The city of Westminster is suing two sitting City Council members for allegedly disrupting meetings.
The city’s suit claims that Councilmembers Amy Phan West and NamQuan Nguyen create a “dysfunctional and raucous” atmosphere that prevents important items from being considered and voted on during meetings, as reported by LAist.
“The Mayor has been unable to manage their unruly behavior, and repeated efforts to obtain their compliance have failed,” the lawsuit explains, as reported by the outlet. “As a result, the City Council has ended meetings without accomplishing its business, met late into the night, and generally frustrated those interested in responsible, effective conduct of City meetings.”
West was censured by her fellow council members earlier this year for “at least 30 allegations of violating city policy,” the Voice of O.C. reports, with her and Nguyen being the only votes against the measure.
The outlet described her response to the censure as combative, with her “calling the council majority ‘Chinese communist dictators’ and calling the discussion a ‘banana republic court.’”
“The majority is just trying to silence me,” West said, per the outlet. “You can censor me. Bring it on. I welcome it.”
However, some residents allege it is West and Nguyen who are being “authoritarian,” saying the pair are using the office to benefit themselves.
“The ulterior political motives of Councilmember Amy Phan West and Vice Mayor NamQuan loom over the chamber of City Hall, as they try to hide behind the veils of ‘respect,’ ‘order,’ and ‘safety,'” Lisa Nguyen and Vincent P. Tran said in an opinion piece.
Nguyen and West didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
The city of Westminster is suing two sitting City Council members for allegedly disrupting meetings. The city’s suit claims that Councilmembers Amy Phan West and NamQuan Nguyen create a “dysfunctional and raucous” atmosphere that prevents important items from being considered and voted on during meetings, as reported by LAist. “The Mayor has been unable to […]