a vietnamese american-majority city council

It's official. This week, Westminster, California became the first city in America with a Vietnamese-majority city council after a final tabulation of votes shifted the winners in two Orange County cities: Orange County's final vote tally puts 2 Vietnamese Americans in winners' seats.

Two Vietnamese American candidates who had been trailing after initial vote counts on election day emerged as winners when the Orange County registrar certified the final results of the November 4 election.

In Westminster, Truong Diep initially trailed Penny Loomer by 1,500 votes. But the final vote count put Diep ahead by a few dozen votes, giving him the second-place win. A few dozen votes! Talk about a squeaker.

In neighboring Garden Grove, after thousands of absentee and provisional ballots were counted, Andrew Do secured a second-place finish for a seat on the City Council, edging out Robin Peace Marcario. Do's election makes him the second Vietnamese American City Council member in Garden Grove.

Finally, a month after general election, some results. Both elections mark a significant milestone for Orange County and the Vietnamese American community. Thank goodness for absentee ballots, I guess.