Cypress City Councilmember Frances Marquez is running for the District 1 seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
The seat is now held by Supervisor Andrew Do who will complete his final term in December 2024. The district includes Cypress, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach and Westminster, among other cities.
Marquez said she would bring “much-needed accountability and oversight” to county government and deliver health, housing and safety resources to the communities.
Elected to the Cypress City Council in 2020, Marquez is an associate professor of government at Gallaudet University where she teaches deaf and hard-of-hearing students and helps them pursue careers in public service.
In the midst of the pandemic, Marquez organized volunteers to help senior citizens with online vaccination appointment registration and advocated for bringing a mobile vaccination site to the Los Alamitos Racetrack.
“I have never backed down from fighting for what is right,” Marquez said in a statement. “I’m running for Orange County Supervisor to shine a light on our county government and ensure we deliver quality services to Orange County’s working families.”
On the Cypress City Council, Marquez has often been at odds with her colleagues and has been censured multiple times, once for an appearance she made at a high school during an election season and the other for allegedly failing to respond to a public records request in a “timely manner.” The latter censure, which is a formal reprimand, also came with a three-month suspension of her salary and stipend.
“I’m doing my job. I’m asking questions. I’m representing the people,” Marquez said. “Those are the reasons for the censure. People don’t like change. I’m going against the grain, questioning contracts. I’m making sure I’m the fiscal watchdog on the council, making sure that we are careful with every tax dollar.”
Marquez is the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, and her father is a veteran who served during the Korean War. Marquez is the product of OC schools having attended Damron and Vessels Elementary, Lexington Junior High and Cypress High School. She later earned her bachelor’s degree from UCLA and then earned her master’s and doctorate degrees from Claremont Graduate University.
“It’s critical to bring the voice of the residents to the chamber. We’re elected to represent the people who elect us,” Marquez said. “I bring the voices of the people to city hall, and I will do the same thing in Orange County on the Board of Supervisors.”
