Tri Ta
Tạ Đức Trí
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 70th district
Assumed office
December 5, 2022
Preceded byPatrick O'Donnell
Mayor of Westminster, California
In office
2012–2022
Personal details
Born (1973-04-10) April 10, 1973 (age 50)
Saigon, South Vietnam
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
Residence(s)Westminster, California
OccupationPolitician

Tri Ta (born April 10, 1973) is a Vietnamese-born American politician currently serving as a member of the California State Assembly. He represents Assembly District 70, which consists of much of the Little Saigon area of northwestern Orange County. He previously served as Mayor of Westminster, California.

Early life and education

Ta was born in Saigon in Vietnam (now Ho Chi Minh City). In 1992, he and his parents immigrated to the United States as refugees. Ta was 19 at the time.[1]

Political career

Ta served as a city councilor in Westminster before being elected mayor. He became mayor in 2012 and was the city's first Vietnamese-American mayor.[1][2] Ta was reelected in 2018. He is a Republican and has advocated for the Republican Party to take a greater interest in Vietnamese voters. Vietnamese Americans traditionally voted Republicans, but Democrats have made gains recently, especially in Orange County.[3]

In 2019, Ta attracted publicity for clashing with other members of Westminster's city council. He and fellow council members Kimberly Ho and Chi Charlie Nguyen frequently sparred with the remaining members. Notably, they passed a controversial resolution alleging that the Vietnamese government was improperly interfering in city politics.[4] This dispute culminated in the three voting to change the council's procedures over the objections of other members.[5] Opponents of the three councilors filed for a recall election in response.[6] In April 2020, Ta and his allies survived the recall attempt.[7]

In January 2022, Ta announced his intention to run for election to the California State Assembly in district 70, which was being vacated by incumbent Janet Nguyen.[8] He placed second in the top-two primary in June and faced Garden Grove City Councilwoman Diedre Thu-Ha Nguyen in the November general election.[9] That same year, a council dispute over renewing Westminster's sales tax placed the city at risk of bankruptcy.[10][11] Ta was also censured for false statements he made about other councilors.[12]

In November 2022, Ta won the election to the California State Assembly. He took office in December.

Electoral history

Westminster, California mayoral election, 2012
Candidate Votes %
Tri Ta 11,861 44.6%
Penny Loomer 7,677 28.8%
Al Hamade 4,885 18.4%
Ha Mach 1,191 4.5%
Tamara Sue Pennington 998 3.8%
Total votes 26,612 100.0
Westminster, California mayoral election, 2014
Candidate Votes %
Tri Ta 14,198 84.8%
Andy Truc Nguyen 2,540 15.2%
Total votes 16,738 100.0
Westminster, California mayoral election, 2016
Candidate Votes %
Tri Ta 16,094 56.4%
Margie L. Rice 9,220 32.3%
Raymond De La Cerda 2,004 7.0%
Visual William 1,232 4.3%
Total votes 28,550 100.0
Westminster, California mayoral election, 2018[13]
Candidate Votes %
Tri Ta 18,344 72.7%
Christopher Ochoa 6,878 27.3%
Total votes 25,222 100.0
Westminster, California mayoral recall election, 2020
Choice Votes %
Referendum failed No 10,165 59.32
Yes 6,970 40.68
Total votes 17,135 100.00
Source: Orange County Registrar of Voters[14]
California's 70th State Assembly district primary election, 2022[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Diedre Thu-Ha Nguyen 31,159 39.7
Republican Tri Ta 16,608 21.2
Republican Ted Bui 10,922 13.9
Republican Kimberly Ho 10,874 13.9
Republican Emily Hibard 5,252 6.7
Republican Jason Gray 3,610 4.6
Total votes 78,425 100.0
General election
Republican Tri Ta 64,849 53.8
Democratic Diedre Thu-Ha Nguyen 55,661 46.2
Republican hold
Total votes 120,510 100.0

References

  1. ^ a b James, Marsha (February 28, 2018). "First Vietnamese-American Elected Mayor of Little Saigon". Voice of America. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  2. ^ Do, Anh (November 10, 2012). "Vietnamese American's victory resonates beyond Westminster". Los Angeles Times. pp. AA.1 – via ProQuest.
  3. ^ Kim, Catherine (August 24, 2021). "GOP confronts big trouble in Little Saigon". Politico. Retrieved August 2, 2022. Tra [sic] said the RNC community center needed a full-time, year-round Vietnamese American cultural ambassador who can help bridge the language and cultural barriers that prevent people from civic participation.
  4. ^ Pho, Brandon (September 12, 2019). "Allegations of Vietnam Interference in Westminster Now Official City Policy". Voice of OC. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  5. ^ Goulding, Susan Christian (July 12, 2019). "Westminster City Hall saga: Acrimony, voting restrictions and recall bids for all". Orange County Register. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  6. ^ Goulding, Susan Christian (November 12, 2019). "Effort to recall Westminster Mayor Tri Ta and 2 council members takes big step forward". Orange County Register. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  7. ^ Do, Anh (April 10, 2020). "Westminster City Council majority survives recall election". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  8. ^ "Mayor Tri Ta announces campaign for 70th Assembly District" (Press release). January 4, 2022.
  9. ^ Staggs, Brooke; Kopetman, Roxana (June 8, 2022). "Election 2022: Diedre Nguyen, Tri Ta ahead in open 70th Assembly District race". Orange County Register. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  10. ^ Pho, Brandon (March 17, 2022). "Westminster Officials Fight Over 'Fake News' for 2 Hours, Discuss City Bankruptcy for 30 Minutes". Voice of OC. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  11. ^ Do, Anh (April 24, 2022). "As council bickers, Westminster careens toward bankruptcy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  12. ^ Goulding, Susan Christian (January 14, 2022). "In heated meeting, California mayor censured for 'fake news' interviews". Orange County Register. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  13. ^ "2018 General Election – Official Results". Orange County Registrar of Voters. November 6, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  14. ^ "Election Night Results – April 7, 2020 City of Westminster Special Recall Election". Orange County Registrar of Voters. April 18, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  15. ^ Statement of Vote – June 7, 2022 Primary Election (PDF). Sacramento: California Secretary of State. 2022. p. 118.
Preceded byPatrick O'Donnell California State AssemblyDistrict 70 2022–present Succeeded byIncumbent
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