The Brief

Supervisor Andrew Do is Orange County’s most powerful Vietnamese American official, known for mentoring other Vietnamese American conservative politicians from Little Saigon.

But now Do’s ability to serve is being challenged following ethics questions raised by an LAist investigation exposing critical times he failed to disclose family connections.

On Thursday, the county’s largest paper, the Orange County Register, issued a call for Do’s resignation, which was echoed by some in the Vietnamese American community that had helped to catapult him to the county’s highest office.

Tracy La leads the Garden Grove-based advocacy group VietRISE, which is part of a coalition demanding Do resign. Her group has criticized Do for failing to serve the Vietnamese American community on issues such as immigration reform and rent stabilization.

“Andrew Do has built a career pretending to be a champion for Vietnamese people, but he's only proven time and time again that he only cares about his small circle of political allies and cronies,” La said.

Do's checkered past

Dzung Do, the top editor at the largest Vietnamese-language paper in the country, Nguoi Viet, said allegations of financial impropriety have tailed Do for years, but that the supervisor has still enjoyed popularity among a Vietnamese American constituency that doesn’t closely follow the goings-on of the Board of Supervisors.

“He organized some events in the community like a health fair or festival for Tet, so people like him for that,” Do said.

But revelations that Do approved millions of dollars worth of subcontracts for a mental health center without publicly disclosing it’s led by his 22-year-old daughter will “remind people (Do) used to do bad things in the past.” Top of mind for the news editor was when Do resigned as board chair of the county’s health plan for low-income residents after it came to light that he presided over giant hikes in executive pay.

“His reputation (is), more or less, damaged,” Do said.

Dzung Do said he was taken aback when the editorial board of the Register on Thursday called on Do to resign.

“Asked to resign by an American mainstream newspaper — that's a big deal,” Do said.

Do is termed out next year

Andrew Do did not respond to a request for comment about calls for him to resign. He cannot run again for supervisor next year because of term limits.

Nguoi Viet's Do said his paper has also been following LAist’s reporting on how a mistrial was declared after the supervisor testified in a case about a homelessness case without revealing he’s married to a high-ranking Orange County Superior Court judge, Cheri Pham.

The suit was filed by the city of Santa Ana to shut down a county-funded homeless services drop-in center in the city for zoning violations.

"To cause a mistrial is just devastating to our residents, because those are public taxpayer dollars," said Thai Viet Phan who sits on Santa Ana's city council and represents a western ward that's part of Little Saigon.

Phan, Santa Ana's first Vietnamese American councilmember, did not demand that Do resign — she said that is up to the residents of District 1, which Santa Ana was moved out of during redistricting last year — but she said an investigation into his actions is in order.

"He is a highly educated attorney and been in office for a very long time so it's not like he can't know," Phan said.

Tracy La of VietRISE is also insisting on an independent probe and audit of Do’s time in office. La said that others in county government must also shoulder responsibility for Do directing millions to his daughter’s nonprofit.

“It seems to me like there's an ecosystem of people and county government who have not only enabled it, but most likely have partnered with Supervisor Do to make this happen as well,” La said.

MEXICO CITY — The Mexican army killed the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, "El Mencho, " in an operation Sunday, a federal official said.

The official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said it happened during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.

It followed several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles in Jalisco and other states. Such tactics are commonly used by the cartels to block military operations.

Videos circulating social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over the city of Puerto Vallarta, a major city in Jalisco, and sprinting through the airport of the state's capital in panic. On Sunday afternoon, Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta "due to an ongoing security situation" and advised customers not to go to their airport.

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG, is one of the most powerful and fasted growing criminal organizations in Mexico and was born in 2009.

In February, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

It has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military—including helicopters—and a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital's police force and now head of federal security.

The DEA considers this cartel to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico's most infamous criminal groups, with a presence in all 50 U.S. states where it distributes tons of drugs. It is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the U.S. market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, earns billions from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamines.

Since 2017, Oseguera Cervantes has been indicted several times in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

The most recent superseding indictment, filed on April 5, 2022, charges Oseguera Cervantes with conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances (methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl) for the purpose of illegal importation into the United States and use of firearms during and in connection with drug trafficking offenses. Oseguera Cervantes is also charged under the Drug Kingpin Enforcement Act for directing a continuing criminal enterprise.
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Hermon — Some shoppers heading into Fresco Market were lost in their phones, but when they momentarily looked up, they were greeted by a flap of brilliant green feathers and a cheery squawk. Phones were put away.

