's best. The following statement is one that I will release on my website: votedovinh.com, due to publish next week. To be fair, I think you should start asking Mr. Jerry Peterson some questions too. I will be writing him a letter asking him to withdraw from the race and endorse/support me. How do you feel about that? Please give us your thoughts, since you seem to know so much about Coast CC District and the functions of its Board. In my opinion, it's Mr. Peterson that will have to run against me, not the other way around. If he doesn't withdraw, I will give him a race to remember.

Joseph Dovinh.

FAIR REPRESENTATION:
FOCUS ON EDUCATION, NOT POLITICS

Coast Community College District is comprised of Coastline Community College (located in Garden Grove and Westminster), Golden West College (located in Huntington Beach) and Orange Coast College (located Costa Mesa). Garden Grove, Westminster, Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa are all cities that are home to large minority populations, predominantly Asian and Pacific Islanders. In fact, Asian/Pacific Islanders make up one-third (33%) of all Certificate & Associate of Arts Degrees Completers at Coast Community College District. Yet, none of the five Governing Board Trustee Members are of Asian/Pacific Islander heritage. This raises the issue of whether there is fair representation and whether such a Governing Board can truly understand the unique needs of minorities. Many of the students enrolled at Coast Community College District’s Colleges are recent immigrants or international students who struggle with English and who require special attention and guidance to develop an education track that will lead to successful integration into the workplace or transfers to four-year colleges to pursue higher degrees. These students need leadership that are reflective of their diverse values, cultures and traditions and that are responsive to the difficulties of their circumstances. As a person of Asian/Pacific Islander descent who have both studied and taught at several colleges, and been a consultant to the Rancho Community College District for the past 5 years, I have first-hand experience with student needs and practical insight into how college faculty and programs play an essential part in providing the best education possible to our students. My own experience with supporting myself through college and going to school later in life to develop a second career in the legal profession makes me particularly sensitive to the needs and aspirations of students from many different backgrounds. It is my belief that our community continues to be underserved and disadvantaged and it is time for new leadership capable of promoting positive change to emerge and work toward improving the learning environment at our colleges and delivering results in terms of academic achievement. Let’s focus on education and not play politics with our schools.

Dear Mr. Dovinh,

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my request for information about your candidacy.

Lynne Riddle, Student
Orange Coast College

Thank you Ms. Riddle:

I am running for office(s) to have the opportunity to serve my community and TO GIVE BACK TO AMERICA because this GREAT NATION has given me so much. That is my mission. VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCE. If you think Mr. Patterson should serve another four years after everything he has done, vote for him. If you think someone else should have the opportunity to come into the office with new ideas, new vision, new plans, new ways of doing things so that we can enfranchise more people, vote for me. This goes for Midway City Sanitary District also. If you think the office of TRUSTEE or MCS District is for career politicians, vote for the incumbent. If you think we all should participate in a Democracy, vote for me because I am trying to get more people involved and change things instead of maintaining the status quo. Thanks again,

Joseph Dovinh