Chi Charlie Nguyen
Chi Charlie Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American politician who currently serves as Mayor of Westminster, California. Nguyen was also elected to the Board of Directors of the Midway City Sanitary District in 2016 and still serves on the Board. He is a Republican.
Personal life
Chi Charlie Nguyen was born in Vietnam and fled the country by boat in 1979. He obtained a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from California State University, Fullerton and a master's degree from California State University, Long Beach. Nguyen previously worked as an engineer for Boeing and other aerospace companies.Political career
Midway City Sanitary District
In 2016, Chi Charlie Nguyen successfully ran for Midway City Sanitary District Board of Directors. He also won re-election to the Midway City Sanitary District Board of Directors in 2024.Westminster City Council
Chi Charlie Nguyen was first elected to the Westminster City Council in 2018.In 2019, a group called "Westminster United" initiated a recall effort against Chi Charlie Nguyen, Kimberly Ho, and Tri Ta, who sat on the Westminster City Council at the time. However, the recall effort failed, with the majority of Westminster voters rejecting the recall.
In 2021, Councilmember Chi Charlie Nguyen was publicly accused by Councilmember Kimberly Ho of using his position to influence and interfere with staff members' work at Westminster City Hall.
Nguyen then successfully ran for mayor in the citywide election in 2022 against Councilmember Kimberly Ho, Councilmember Tai Do, and Moses Castillo. During the 2022 election season, Nguyen replied "n/a" in response to questions from Voice of OC specifically asking if the candidates believe in climate change and if they will do anything to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nguyen also said he opposes allowing any cannabis dispensaries to open in Westminster, opposes limiting how much local police can enforce federal immigration laws, and supports incentives to encourage developers to build low-income housing in the city.
In December 2024, Chi Charlie Nguyen voted with Councilmembers Carlos Manzo and Mark Nguyen to approve hiring a law firm to file a lawsuit against Councilmembers Amy Phan West and NamQuan Nguyen for disrupting city council meetings.
In November 2025, Chi Charlie Nguyen introduced a proposal to honorarily designate a street in Westminster as "Charlie Kirk Way," following Charlie Kirk's death in September that same year. Chi Charlie Nguyen stated that he put forward the proposal because "Charlie Kirk’s message has inspired countless young Americans to think critically, serve their communities and appreciate the freedom we enjoy." The proposal was approved by a majority of the Westminster City Council.