Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/margie-rice/)
The nation’s highest court decided April 16 it would not review the case, rejecting a petition by Westminster to appeal the 2014 decision by a federal court jury that awarded $3.4 million in damages plus attorney fees to Westminster Police Department officers Jose Flores, Ryan Reyes and Brian Perez.
The ballot measure, which will go before voters June 5, would increase the mayor’s term from two to four years. It was proposed by Councilman Tyler Diep.
Last month, hours before city hall closed for the holidays on Dec. 22, the city of Westminster released an explosive complaint written by its former police chief, Kevin Baker.
The Westminster City Council Wednesday night gave an emotional tribute to former City Clerk Amanda Jensen, who was shot and killed July 16 by a Los Alamitos police captain.
A free circulator bus in Little Saigon funded by the Orange County Transportation Authority and the city of Westminster is no more, after low ridership prompted the Westminster City Council to cut funding for the project.
A one-cent sales tax increase was overwhelmingly approved, but the two council members who championed it lost their races to ideological conservatives.
Westminster voters approved a hotly contested one-cent sales tax increase Tuesday night, with 60.7 percent of voters approving the measure, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters.
Orange County District Attorney’s Office is making inquiries into allegations of what is essentially an attempted bribe by Westminster Mayor Tri Ta to keep Councilwoman Margie Rice, his opponent in the November election, from running against him, according to a lawyer who is suing the city.
Westminster has refused to release a claim against the city filed by former police chief Kevin Baker, who alleged he was retaliated against by Councilwoman Margie Rice for being a whistleblower.
While Westminster City Council members have struggled to make any decisions about how to deal with a $12.6 million structural deficit that is only expected to rise in coming years, they have made at least one thing clear: public safety will be a priority.