Westminster Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen faces a reelection challenge from four candidates this November.
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Kimberly Ho, Nguyen Hung, Carlos Manzo, Charles Shipp and incumbent Nguyen are in contest for the four-year mayoral seat. Westminster’s mayor may serve up to three consecutive terms.
The city of Westminster is probably best known for its diverse communities, including its share of Little Saigon — the largest community of Vietnamese diasporans outside of Vietnam — and its proximity to local attractions such as Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm.
All candidates said, if elected mayor, they’d represent the city’s diverse needs but were divided over which issues took precedence, with Ho saying she’d “hold regular town halls in each community, keep an open-door policy, and make sure city communications reach every household, not just the ones online.”
Ho served on the Westminster City Council, including as vice-mayor, from 2016 to 2024. In her bid for the mayoral seat, she said “her “number one goal is pushing the Westminster Mall project through without further delay.”
Construction crews started demolition of the vacant Westminster Mall in April to make way for Bolsa Pacific, a mixed-use development with approximately 2,250 housing units, including a mix of affordable rental housing and for-sale and market-rate housing.
The finished construction, Ho added, would bring “new revenue, jobs, and a revitalized center that can help us sunset Measure Y by 2043 instead of asking again in 2063.”
Measure Y is a 1% local sales tax approved by Westminster voters in 2022 and set to expire by March 2043.
Hung, a retired computer IBM mainframe programmer, is a newcomer to City Hall, but said “I advocate honesty, integrity, and a straightforward approach to receiving feedback from the public.”
“Public safety and homelessness need to be addressed,” Hung said of the challenges facing the city. “Increased police presence and measures to provide shelter for the homeless are necessary.”
He proposed building “more three-floor apartments” and bolstering financial assistance to lower-income and elderly residents and looking at affordability in mobile home communities.
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Sitting District 2 Councilmember Manzo, who previously served the city as a planning commissioner, named “homelessness, public safety, and financial security” as the city’s most pressing needs.
Homelessness should be approached with “both compassion and practical solutions,” he said, adding “I would advocate for expanding access to affordable housing and supportive services” and proposing to work with local organizations to offer “mental health and substance abuse support.”
“We need to ensure that our police officers have the resources they need to keep our neighborhoods safe while also addressing crime through education and community outreach programs,” Manzo said.
To improve the city’s financial security, Manzo said, “I would focus on creating economic opportunities by supporting small businesses, attracting new industries to the city, and investing in workforce development programs.”
Incumbent Nguyen is seeking a second term as the city’s mayor; he previously served as councilmember and currently sits as board president of the Midway City Sanitary District.
“One of our biggest challenges is securing the funding needed to meet unfunded mandates while continuing to invest in essential city projects,” Nguyen said. He said economic development projects supported by the city have been “designed to generate additional revenue in the future. Projects such as the Westminster Mall redevelopment will bring new tax revenue to the city. We have also increased the number of mixed-use developments to attract more investors and revitalize outdated areas.”
“As mayor, my priority is to make sure we remain responsive to our residents and continue providing fast, efficient, and reliable city services,” he said. “At the same time, we must address our housing needs, expand economic development, attract new businesses and investment, and strengthen Westminster’s financial future.”
Shipp, who rounds out the field of five candidates, could not be reached by phone or email after multiple attempts. An account executive, Shipp currently serves as a member of the city’s Traffic Commission.
Ballots may be cast in-person starting Saturday, Oct. 24, when the first vote centers open, or can be returned by mail now — they must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received within a week of Election Day — or to the OC Registrar of Voters’ drop boxes around town now.
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