Westminster City Councilwoman Amy Phan West is being charged with a misdemeanor for attempting to bribe parking enforcement officers to stop her husband’s car from getting towed, according to a news release from the county’s top prosecutor on Thursday morning.
Phan West denied the charges in an interview with Voice of OC, saying it was the first she’d heard about it.
“I have no comment except for I never talked to any officer. I don’t even know who the officer is,” Phan West said. “I never talked to any officer about this.”
According to Orange County District Attorney prosecutors, two parking control officers were sent to check on an abandoned Jeep connected to a car rental business Phan West was operating in April 2023, one of 20 calls for service to the location about unregistered or abandoned vehicles, according to officials.
Prosecutors allege that after officers called a tow truck, Phan West came out and asked them to stop.
“Phan West is accused of identifying herself and telling the parking control officers not to tow the vehicle and she would move it herself,” states the press release from the DA’s office. “She is also accused of telling the parking control officers how much she loves the Westminster Police Department, that she is close friends with the Westminster police chief, and that she is in the process of getting raises for police department personnel.”
At the time, city council members were negotiating a new contract with the Westminster Police Officers’ Association, and the parking officials canceled the tow truck and left the abandoned Jeep on the street according to prosecutors.
District Attorney Todd Spitzer pledged to ensure she was held accountable in a statement on Thursday.
“Holding elective office does not entitle anyone to a separate set of rules and any attempt to engage in corruption, bribery, or any other crime under the shroud of elective office will be thoroughly investigated and any and all crimes that have been committed will be prosecuted by my office to the fullest extent of the law,” Spitzer said.
That prosecution comes as Spitzer’s office is helping prosecute former OC Supervisor Andrew Do for bribery amidst other charges against a former Stanton City Council member for illegally living outside their district and a battery plea from a newly elected Tustin City Councilman.
Phan West was narrowly elected in 2022, winning the race for Westminster’s first district by only 21 votes.
The prosecution also comes as her own city is suing her for disrupting city council meetings, asking a judge to stop her from interrupting the discussion.
Read: Westminster Asks a Judge to Help Rein in Unruly City Council Meetings
That lawsuit also came after her council colleagues censured her last August, laying out over 30 different charges including allegations regarding her behavior including lying, disclosing confidential information, disparaging staff and publicly berating residents.
[Read: Westminster City Council Censures Amy Phan West Over Laundry List of Allegations]
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.