Chi Charlie Nguyen
Chi Charlie Nguyen | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Westminster, California | |
| Assumed office 2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Republican |
Chi Charlie Nguyen (Nguyễn Mạnh Chí) is a Vietnamese-American politician who currently serves as Mayor of Westminster, California.[1] Nguyen was also elected to the Board of Directors of the Midway City Sanitary District in 2016 and still serves on the Board.[2] He is a Republican.[3]
Personal life
Chi Charlie Nguyen was born in Vietnam and fled the country by boat in 1979.[4] He obtained a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from California State University, Fullerton and a master's degree from California State University, Long Beach. Nguyen previously worked as an engineer for Boeing and other aerospace companies.[1]
Political career
Midway City Sanitary District
In 2016, Chi Charlie Nguyen successfully ran for Midway City Sanitary District Board of Directors.[5] He also won re-election to the Midway City Sanitary District Board of Directors in 2024.[2]
Westminster City Council
Chi Charlie Nguyen was first elected to the Westminster City Council in 2018.[6]
In 2019, a group called "Westminster United" initiated a recall effort against Chi Charlie Nguyen, Kimberly Ho, and Tri Ta, who sat on the Westminster City Council at the time.[7] However, the recall effort failed, with the majority of Westminster voters rejecting the recall.[8]
In 2021, Councilmember Chi Charlie Nguyen was publicly accused by Councilmember Kimberly Ho of using his position to influence and interfere with staff members' work at Westminster City Hall.[9]
Nguyen then successfully ran for mayor in the citywide election in 2022 against Councilmember Kimberly Ho, Councilmember Tai Do, and Moses Castillo.[10] During the 2022 election season, Nguyen replied "n/a" in response to questions from Voice of OC specifically asking if the candidates believe in climate change and if they will do anything to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.[11] Nguyen also said he opposes allowing any cannabis dispensaries to open in Westminster, opposes limiting how much local police can enforce federal immigration laws, and supports incentives to encourage developers to build low-income housing in the city.[12]
In December 2024, Chi Charlie Nguyen voted with Councilmembers Carlos Manzo and Mark Nguyen to approve hiring a law firm to file a lawsuit against Councilmembers Amy Phan West and NamQuan Nguyen for disrupting city council meetings.[13]
2026 congressional election
In late August 2025, Chi Charlie Nguyen announced to the Vietnamese-language media, including the Nguoi Viet Daily News newspaper, that he was launching his campaign to challenge Democratic Rep. Derek Tran in the race for California's 45th Congressional District.[14][15]
References
- ^ a b "Mayor and City Council Members | Westminster, CA". www.westminster-ca.gov. Archived from the original on 2025-08-31. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
- ^ a b "Chi Charlie Nguyen". Midway City Sanitary District. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
- ^ "FEC Form 2 for Report FEC-1913867". Federal Election Commission. September 4, 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
- ^ Horwitz, Jonathan (2025-04-28). "Memories flood as Little Saigon community prepares fall of Saigon commemoration". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
- ^ "Sở Vệ Sinh Midway City: Kỹ Sư Chí Charlie Nguyễn Tuyên Thệ". Việt Báo (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
- ^ Do, Anh (2018-11-07). "Vietnamese American candidates score big in Orange County elections". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
- ^ Do, Anh (2019-09-01). "Targets of Westminster City Council recall campaign accuse opponents of misleading tactics". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
- ^ Do, Anh (2020-04-10). "Westminster City Council majority survives recall election". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
- ^ Pho, Brandon (2021-10-28). "Westminster Officials Call for More Probes into Alleged City Hall Impropriety". Voice of OC. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
- ^ "Westminster's Chi Charlie Nguyen leading in mayoral race". Orange County Register. 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
- ^ Pho, Brandon (2022-10-26). "Here Are Westminster Candidates' Views on Fiscal Crisis, Political Divide, Development". Voice of OC. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
- ^ "Election 2018: Westminster council candidates share their priorities and thoughts on local issues". Orange County Register. 2018-10-25. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
- ^ San Román, Gabriel (2024-12-13). "Westminster sues two council members over 'dysfunctional and raucous' meetings". Daily Pilot, Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
- ^ "NGUYEN, CHI CHARLIE - Candidate overview". FEC.gov. 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
- ^ Đỗ, Dzũng (2025-08-23). "Thị Trưởng Chí Charlie Nguyễn của Westminster tranh cử dân biểu liên bang Địa Hạt 45". Nguoi Viet Online. Retrieved 2025-10-13.