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Government » City Council Videos, Agendas, & Minutes

Westminster City Council Recap - November 10, 2021

Here is a report of some of the action that was taken during the Westminster City Council meeting, Wednesday, November 10.

As always, residents can access City Council agendas, minutes and past meeting videos at westminster-ca.gov/government. The consent calendar items were unanimously approved.

Mayor rotation vote to proceed

The Westminster City Council voted to approve a special election to be placed on the June 2022 State Primary that could lead to fundamental changes in the position of Mayor.

As currently constructed, Westminster's City Council has four representatives, each chosen from a separate voting district, and a mayor elected by the entire city. Councilmembers are elected for four years and the mayor for two. Under the new proposal, if approved by voters, the current mayor position would be eliminated and the city would be divided into five districts with a councilmember selected from each and the mayor's title being rotated through the districts.

With states and cities already in the process of redrawing maps and holding public discussions and accepting input in the wake of the nationwide 2020 Decennial Census, Westminster will be required to create and publicly discuss five- and four-district maps simultaneously.

The Council voted 3-2, with Mayor Tri Ta and Vice Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen opposed, to place a special election measure on the ballot.

The city map must be approved by July 6 but the county does not have to certify the election until July 7. Until the election is certified, the city won't know whether it has four or five districts.

City Attorney Christian Bettenhausen said the county doesn't usually take the full 30 days to certify a primary election but would not commit to early certification. If there is an overlap, Bettenhausen said, "We may have to go to court for clarification."

After the district map is approved, whether with four or five districts, the city will have until July 18 to approve and publish candidates running for office in November. The cost of the special election is estimated between $128,000 and $180,000.

Mapping the city

The Council heard a presentation about the process and progress in redrawing the existing district lines. The goal is to assure that districts have nearly equal populations, contiguity, shared social and ethnic characteristics and other qualities that ensure they are fair and representative. Districts must comply with the state's FAIR MAPS Act, AB 849. The existing map has districts arrayed on roughly Northwest to Southeast diagonal.

Maintaining Liberty

After a long discussion about the costs the city has incurred maintaining a parcel of land at Liberty Park after selling the parcel to a private party, at the suggestion of Bettenhausen, the City Council voted to take up the matter in closed session.

With the original sale of the land and possible improprieties in the transaction being investigated, the City Attorney suggested waiting until receiving more information about the deal before getting into any specific actions.

Councilmember Kimberly Ho brought forward the motion. A month ago, she led an effort to request California's attorney general and Orange County attorney investigate how the city sold a slice of the city park to a nearby land owner. She was aghast, she said, to learn that the city had also been paying to maintain the property after the sale.

Council censure

For the second time in less than two months, the Council voted to censure a member. Nguyen, who in September was censured with Ta for purportedly maligning other candidates on Vietnamese TV, was singled out this time. In addition to the censure, the Council also decided to come back to discuss whether Nguyen could be stripped of his vice mayor title.

Nguyen was again accused of using inflammatory language to characterize other councilmembers in public and via email. He was also chastised for using the word "crap" at a recently broadcast City Council meeting.

Ta called the ongoing disputes between the Council majority with Nguyen and himself "childish," and said "I hope we don't go back and forth with these items. We have to show respect for each other."

Tet returning to Little Saigon

The popular Tet Festival and Parade in Little Saigon was awarded to the Little Saigon Tet Parade Association for the Feb. 5, 2022 event.

Last year, the Little Saigon Tet Parade Association, led by Patrick Phat Bui, a Garden Grove Councilmember, staged its Tet parade in Garden Grove, while the Saigon-Westminster organizers hosted the Westminster event as it had for seven years.

In choosing the bid, the Council said it was simply because Little Saigon Tet Parade Association filed its application for the permit four days earlier. All on the City Council agreed both groups were capable and qualified of organizing the event.

The Council voted 3-0-2, with Nguyen and Ta abstaining, to allow the Little Saigon Tet Parade Association to put on the event.

Little Saigon is home to the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam. According to 2010 U.S. Census figures, more than 200,000 Vietnamese people live in Orange County.

Odds and ends

The City Council approved and awarded a contract for $424,265 for renovation of new playground equipment at Margie L. Rice Park at 6060 Hefley Street.
The Council welcomed new Police Chief Dain Lenyi, Interim City Clerk Lucie Colombo and Interim Community Development Director Debra Kurita to their first City Council meetings.
During her Interim City Manager's comments, Christine Cordon announced a virtual Community Meeting on the Housing Element would be held 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 15. Details are on the city's website: westminster-ca.gov/departments/community-development/planning-division/housing-element-up-date
Cordon also said the Westminster Police Department has special blue patches for sale to support its involvement in Movember. The annual event encourages men to grow mustaches or facial hair in the month of November and raise funds for the nonprofit that advocates for men's health care issues. The Westminster PD has been a long-time participant in the event.