Two Orange County supervisors called on fellow supervisor Andrew Do to resign Monday amid questions about his primary residence and growing concerns about the misuse of millions of dollars in federal funding at the hands of a nonprofit tied to his daughter.
The FBI confirmed it served search warrants at several locations connected to Viet America Society and a home on Beverly Glen in North Tustin, which a property records search showed is owned by Do.
“You do have to live in the district you represent,” said Katrina Foley, who represents the Fifth District of Orange County. “So, if he lives in Tustin with his family, then how can he be representing District One when Tustin is not part of District One?”
Supervisor Foley called on Attorney General Rob Bonta to remove Do from office, citing the search of his home and the state election law that requires supervisors to live in the district they represent.
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A property records search showed Do owns a North Tustin home and a home in Westminster, which is in his district. Neighbors at both locations told NBC4 they see Do from time to time.
The call for Do to resign comes as federal agents comb through evidence they collected at several properties connected to Viet America Society, a nonprofit the county is suing for allegedly embezzling more than $13 million in federal funding, most of which was meant to feed seniors during the pandemic.
Do’s daughter, Rhiannon, who is listed as an officer with the nonprofit, is named in the county’s civil lawsuit, which was filed in Orange County Superior Court.
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“Over the weekend, we learned that Supervisor Do would not be attending our board meeting tomorrow and that it would likely be that he would be missing many future meetings,” Foley said. ”To me, well, you need to do your job, we’re paying you to do your job, the constituents voted for you to do your job.”
Do has not responded to our several requests for comment as of Monday evening.
Vicente Sarmiento, who represents the Second District of Orange County, had recently also called for Do’s resignation.
“We have some critical decisions that we need to make as a board,” he said. “We are selecting our next CEO. We are dealing with grants passed and how we are dealing with homelessness and Proposition One on how we deliver mental health services,” said Sarmiento. “So those are decisions when a person is compromised they can’t make thoughtful and for us to be able to even trust that opinion makes it very
David Wiechert, the attorney representing Rhiannon Do, described her as a hardworking and law-abiding citizen and said he looks forward to “showing the government the error of their ways.”
In response, the Attorney General's office said, while Bonta does not have "unilateral authority" to remove officials like Do from office, his team is investigating whether Do has the legal right to hold an office through the quo warranto process.
"A quo warranto action may be brought to determine whether a public official satisfies a requirement that he or she resides in the district; or whether a public official is serving in two incompatible offices," Bonta's office said in a statement.
