After years of public service, Newport Beach Planning Commissioner Lauren Kleiman now seeks a seat on the city council’s District 6, which represents Corona del Mar, and is running against incumbent Joy Brenner in the upcoming Nov. 8 election.
Kleiman lives with her husband and 10-year-old son who enjoy spending free time at the beach, walking around the nearby village, and attending their son’s flag football games.
As a real estate broker with a firm in Irvine, experience as a land use attorney, and member of several local community boards, including the city’s aviation committee and its planning commission, over the years, Kleiman said she has always been committed to helping her community and bringing people together.
“I’ve been working closely with our public safety officers for several years in a number of different endeavors and trying to help them curb some of that response from the community,” Kleiman told The Epoch Times.
She said it’s easy for residents to be upset because of home break-ins or car thefts in their area, and to escalate their frustration toward the police. Finding ways to relieve the burdens police carry and allow more time to focus on more pressing matters is a goal of hers.
The city’s police and fire associations have endorsed Kleiman, as well as several others including the Republican Party of Orange County and the county’s Sheriff Don Barnes.
Kleiman said her years of working with the city played a big part in winning those endorsements.
Accomplishments
As a member of the city’s aviation committee, she says she helped reduce air travel noise for residents living close to Orange County’s John Wayne Airport.According to Kleiman, this was achieved by convincing airlines to redirect takeoffs over less populated areas as well as requiring newer planes that are not as loud.
Additionally, she said she has helped get surveillance cameras installed in some areas of the city to help identify criminal activity or catch fleeing suspects.
“It’s not just about you doing what’s best for your home, it’s about us collectively, and doing what’s best for all of us,” she said. “It’s just an extra resource and eyes and ears for our police department. They can’t be in all places at all times,” she added.
As vice president of her own homeowner’s association, she said she is proud she worked with other such groups to form an informal roundtable to share concerns and collectively find solutions.
Addressing Homelessness
Kleiman said she’s concerned about growing homelessness in the city.According to a recent point in time count for Newport Beach, homelessness is up 50 percent since 2019 whereas neighboring cities are experiencing a decline.
“Homelessness, I think, is top of mind, not just for Newport but statewide,” she said. “So that’s concerning because it’s not like money hasn’t been spent to try to address it.”
Kleiman said it comes down to policy making, things she couldn’t do as a planning commissioner. If elected, she said she will work to reduce homelessness by looking for individualized approaches to treat individuals instead of a one size fits all solution.
For police to prevent individuals from sleeping outside, the city must provide enough shelter beds to house everyone experiencing homelessness after a federal court ruling in 2018, called Martin v. Boise. Acquiring enough requisite shelter beds to house the homeless should be a priority, she said.
“I don’t think there’s one solution for homelessness, but I do think it comes back to the policy of how you respond and I think the response initially needs to focus on a more of an enforcement model,” she added.
Public records from the city show in the last month she has raised $17,600 in campaign funds to date.
