Ta was born in Saigon in Vietnam (now Ho Chi Minh City). In 1992, he and his parents immigrated to the United States as refugees. Ta was 19 at the time.[1]
Political career
Ta served as a city councilor in Westminster before being elected mayor. He became mayor in 2012 and was the city's first Vietnamese-American mayor.[1][2] Ta was reelected in 2018. He is a Republican and has advocated for the Republican Party to take a greater interest in Vietnamese voters. Vietnamese Americans traditionally voted Republicans, but Democrats have made gains recently, especially in Orange County.[3]
In 2019, Ta attracted publicity for clashing with other members of Westminster's city council. He and fellow council members Kimberly Ho and Chi Charlie Nguyen frequently sparred with the remaining members. Notably, they passed a controversial resolution alleging that the Vietnamese government was improperly interfering in city politics.[4] This dispute culminated in the three voting to change the council's procedures over the objections of other members.[5] Opponents of the three councilors filed for a recall election in response.[6] In April 2020, Ta and his allies survived the recall attempt.[7]
In January 2022, Ta announced his intention to run for election to the California State Assembly in district 70, which was being vacated by incumbent Janet Nguyen.[8] He placed second in the top-two primary in June and faced Garden GroveCity Councilwoman Diedre Thu-Ha Nguyen in the November general election.[9] That same year, a council dispute over renewing Westminster's sales tax placed the city at risk of bankruptcy.[10][11] Ta was also censured for false statements he made about other councilors.[12]
In November 2022, Ta won the election to the California State Assembly. He took office in December.
^Do, Anh (November 10, 2012). "Vietnamese American's victory resonates beyond Westminster". Los Angeles Times. pp. AA.1 – via ProQuest.
^Kim, Catherine (August 24, 2021). "GOP confronts big trouble in Little Saigon". Politico. Retrieved August 2, 2022. Tra [sic] said the RNC community center needed a full-time, year-round Vietnamese American cultural ambassador who can help bridge the language and cultural barriers that prevent people from civic participation.
