Westminster becomes first city with Vietnamese American majority council

Westminster has become the first city in America with a Vietnamese-majority City Council after a final tabulation of votes shifted the winners in two Orange County cities.

Two Vietnamese American candidates who had trailed behind after initial vote counts on election day emerged as winners Monday when the Orange County Registrar certified the final results of the November election.

After thousands of absentee and provisional ballots were counted, Andrew Do secured a second-place finish for a seat on the Garden Grove City Council, edging out Robin Peace Marcario. In neighboring Westminster, Truong Diep initially came out behind second-place finisher Penny Loomer by 1,500 votes. But the final vote count put Diep, a 25-year-old member of the Midway City Sanitary District board, ahead by a few dozen votes. Loomer said Monday that she may seek a recount.

In Westminster, Diep’s election stands as a milestone in a small, conservative city that was transformed by Vietnamese refugees into the thriving enclave of Little Saigon.

--My-Thuan Tran