First District Supervisor Andrew Do continues to largely offer the silent treatment to county officials and the media regarding his role at the center of an unfolding scandal. That’s nothing new. We previously referred to Do as the “Darth Vader of open government” given his refusal to detail how the county spent $200 million in COVID relief funding – and his general lack of transparency.
Given the latest news, we suppose we weren’t harsh enough. As the Register reported, “Federal and Orange County investigators descended Thursday on the North Tustin home of Supervisor Andrew Do, as well as at least two properties a county lawsuit alleged were purchased by members of a charity with millions in COVID-relief funds allocated by Do to feed the elderly.”
That civil lawsuit was stunning. It alleges the Viet America Society – the nonprofit group that received millions of dollars in pandemic funds at the behest of Do – “and its officers and associates, brazenly plundered these funds for their own personal gain.” These are just allegations at this point, but it marks a stunning development in OC’s latest scandal.
Although not a violation of any county rules, Do never revealed his daughter’s affiliation with the charity. It has repeatedly missed deadlines to provide an audit – and also refused to relinquish $2.2 million after the county demanded its return.
Two county supervisors, Katrina Foley and Vicente Sarmiento, have called on Do to resign from the board. The full board is expected to vote Sept. 10 to remove him from his committee and chairman functions. Even Supervisor Don Wagner, who has been muted in his criticisms, said Do ought to “seriously consider his future on this elected body,” per LAist.
This Editorial Board called on Do to resign when we first learned of his failure to disclose the group’s relationship with his daughter. We viewed it as the final straw “after a series of troubling financial-related incidents.” Nearly nine months and several straws later, Do remains on the board and defiant as ever. But it’s past time for him to go.
