The Republican Party of Orange County named Assemblyman Tri Ta its Legislator of the Year on Thursday, recognizing his record in Sacramento since his first election in 2022.

OCGOP Chairman Will O'Neill announced the honor ahead of the party's annual Elected Officials Awards Reception at the Irvine Marriott.

"Assemblyman Ta was first elected in 2022 and has fought for our conservative values in Sacramento," O'Neill said in the announcement. "He has been a consistent conservative vote and a strong member of the Republican delegation in their fight for commonsense policies."

His legislative record

Ta's tenure in the 70th Assembly District has focused on public safety, tax relief, and consumer privacy. He authored AB 27, which would prevent courts from reducing sentences for felonies committed with a firearm. He co-authored AB 3005 to suspend the state's annual gas tax increase. He also authored AB 1727, which targets the unlawful use or theft of genetic data and DNA without consumer consent.

The 70th Assembly District covers Westminster, Garden Grove, and surrounding communities in central Orange County — the heart of Little Saigon and one of the largest Vietnamese-American communities in the country.

A recognition with local resonance

Ta, a Vietnamese refugee who came to the United States as a child, has become one of the more visible Republican voices in the state legislature on issues of concern to the Vietnamese-American diaspora. Earlier this month, he sent a formal letter to Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken urging cancellation of a Vietnamese government-backed investment forum at the Anaheim Convention Center, calling it an effort by the Communist Government of Vietnam to build influence in Orange County.

The OCGOP presentation was part of a broader celebration of local Republican elected officials. O'Neill framed the awards around the party's pitch to voters: "safer communities, working infrastructure, and commonsense governance."