City May Hire Liaison for Little Saigon

City officials, worried that they don’t understand enough about the Little Saigon neighborhood, want to hire a bilingual person to act as a liaison between the city and the nation’s largest Vietnamese community.

Mayor Frank Fry Jr. said language and cultural differences between some members of the two groups necessitate the position. The liaison would act as a translator in some situations and report to the council about activities within the Vietnamese community, he said.

“When council members go into the Vietnamese community, it’s nice to know what’s being said around you by someone you can trust,” Fry said Wednesday. “It makes it a lot easier when you can translate what these people are talking about.”

The City Council approved the idea in concept this week, and may give final approval to the position in January. The liaison would cost the city about $25,000 to $30,000 a year, according to a city staff report.

Fry said the top candidate for the job is Peter Nguyen, a recent graduate of Cal State Long Beach.

Fry said he was also prompted by rivalries between some groups in and around the city, such as the well-known feud between the Vietnamese Community of Southern California and the Vietnamese Community of Orange County.

“We need someone who can talk to the various factions,” Fry said. “He can also be the eyes and ears of the council with the Vietnamese community.”

Westminster and its Little Saigon area are home to the largest number of Vietnamese residents outside of Vietnam.