Fountain Valley creates an advisory committee "for the Vietnamese community": five council members each hand-pick a resident, and you get a seat at the table starting in October

What happened on September 15

The Fountain Valley City Council met at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, in the council chambers at 10200 Slater Avenue. The council has five members: Mayor Jim Cunneen, Vice Mayor Patrick Harper, and council members Ted Bui, Kim Constantine and Glenn Grandis.

Item 9, the last item on the agenda, was "Appointments to the Cultural, Arts, Recreation, Sports and Seniors Advisory Committee." The staff report was signed by Rob Frizzelle, community services director and deputy city manager. Under the plan, each council member directly appoints one resident at that meeting. The agenda packet did not list names in advance. When this story was published on September 16, the minutes and video were not yet posted. The video has since gone up, and it shows the appointments did not happen. Details are in the next section.

This was not the council's first look at the idea. According to the record, it started at the council's strategic planning session on March 24, 2026. The council assigned Frizzelle, with support from Police Chief Craig Heredia, a goal written out word for word: "improve integration, communication, and culturally responsive programming for the Vietnamese community." On August 18, the council heard the proposal in a study session. September 15 was supposed to be the appointment step.

Update, September 21: no one was chosen on September 15

Bolsa Bridge has reviewed the meeting video on the city's YouTube channel. Item 9 begins about one hour and seven minutes in and runs more than 20 minutes. The outcome: the council appointed no one and tabled the whole item to its October 6 meeting.

City Clerk Rick Miller opened by noting that every existing Fountain Valley committee requires its members to be city residents, and the Measure HH Advisory Committee also requires registered voters. The new CARSS committee has no such rule yet, so the method of appointment was up to the council.

Council member Kim Constantine said she was not prepared to pick anyone. She asked to handle it the way the city fills its other boards: an open application period for residents, followed by in-person interviews. Vice Mayor Patrick Harper said he was fine with direct appointments but had not yet vetted a candidate and would be ready at the next meeting. The other three members had names ready. When Constantine asked whether the three people named were residents, the answer was yes. But Mayor Jim Cunneen made clear that his pick lives in Huntington Beach: a physician who has practiced in Fountain Valley for 30 years and currently chairs the city's Chamber of Commerce.

That detail opened a debate. Two residents spoke, both arguing the committee should be made up of Fountain Valley residents only. Constantine agreed, and read back the memo's line that the committee should represent the diverse population of the city. Cunneen argued the committee should reach beyond city limits, because recreation and the arts in this area are regional, drawing from Little Saigon to Huntington Beach. Council member Ted Bui pointed out that an existing ad hoc committee already includes a non-resident. The physician who had been named came to the podium. He said he spends most of his working hours in Fountain Valley, and that if the only test is where he sleeps, the council is looking at it from the wrong angle.

Constantine moved to table the whole item to the next meeting so that all five members could be appointed at once, rather than three now and two later. The mayor agreed and announced the item would be continued. The city attorney said he was not aware of any policy requiring residency and would research it for the October 6 meeting. Constantine said she would post a call for candidates on social media.

On scheduling, Community Services staff said the committee's first meeting is expected in October, then quarterly, most likely on a weeknight at 6 p.m., possibly with a Zoom option.

What this means for you: as of October 6, all five resident seats are still open. If you want a seat, contact your council member before that meeting, or call the City Clerk at (714) 593-⁠4445 and ask how to submit a name. If the council switches to an open application process, Bolsa Bridge will explain how to apply.

This section is based on the meeting video, from 1:07:33 to 1:29:20. Bolsa Bridge paraphrases rather than quotes, and does not name the three people put forward, because their names have not been confirmed with the city and no appointment has been made.

What the committee does, and doesn't do

Under the August 12 staff memo, the committee meets quarterly. It reviews and gives input on three things: planned park development, upcoming community events, and community services programming. Once or twice a year, it reports back to the council on its impact.

"Advisory" is the key word. The committee cannot approve a budget or a program. That power stays with the five council members. Staff modeled it on two existing bodies: the Measure HH Advisory Committee for its quarterly schedule, and the Civic Center Ad Hoc Committee for its direct appointments.

The timing lines up with the city's Parks and Community Services Master Plan, which staff are preparing to implement. That plan, included in the August 18 packet, lists two strengths: extensive opportunities for seniors, and connections with "the City's growing Vietnamese community."

Who sits on it, and who chooses

Seven members. Five are Fountain Valley residents, one chosen by each council member. The other two are city staff appointed by City Manager Maggie Le; the memo recommends one from Community Services and one from the Police Department.

The method is direct appointment, "no interviews," in the memo's words. There is no public application and no question-and-answer session before the council. The memo does not say why that approach was chosen. On September 15, that method drew an objection from one council member (see the update above).

The residents' first term runs through December 31, 2028. After that, terms are two years, January 1 through December 31.

One detail about timing is worth noting. According to the city's website, three of the five council seats are up in November 2026: Mayor Cunneen, Vice Mayor Harper and council member Constantine. The seats held by Grandis and Bui run through November 2028. The people appointed, now expected on October 6, would serve on the committee through the end of 2028. The packet does not address this. Placing the two dates side by side reflects the calendar only.

Why the Vietnamese community

Fountain Valley has about 56,000 residents, according to 2015–2019 American Community Survey figures compiled by the OC Census Atlas. More than one in five, 22.1 percent, are Vietnamese. Asian residents overall make up 35.5 percent. Nearly a third of residents, 30.7 percent, were born outside the United States.

The August 12 memo cites the California Parks and Recreation Society: parks and recreation are where residents gather, from sports leagues to cultural festivals. The city wants those spaces and programs "tailored to our current and future community demographics." The record does not name any specific program that will change.

What's next

The committee's first meeting is planned for October 2026, if the council completes its appointments on October 6. Staff said it would likely meet on a weeknight at 6 p.m.; no date or location is set. Committees created by formal action of a city council generally fall under the Brown Act's open-meeting rules, Government Code 54952(b).

Reports to the council once or twice a year.

The council's next regular meeting: 6 p.m. Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 10200 Slater Avenue. The CARSS appointments will be back on that agenda.

The committee advises. The five council members decide, and Fountain Valley voters choose three of those five seats in November 2026.

Want to weigh in? The City Council meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 10200 Slater Avenue, Fountain Valley. To speak, fill out a blue speaker card and give it to the City Clerk before public comments begin. Each speaker gets three minutes. You can join by Zoom using the link on the agenda, or watch live on YouTube at the City of Fountain Valley channel. For records, how to submit a name, and the names of committee members:
Fountain Valley City Clerk (714) 593-⁠4445