Stephanie Oddo is a former councilwoman in Florida, with a background in public relations as well as web consulting for high-profile agencies such as NASA, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Now, she’s running for a seat on the Laguna Niguel City Council in the upcoming Nov. 8 election.
“I’ve had the experience of elected office,” Oddo told The Epoch Times. “I feel the best prepared out of all the other candidates to lead.”
When her husband told her his employer wanted him to relocate to California in 2010, Oddo said she didn’t hesitate as she reminisced about the summer she spent in Southern California during the 1984 Olympics.
“[California] made quite an impression on me. And I always wanted to come back,” she said.
Oddo and her husband have resided since in Laguna Niguel. One of their favorite things to do is hiking.
“We have over 80 miles of scenic trails and people who live in Laguna Niguel love them and love to walk them,” she said.
Protecting open spaces from development is something Oddo says she plans to do if elected.
But such in appropriate spaces, she said, is something she would agree to, such as plans for a city center, which has been approved by the city council, and will include townhomes, restaurants, and a new larger library.
“I love the idea of having a central gathering space for the community,” she said.
She said her previous experience as a city councilwoman in Florida, showed her how important smart planning is. The town of Belleair she represented was founded in 1925 and some of its infrastructure needed repairs.
“Laguna Niguel is so young, it’s 30 years old,” she said. “We need to plan for the future.”
In Laguna Niguel one thing she would keep an eye on if elected, she said, is restoring roadways or aging city infrastructure.
Public safety is another top priority for Oddo. She is endorsed by the Orange County Professional Firefighters, and additionally served in 2012 as president of the Laguna Niguel Citizen’s Academy, a 15-week program that gives residents an inside look at the city’s law enforcement.
After the city’s most recent coastal fires in May, she advocated for a better emergency alert system after hearing complaints from residents who said they never received text messages to evacuate.
She said fires affect not only residents’ safety but also raises rates for homeowners’ insurance. While living in Florida she said some lost their coverage due to continuous hurricanes and tropical storms.
“When I see the fires, I right away think of homeowners insurance,” she said. “It’s another thing that affects affordability in Southern California.”
Oddo recommends residents get a free home inspection from the Orange County Fire Authority. Such an assessment, she said, can help homeowners learn how to protect their homes from potential fires.
One accomplishment Oddo says she’s proud of is founding the nonprofit Healthcare Mask Collaborative, which provided through donations and private funding nearly 70,000 masks to military bases and other organizations and nonprofits during the height of the pandemic.
The masks, she said, were distributed to service personnel in Camp Pendleton and to those on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a naval ship that was stationed in Guam at the time, as well as to 150 organizations, including the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Other examples of volunteer work include serving as president for the Rotary Club of Laguna Niguel, which seeks to resolve humanitarian issues through volunteer leaders, and founding the Orange County League of Women Voters Observer Corps, which helps provide transparency in local government.
Oddo said transparency, if elected, would be her legacy.
“Anytime I go into an organization, I want to make sure I do something that is still there even after I’m gone. Because that’s what makes your time worthwhile,” she said.
Oddo is endorsed by Planned Parenthood, the Orange County Labor Federation, the Orange County Employees Association, Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.), Sens. Dave Min (D-Irvine) and Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana), Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, among others.
According to the city’s most recent filings, Oddo has raised about $39,000 in campaign contributions through the end of June.
Her opponents are Ray Gennawey, Melissa Caldwell, Javad Mokhbery, Jeff von Waldburg, and Stephanie Winstead.
