The Garden Grove City Council decided unanimously in closed-session Tuesday night to release the audio recording of a late-night conversation between Mayor Bao Nguyen and a police officer that occurred earlier this summer outside the mayor’s home.
What exactly the audio is going to reveal is unclear. But there are indications that it won’t be flattering to Nguyen. In comments emailed to Voice of OC, he said that it will be a “distraction from the real issues we need to work on.”
“The people elected me to be open and honest, and I have always kept that promise,” Nguyen said. “On this recording of a private conversation I used some salty language that I shouldn’t have. But we have important matters to address in our city and I will not be distracted from the job I was elected to do.”
When asked what he and the officer spoke about, Nguyen said he would rather “let the tape speak for itself.” But he also wasn’t against releasing the audio. “I always err on the side of transparency,” he said.
The audio will likely be released some time tomorrow. Several residents have requested the audio, and a handful of reporters at City Hall late Tuesday afternoon were also asking for the audio.
Voice of OC reporter Thy Vo contributed to this report.
Please contact Adam Elmahrek directly at aelmahrek@voiceofoc.org and follow him on Twitter: @adamelmahrek