Meet Mayor Lauren Kleiman
We’re excited to congratulate Mayor Lauren Kleiman for her selection as Mayor on December 9th. Lauren has been the District 6 representative since 2022 and lives in Cameo Shores in Corona del Mar with her husband and their teenage son. She has been an extremely active member of the City Council, prioritizing safety and quality of life by tackling homelessness, expanding the Safety Enhancement Zone, and banning the sale of Kratom, nitrous oxide and flavored tobacco, just to name a few of her accomplishments. Mayor Kleiman has also helped bring new energy to the CDM village through initiatives such as 3rd Thursdays, the Paint the Town Mural Program, Commercial Corridor Study, and holiday décor and landscaping enhancements. She also advocates for Newport Beach’s regional needs and priorities through a variety of positions: Vice Chair of the City’s Aviation Committee (where she started her service as a resident committee member years ago); Vice Chair of OCCOG (Orange County Council of Governments) and SCAG (Southern California Association of Governments) Regional Council. Lauren is the first Newport Beach representative to serve on the Board of OCTA (Orange County Transit Authority).
As we welcome 2026 and Mayor Lauren Kleiman’s leadership of our beautiful city by the sea, we asked her a dozen questions to learn more about her plans for her upcoming term.
What are you most looking forward to as mayor? It’s an honor to earn the confidence and support of Council Colleagues as well as represent the city at functions and events locally, regionally, and beyond. I welcome the opportunity to engage with more members of the community.
Top 3 things you would like to accomplish as mayor? My priorities for this year are communication, connectivity, customer service and a continued commitment to public safety - the 4 C’s!
1) My goal is to overhaul the way the city communicates with residents and the public, so that information is more readily available where people get their news. As part of this effort, we will also be refreshing the city’s website and be launching new social media campaigns to help tell our story.
2) I am working with the cellular carriers to identify ways to support their efforts to build new infrastructure, in non-residential areas, to address a lack of reception and connectivity in many parts of the city. The city offers a lot of services to residents and the public, so we need to ensure that the staff is given the tools and training to provide top-notch customer service.
3) Lastly, as always, we maintain our commitment to support our police and fire departments and personnel to keep our residents and visitors safe.
Why did you decide to run for city council/Mayor? After six years on the Planning Commission, I decided to run for City Council in 2022 after the pandemic highlighted the importance of local leadership in making decisions that impact our daily lives.
What is the biggest misconception about city council members? That we are politicians. Unlike other elected representatives, we are people who live in the community we serve and want to preserve our quality of life.
How do you start your day? Most days, driving the morning carpool for my son and other kids in the neighborhood.
The best thing about Newport Beach is: It’s a toss-up between the stunning physical landscape and the people who live here!
Favorite place in Newport Beach to recharge: at home with my family: A favorite place for a special meal or celebration is: I can never get enough of Haute Cakes’ pancakes!
Best place to watch the sunrise: Aww…I wish I had that luxury!
Best place to watch the sunset: Harbor View Hills Drive, where you can see the picturesque harbor against the panoramic backdrop of the ocean.
How does your day end? Most days, after mom-taxi duties and, ideally, family dinner (if I don’t have one or more city event appearances), I put my son to bed and hit the laptop to return resident emails, then research and track progress on policy items and initiatives that I’m working on.
email: lauren@lauren4newport.com
Mayor Lauren Kleiman is serving her first term as Mayor of Newport Beach.