City of Westminster sues members of its council for unruly behavior during meetings

WESTMINSTER, Calif. (KABC) -- The city of Westminster is taking legal action against two of its councilmembers in order to gain control of city meetings.

Video from an October 23 council meeting where elected leaders considered an ordinance establishing rules of decorum and civility showed heated arguments amongst the city council including Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen.

At one point, District 4 councilmember NamQuan Nguyen called the mayor, District 2 councilmember Carlos Manzo and former vice mayor Kimberly Ho "jerks."

Last month, the city filed a lawsuit against NamQuan Nguyen and District 1 councilmember Amy Phan West. It states the mayor's repeated efforts to get them to comply have failed.

"The City Council has ended meetings without accomplishing its business, met late into the night, and generally frustrated those interested in responsible, effective conduct of City meetings," the lawsuit stated.

During the meeting, Manzo said, "Our meetings have been hijacked and literally turned into a sideshow."

A judge could impose fines if the councilmembers don't follow the rules.

During the October meeting, Phan West expressed her concerns.

"I feel like the three majority doesn't respect the minority here, and we feel targeted and unequal treatment here," she said.

The mayor, council and residents all hope that everyone follows the rules of decorum and conduct to ensure that work in the city gets done.