Betty Duong

Betty Duong is a member of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in California, representing District 2. She assumed office on January 6, 2025. Her current term ends on January 8, 2029.

Duong ran for election to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors to represent District 2 in California. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Duong completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Betty Duong was born in San Jose, California. She earned an associate degree from De Anza College in 2003, a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 2005, and a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2010. Her career experience includes working for Santa Clara County on numerous initiatives and as the lead public information officer for the County Emergency Operations Center during COVID-19. She also has experience working as a chief of staff, attorney, and in cosmetology. ^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 2

Betty Duong defeated Madison Nguyen in the general election for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 2 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Betty Duong (Nonpartisan)	53.4	52,584
	Madison Nguyen (Nonpartisan)	46.6	45,897

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 98,481
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 2

Betty Duong and Madison Nguyen defeated Corina Herrera-Loera, Nelson McElmurry, and Jennifer Celaya in the primary for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 2 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Betty Duong (Nonpartisan)	31.8	14,031
✔		Madison Nguyen (Nonpartisan)	29.0	12,794
	Submit photo	Corina Herrera-Loera (Nonpartisan)	23.9	10,519
	Submit photo	Nelson McElmurry (Nonpartisan)	9.8	4,321
	Submit photo	Jennifer Celaya (Nonpartisan)	5.4	2,394

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 44,059
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Duong's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Duong in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Betty Duong completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Duong's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Born and raised in San Jose, Betty is a lifelong resident of Santa Clara County’s District 2. Betty’s family arrived in San Jose after the Viet Nam War. As clients of the County’s Refugee Resettlement Program, the family lived in downtown San Jose Section 8 housing before moving to the Eastside to rebuild their lives and create new roots in America.

Betty spent her childhood translating for her parents, family members and neighbors, helping them navigate government agencies, social services and safety net resources. Her parents worked multiple jobs and late hours to support their family, often leaving Betty and her sisters to care for each other. Their family relied on county benefits to help them make ends meet. Betty has directly experienced the benefits of good government services and the consequences of bad local policy.

Since 2013, Betty has worked at the County at several different levels, using her lived experience to make the county a better place and aid people just like her to access the help they need to be successful.

She has been instrumental in projects like: - the Vietnamese American Service Center - the County’s Language Access Policy

Betty has served as the head of many County offices and initiatives, including: - Vietnamese American Service Center - Division of Equity & Social Justice - County Office of Labor Standards Enforcement - COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center Public Information Office

- 2016 Measure A Affordable Housing Bond Measure

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Betty is ready to tackle our homelessness crisis by addressing the root causes and giving residents the support they need before it's too late. Betty knows we need to do more to address our homelessness crisis and invest in a prevention system that will help keep people in their homes - which is more effective and costs less than rehousing. In 2016, Betty led the effort to create thousands of housing units and redefine supportive housing through the Measure A Housing Bond – the biggest and boldest housing bond measure in the nation. She also led the effort to create the new Vietnamese American Service Center, which provides emergency rental assistance, same-day behavioral health services and meals for those in need.
Betty is ready to make our community safer through investments in community, public safety and early intervention programs. She will push for a comprehensive public safety strategy to improve community safety, reduce property crime and stop hate crimes. Betty knows firsthand from her work at the county and in the public defender's office that we need to help people before they enter the criminal justice system by addressing the root causes of crime. That's why she will push for programs that address the issues of mental health, food and housing - which we know contribute to crime. She supports addressing the issue of public safety through proven diversion and rehabilitation programs, so our community can feel safe.
Betty is ready to create more housing opportunities for our neighborhoods so families can stay and thrive in Santa Clara County. She led the effort to pass a countywide housing bond measure that created $950 million for affordable housing and has resulted in 4,800 new units of housing. She is determined to continue working to find more affordable housing solutions, so people can live and raise families in the communities they grew up in. Betty knows that our district has done more than any other to address the homelessness crisis by creating safe parking sites and building shelters. As Santa Clara County Supervisor, she will focus her housing work on creating more affordable housing opportunities.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Betty is ready to make county services better and more easily accessible for everyone. She knows the difference county services can make because her family relied on them when she was growing up. That’s why she will continue to be an effective leader in improving county government services and helping people before they are in crisis.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

A book that demonstrated to me while I attended community college that history is told through the lens of those in power was A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. This book reflects my inquisitive approach to policy analysis and my values of protecting and empowering women, BIPOC communities, the working poor, and immigrant communities. Most importantly, the book began my journey to understand and embrace the rights of workers in the United States and the importance of the Labor Movement. I saw my immigrant parents and my community in the words and information in the book.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The characteristics or principles I believe are most important for an elected official are integrity, hard work, and compassion. Elected officials have a sacred duty to defend and uphold the Constitution and to comply with all federal, state, and local laws. And we must tell the truth. I intend to work hard every day on behalf of my constituents with an eye towards efficiency and effectiveness in government operations and with a heart full of compassion and empathy for those I represent and serve as a public servant.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibility for someone elected to serve as the Supervisor for the Second District in Santa Clara County is to govern in a manner that raises the health, safety, and quality of life of all the residents of the District and all residents. Being an active listener, championing innovation and stewardship of public funds, and leaning in with a positive attitude are all core responsibilities of the office, and I am ready to apply my skills and energy toward my public service.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I will focus on my first grownup job as a makeup artist. This was my career for six years. It was a lot of fun, and I grew into adulthood with the most supportive and driven colleagues I had ever met. During this job, I learned how to interact and engage with people during their most intense and memorable life moments, working within their personal space and being trusted with their most important day (wedding, quinceanera, cotillion, job interview, first date, etc.) This is also where I learned how to open my first business; I became a freelance makeup artist outside of my hours working at the mall. I wrote up my contracts, negotiated my rates, created my policies, drafted a business plan, determined my investments in the business, and conducted myself as someone you can rely on to always be on time, responsive, clear in communication, and joyful.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Santa Clara County Democratic Party, Santa Clara County Firefighters, Registered Nurses Professional Association, South Bay Labor Council, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, AAPI Force - AAPIs for Civic Empowerment, Afro UPRIS, Amalgamated Transit Union Local #265, Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee (BAYMEC), Bay Rising Action, California Women's List, Democratic Activists for Women Now, Deputy Sheriffs' Association of Santa Clara County, East Valley Democratic Club, Housing Action Coalition, IBEW Local 332 - International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, IFPTE Local 21, LiUNA Local 270, National Women's Political Caucus of Silicon Valley, Supervisor Cindy Chavez, Fmr. Supervisor Blanca Alvarado, Congressmember Zoe Lofgren

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Financial transparency and government accountability are paramount to earning and maintaining the trust of the public. I believe in a strong independent financial and management audit function, and I intend to fully support the various audit functions in place in Santa Clara County as an elected official. The public deserves no less.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 2

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 8, 2024

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 8, 2024

[1]

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Betty Duong

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 2

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 2

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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Public Policy

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