AMY PHAN WEST, Westminster Councilmember.

Controversial Westminster City Councilmember Amy Phan West pleaded “not guilty” in court Monday to a misdemeanor charge of attempting to bribe a police officer.

She was not in court at the West Justice Center in Westminster, and the plea was made by an attorney representing her, according to published reports.

A pretrial hearing was set for April 15. She denies the charges, claiming that they are politically motivated.

The legal action stems from an incident in April 2023 when – in an attempt to get her husband’s illegally-parked vehicle from being towed – she allegedly told traffic officers she was in the process of “getting raises for police department personnel.”