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Mayor of Garden Grove

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City of Garden Grove

Mayor of Garden Grove

This person is Garden Grove's Mayor, elected directly by all voters. It is the only council seat elected citywide rather than by district. Garden Grove is a charter city. The Mayor leads City Council meetings and represents the city. The Mayor is one of seven members who vote on budget and city laws. Six district council members hold the other seats. An appointed city manager runs day-to-day operations. The term is four years.

Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein is running for a second term. Klopfenstein faces Thu-Ha Nguyen, a former Garden Grove Mayor Pro Tem. Whichever candidate gets the most votes on November 3 wins outright. There is no runoff.

Garden Grove's mayor is the only council seat elected citywide rather than by district. Garden Grove is a charter city; the mayor presides over City Council meetings and represents the city publicly, but votes as one of seven members (the mayor plus six district councilmembers) on the budget and city ordinances, alongside an appointed city manager who runs day-to-day operations. The term is four years.

Klopfenstein is the incumbent, first elected to the council (District 5) in 2016 and elected Garden Grove's first female mayor in 2024. Nguyen is a past councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem, according to a rival campaign's endorsement page -- the only independently-found biographical detail about them in this pass; no campaign site, news coverage, or other primary source naming their prior district, service dates, or current platform could be found despite a real search effort. Nguyen's filed ballot designation is 'Cancer Scientist/Teacher.'

Stephanie Klopfenstein

Stephanie Klopfenstein is a lifelong Garden Grove resident. Klopfenstein's family roots in the city date to the late 1800s. They attended Concordia University and worked in radio broadcasting abroad before building a marketing career. They won their first council seat in 2016 and represented District 5 for eight years. In 2024 they became the city's first elected female mayor. Klopfenstein also represents Garden Grove on three regional boards. They are the Association of California Cities Orange County and the Orange County Sanitation District. They also serve on the Orange County Transportation Authority. Their stated goal is representing residents. They also want "a new chapter of growth and prosperity in Garden Grove." They are "striving to enhance the safety and family-friendly environment our great city deserves."

Thu-Ha Nguyen

Thu-Ha Nguyen filed their candidacy under the ballot designation "Cancer Scientist/Teacher." They say they are a former Garden Grove councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem. They say they worked over 25 years as a clinical scientist in genetics and cancer diagnostics. They also trained future clinical laboratory scientists. Their priorities are public safety, affordability, and strong neighborhoods.

Your pick

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

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