Westminster City Council
SUBJECT
Title
Consider a Resolution Opposing VietRISE’s Promotion of Communist Propaganda in Little Saigon and Reaffirming the City’s Commitment to Historical Truth and Freedom.
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From: Scott Porter, City Attorney
Requested by: Council Member Amy Phan West, District 1
Prepared by*: Scott Porter, City Attorney
*Staff reports prepared by staff on behalf of members of the City Council do not reflect the opinions of staff and are generated in collaboration with the requesting council member(s).
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
Recommendation
Consider whether to adopt a Resolution entitled, “A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WESTMINSTER, CALIFORNIA, OPPOSING VIETRISE’S PROMOTION OF COMMUNIST PROPOGANDA IN LITTLE SAIGON AND REAFFIRMING THE CITY’S COMMITMENT TO HISTORICAL TRUTH AND FREEDOM.”
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BACKGROUND
At the September 10, 2025 meeting, the City Council voted 3-2 (Vice Mayor Carlos Manzo and District 3 Council Member Mark Nguyen voted “no”) to approve a motion made by District 1 Councilwoman Amy Phan West, seconded by District 4 Council Member NamQuan Nguyen, to place this item on the agenda for consideration.
District 1 Councilwoman Phan West requested that the staff report state the following:
“The City of Westminster is home to one of the largest concentration of Vietnamese Americans in the United States, many of whom are refugees who fled the tyranny, violence, and oppression of the Vietnamese Communist regime. The Vietnamese American community in Westminster and Little Saigon serves as a living testament to the resilience of those who sacrificed everything to escape Communism and rebuild their lives in freedom and democracy.
In August 2025, VietRISE organized a seminar at Garden Grove Park coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the Communist takeover of North Vietnam. The seminar promoted a distorted historical narrative that glorified Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party, whitewashing decades of dictatorship, political repression, and human rights abuses. This event targeted youth, with the apparent intent of indoctrinating the next generation into sympathizing with the very regime that so many Westminster families fled.
Holding such an event in the heart of Little Saigon dishonors the sacrifices of refugees and undermines the values of freedom, democracy, and human dignity that Westminster represents.”
FISCAL IMPACT
None.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed as to form.
CONCLUSION
The City Council has the policy choice of whether to adopt a resolution expressing its opinion on this matter.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft Resolution Opposing VietRISE’s Promotion of Communist Propaganda
2. Supporting documents - VietRISE
REVIEWED BY
Erin Backs, Finance Director
City Attorney’s Office
Christine Cordon, City Manager