“Pepe! Hey Pepe! So good to see you!”

Perched on the shoulder of T.J. Gonzalez, Pepe the Parrot was in full greeter mode. Wide-eyed and seeming to almost smile as he surveyed the parking lot and his approaching public, Pepe did what he naturally does: make people happy.

A common sight at the Hermon market, near where they live, Gonzalez and Pepe can also be found at community centers, farmers’ markets and local events. They often take the Metro into downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach and other locations.

There’s no money asked, stressed Gonzalez, adding that Pepe simply adores the attention. “People want to see and talk with him more than me,” he joked as he cracked a nut and placed it in his mouth. On cue, the bird reached around Gonzalez’s mouth to retrieve it.

Michael Eagle-Hall of El Sereno is delighted to meet Pepe outside of the Fresco Market in Hermon.

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Brenda Rees

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The Eastsider

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A mail carrier for 37 years before he retired, Gonzalez found Pepe, a red-crowned Amazon (flocks are often seen in Northeast L.A.) in July 2021. The chick had fallen out of a nest and was flailing on a busy street in San Marino. “He was like roadkill,” said Gonzalez, who watched cars drive over (without striking) the bird.

Gonzalez retrieved the parrot and looked for help, but wildlife rehabbers said they’d euthanize the bird since it had a broken wing. Gonzalez instead brought him to a vet and christened him Pepe.

Since Pepe could not fly, Gonzalez started walking him around the neighborhood. He soon discovered how kids and adults enjoyed interacting with the parrot. Pepe is also a social media darling, with more than 8,600 followers on Instagram.

Pepe is more of a squawker than a talker, but Gonzalez has learned how to art-direct photos of people and the bird, instructing them on how to hold their hands and arms best. “We just want that smile because that’s all that Pepe wants from you,” said Gonzalez.

Crews have now recovered the bodies of all nine backcountry skiers who were killed in an avalanche in Northern California earlier this week. It marks an end to what authorities on Saturday described as an agonizing five-day search and recovery operation complicated by intense winter storms northwest of Lake Tahoe.

"While we wish we could have saved them all, we are grateful that we can bring them home," said Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon during a Saturday news conference.

Until Saturday, authorities had not confirmed the death of a ninth victim, a skier who had been missing and presumed dead. Officials say their body was found near the eight other victims that have now been recovered. Authorities said avalanche hazards and weather conditions were too dangerous most of the week to search for the remaining victim or recover the bodies.

Four of the bodies were recovered on Friday, and the rest of the bodies were recovered on Saturday, all in the Castle Peak area where the avalanche – one of the deadliest in California history — struck. Six people from the group of 15 skiers survived Tuesday's disaster, the last day of a three-day backcountry ski trip. One guide and five travelers were among the survivors.

Helicopters with the California National Guard as well as the California Highway Patrol were used to hoist the remaining bodies from the mountain, officials said at the press conference.

On Friday, officials were able to use specialized techniques with the help of Pacific Gas & Electric to reduce the avalanche risk.

The ski trip was organized by Blackbird Mountain Guides, an outdoor tour company based in Truckee, Calif. Moon confirmed the identities of the victims. Three guides were killed: Andrew Alissandratos, 34, from Verdi, Nev.; Michael Henry, 30, from Soda Springs, Calif.; and Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif. The other victims, who had signed up for the group trip, are: Carrie Atkin, 46, of Soda Springs; Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, Idaho; Danielle Keatley, 44, of Soda Springs and Larkspur, Calif.; Kate Morse, 45, of Soda Springs and Tiburon, Calif.; Caroline Sekar, 45, of Soda Springs and San Francisco; and Katherine Vitt, 43, of Greenbrae, Calif.

The Sierra Avalanche Center classified the avalanche between a D2 and D3 on the avalanche danger scale.

"A D2 would take down a person. A D3 would take down a house, so it was right in between those. It was described by them as a football field length of a path of the avalanche," Sheriff Moon said on Saturday.

Multiple agencies are investigating.

"We are investigating the incident to determine if there were any factors that would be considered criminal negligence," Ashley Quadros with the Nevada County Sheriff's Office said in an email to NPR on Sunday. "It is a standard investigation. It is too early to know if criminal charges will be applicable, as the investigation is preliminary and remains active and ongoing."

The area will be closed to visitors for several weeks.
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