Buddhist temples across Little Saigon in Orange County have prominently displayed political campaign signs for various candidates, leading to discussions about the nonpartisan status of religious institutions. This trend has been observed for years in cities including Westminster, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, and Fountain Valley. The presence of campaign materials on temple properties suggests to the public that these institutions may be implicitly supporting specific candidates or political parties.
Current law stipulates that religious institutions are expected to maintain a nonpartisan stance and are prohibited from endorsing or opposing candidates in elections. Despite these guidelines, observations indicate a consistent pattern of campaign sign presence on temple grounds. For example, a photo taken on May 14, 2026, depicts the Hue Quang temple in Santa Ana featuring signs for several Republican Vietnamese candidates seeking various offices, including Tri Ta for Assembly. At that time, the temple did not appear to display signs from Democratic campaigns.
Historical instances of this practice span over a decade. The Chua Bao Quang temple, located on Newhope, was noted in 2008 for displaying campaign signs for candidates such as John Nguyen for Garden Grove Board of Education, Trung Nguyen for Garden Grove City Council, Vincent Sarmiento for Santa Ana City Council, Claudia Alvarez for Santa Ana City Council, and Miguel Pulido for Santa Ana Mayor. More recently, Google Maps Street View images from January 2024 showed Chua Bao Quang with large banners for Kimberly Ho for Supervisor and Michael Vo for Supervisor. An April 2018 Street View image of the same temple property showed a Janet Nguyen for Senate banner.
Other temples have also featured political advertising. The Tinh Xa Giac Ly temple on Lampson Avenue in Garden Grove displayed Van Tran for Supervisor signs in January 2024, according to Street View imagery. The Westminster Buddhist Temple on Westminster Boulevard in Westminster was observed in September 2022 with a Tai Do for Westminster City Council sign, a Janet Nguyen for State Senate banner, and a Tri Ta for Assembly banner.
Beyond visible signs, one temple recently exhibited what appeared to be a direct appeal for a candidate. In early August, Thomas Quoc Thai Nguyen, who announced his campaign for the Garden Grove City Council District 3 seat, published multiple posts detailing a visit to Chua Dia Tang on 4th Street in Santa Ana. A clip from this visit captured a temple monk urging support for Quoc Thai Nguyen’s campaign. The monk, with a hand on the candidate, stated, "please try to support our Vietnamese people," implying an endorsement for Quoc Thai Nguyen.
This ongoing practice of displaying political advertisements and perceived endorsements raises questions regarding the ethical obligations of religious organizations and the potential implications for their tax-exempt status. The trend of temples featuring political campaigns has reportedly persisted for decades within the Little Saigon community.
