Community watchdog Viet Ngo plans to end what he calls public corruption and mismanagement of city funds if he is elected to City Council next month.
Ngo is among four candidates running for one of two seats in the March 8 City Council election.
He has spent the last 14 years actively participating at nearly every City Council meeting during the public comment section and has repeatedly accused the council of abusing its power, inappropriately meeting in closed sessions and mismanaging public funds.
“I’m running to protect the civil rights of citizens, including liberty and free speech,” Ngo said at a Feb. 10 candidate forum held at City Council Chambers.
“My first priority is to restore, revitalize and recover all the lost revenue,” he added. “The former City Councils and Planning Commissions have destroyed this community.”
Ngo said he has spent his own money in pursuit of exposing alleged Brown Act violations by the City Council and Planning Commission. He also claims that the city has fraudulently accepted money from business owners in the city and has kept public documents private, such as former city manager Geoff Dolan’s separation agreement.
Ngo said that city officials have intimidated him and other residents who have spoken out against what they perceive to be violations of the law.
Members of the City Council and city staff have repeatedly denied Ngo’s claims.
“I continue to pursue it and will ask the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene and bring all of you to justice,” Ngo said. “That is my main goal and I haven’t reached it yet.”
Ngo said that the city needs to find more funding before it moves forward with plans to upgrade city facilities, such as Joslyn Community Center.
“They need to go back to the board and find the money first before the Planning Commission and City Council go shopping,” he said.
Ngo does not support the use of city funds to cover any portion of operational costs of a new county library projected to be completed in 2012. Nor does he support the construction of the new library itself, which will be paid for through excess property taxes collected by the county.
“If the City Council and the Planning Commission want to have a new facility, they can negotiate money and build a new one,” he added. “But the county should refund the money.”
Ngo also does not encourage going forward with utility undergrounding in the city.
“It’s a controversial issue because a lot of property owners do not want it and are on fixed incomes,” Ngo said. “They’ve paid for their houses and want to live their golden years.”
He also called the city’s Environmental Task Force impractical and said it needed to be reconsidered with the participation of the whole community.
Though Ngo is often seen heatedly debating with council members at meetings, he stressed that he was willing to work together with other council members and staff.
“I’m happy to see three generations grow and do well here,” he said. “That’s why I started 14 years ago trying to protect the values of families and children. I work for your generation. We’re all in the family.” ER
