A city building on Beach Blvd. and the Vietnamese Library: Westminster goes behind closed doors Wednesday

What the agenda says

The agenda for Westminster's regular council meeting of September 9, 2026 includes a closed session beginning at 5 p.m. That closed session has exactly one item.

Here is what the document states:

- Type of item: Conference with real property negotiators, under Section 54956.8 of the California Government Code
- Property: Miriam Warne Building, 15550 Beach Blvd., Westminster, California
- City negotiators: City Manager Christine Cordon and Assistant City Manager Adolfo Ozaeta
- Negotiating party: VHV Foundation – Thu Vien Viet Nam Vietnamese Cultural Center
- Under negotiation: Price and terms of payment

That is the entirety of what the public record shows as of September 8, 2026.

One correction on the address. The agenda lists 15550 Beach Blvd. That is not where the Miriam Warne building is.

The City of Westminster's own facility directory places the Miriam Warne Community Room at 14491 Beach Blvd. Public property records show 15550 Beach Blvd. is a car dealership.

If you plan to go in person, the address is 14491 Beach Blvd., Westminster, CA 92683.

The agenda does not say whether the city intends to sell or to lease. It does not say what price is on the table. It does not say how long the two sides have been talking, or whether any preliminary agreement exists.

What is the Miriam Warne building?

It is a city facility, not private property.

A Westminster City Council record dated September 14, 2011 calls it the Miriam Warne Community Building and describes it as newly constructed at the time. That record set the rental fees for the community room inside it.

According to the city's facility directory, the Miriam Warne Community Room sits at the Westminster Chamber of Commerce on Beach Boulevard. The room holds up to 96 people theater-style, 90 banquet-style, or 30 classroom-style. There is a small kitchenette next to it and a lot with 22 parking spaces.

To reserve it, contact the city's Community Services and Recreation Department:
(714) 895-⁠2860

In other words, what is being negotiated is a public facility residents have long been able to rent.

Closed sessions on real estate: how far the law goes

Most of a city council's business must happen in public. That is the rule under the Brown Act, California's open-meetings law.

The law carves out a few exceptions. One of them is Section 54956.8 — the section named on the agenda.

It lets a council meet privately with its own negotiators to discuss price and terms of payment for a specific property. The reasoning is about bargaining. If a city had to announce the most it would pay before talks began, it would lose its position.

In exchange, the law attaches two conditions worth knowing.

First — disclose in advance. The public agenda must name the property, the city's negotiators, the other party, and the subject of the negotiation. That is precisely why the details above are readable at all.

Second — report out afterward. Under Section 54957.1, the council must publicly report certain actions taken behind closed doors. For real estate, an agreement reached has to be announced.

The open-session agenda at 6 p.m. that same evening carries an item called "City Attorney/Closed Session Report," right after roll call and the salute to the flag. That is the moment to listen for.

One caveat, stated plainly: a "closed session report" does not guarantee news. This same council met in closed session on August 26, 2026. That set of closed items ended with an announcement that there was nothing to report.

What comes next

The closed session begins at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. The open meeting begins at 6 p.m. the same day, in the council chambers at 8200 Westminster Blvd.

Who decides? Ultimately the five members of the council. Any sale or lease agreement would have to return to a public meeting for approval. Wednesday's closed session is a negotiating step, not the final decision.

Bolsa Bridge will keep following this item and will report as more is made public.

WANT TO SPEAK?

Members of the public may address a closed-session item before the council goes behind closed doors. The agenda includes "Oral Communications for Closed Session" at the start of the 5 p.m. session.

Where:
Council Chambers, 8200 Westminster Blvd, Westminster, CA 92683

When:
Closed session 5 p.m. · Open session 6 p.m.

How to sign up to speak:
Fill out a green speaker slip at the entrance to the chambers and hand it to the city clerk. Three minutes per speaker.

To comment by email:
eComments@westminster-ca.gov

If you need interpretation — call the City Clerk's Office:
(714) 548-⁠3237. The agenda asks for 10 hours' notice.

Watch the meeting: westminsterca.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2