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.
Tri Ta | |
|---|---|
| Tạ Đức Trí | |
 | |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 70th district | |
| Assumed office December 5, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Patrick O'Donnell |
| Mayor of Westminster, California | |
| In office 2012–2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 10, 1973 Saigon, South Vietnam |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence(s) | Westminster, California |
| Occupation | Politician |
Early life and education
editTa 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
editTa 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.
He has supported Donald Trump as U.S. President in the 2024 presidential election.[13]
Electoral history
edit| 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 | |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tri Ta | 14,198 | 84.8% | |
| Andy Truc Nguyen | 2,540 | 15.2% | |
| Total votes | 16,738 | 100.0 | |
| 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 | |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tri Ta | 18,344 | 72.7% | |
| Christopher Ochoa | 6,878 | 27.3% | |
| Total votes | 25,222 | 100.0 | |
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
 No
|
10,165 | 59.32 |
| Yes | 6,970 | 40.68 |
| Total votes | 17,135 | 100.00 |
| Source: Orange County Registrar of Voters[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
edit- ^ a b James, Marsha (February 28, 2018). "First Vietnamese-American Elected Mayor of Little Saigon". Voice of America. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ Do, Anh (November 10, 2012). "Vietnamese American's victory resonates beyond Westminster". Los Angeles Times. pp. AA.1 – via ProQuest.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Pho, Brandon (September 12, 2019). "Allegations of Vietnam Interference in Westminster Now Official City Policy". Voice of OC. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Do, Anh (April 10, 2020). "Westminster City Council majority survives recall election". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Mayor Tri Ta announces campaign for 70th Assembly District" (Press release). January 4, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Do, Anh (April 24, 2022). "As council bickers, Westminster careens toward bankruptcy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ Goulding, Susan Christian (January 14, 2022). "In heated meeting, California mayor censured for 'fake news' interviews". Orange County Register. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ Yip, Randall (July 19, 2024). "Trump targets China, immigration in lengthy acceptance speech". AsAmNews. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ "2018 General Election – Official Results". Orange County Registrar of Voters. November 6, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Election Night Results – April 7, 2020 City of Westminster Special Recall Election". Orange County Registrar of Voters. April 18, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ Statement of Vote – June 7, 2022 Primary Election (PDF). Sacramento: California Secretary of State. 2022. p. 118.