WESTMINSTER

Even as the campaign to recall him founders, protests in front of City Councilman Tony Lam’s restaurant have continued, costing him thousands in legal fees and lost business. Lam said Friday he has spent at least $30,000 pursuing a suit against protesters and $25,000 in hiring private security guards, and has lost an inestimable amount of business. He said he and his family are prepared to sell their home if necessary to finance the battle, but he will refuse to leave office, even if it also means losing his business.

The protests, which started March 12--the day after demonstrations at the Hi Tek video store in Little Saigon ended--have now lasted longer than those earlier demonstrations, although their scale is much smaller. Generally there are about six people in front of his Garden Grove restaurant seven days a week during the hours he is open, Lam said. Supporters of the protests and recall campaign criticize Lam for not attending the demonstrations at Hi Tek, whose owner displayed a communist flag and a Ho Chi Minh picture, but Lam said he was following the city attorney’s advice to stay neutral in order to avoid lawsuits against the city.

The recall campaign against Lam has been rejected twice by the city clerk because its proponents failed to meet the proper requirements. Lam has filed a lawsuit seeking to keep the protesters away from his property. He asked the city attorney last week to research whether the city can pay his legal expenses in that case, arguing that because he was following the city’s advice, the city should pay his costs.