City of San Jose City Council Councilmember Bien Doan

Bien Doan beat incumbent councilmember Maya Esparza for the San Jose City Council District 7 seat in November 2022. Doan finished the race with 54% of the vote. He represents portions of central and East San Jose, including Kelley Park and the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.

Doan immigrated to Porterville in 1975 from Vietnam. Prior to serving in office, he climbed the ranks in the San Jose Fire Department, eventually becoming the first Vietnamese-American fire captain in the department’s history. Doan is the co-founder and president of Vietnamese American City Employees (VACE). According to his campaign, his priorities while serving on the council include addressing homelessness, promoting environmental equity, improving city infrastructure and supporting public safety workers.

First elected: November 2022

Notable quote: “District 7 is a great district, multicultural. But the equity was never there. I’ve seen the unequal services compared to other districts. I’ve seen our citizens suffer.” (Source: San Jose Spotlight)