During the final Newport Beach City Council meeting of 2024, the City Council elected Joe Stapleton to serve as mayor for 2025 and Lauren Kleiman to serve as mayor pro tem on Tuesday, December 10.
Once newly elected Councilmembers Michelle Barto and Sara J. Weber were sworn in, the 2025 City Council majority is comprised of women for the first time since Newport Beach was incorporated in 1906.
Stapleton, who served as the City’s mayor pro tem in 2024, was elected to a first term on the City Council in 2022 representing District 1, which covers the Balboa Peninsula and parts of West Newport. Kleiman, who represents the Corona del Mar area in District 6, was also elected to a first term in 2022.
Also sworn in at the meeting was Noah Blom, who was re-elected to serve another four years.
Outgoing Councilmembers Brad Avery and Will O’Neill, who were subject to term limits after serving eight years each on the Council, were recognized for their service to the community. O’Neill served as Newport Beach mayor in 2020 and 2024, while Avery served as mayor in 2021.
Barto and Weber join Kleiman and Councilmember Robyn Grant to form the first City Council in Newport Beach history where women comprise a majority.
In his final remarks before he stepped off the city council, O’Neill thanked his wife Jenny, the voters for giving him the opportunity to be on the council and be mayor for two years, his colleagues on the council, and the city staff. He stated that serving on the city council has been “the honor of a lifetime.”
O’Neill also shared a story about a young girl named Alexis Portillo who spoke several years ago during public comment about her sister who had severe disabilities.
“Alexis said as part of her passion project for Newport Coast Elementary School, she wanted to make sure we were that we do not have any swings in the City of Newport Beach that would accommodate her sister,” related O’Neill. “But there are these things called ADA swings that essentially wrap around young people and allow them to swing. She said the swings are in Laguna Beach and Irvine but there are not any in Newport Beach. Thanks to working with our recreation and senior services department, the first one was installed in Newport Coast. I remember that day because not only did it improve the life of someone, it was someone who came forward with a problem and a solution and made sure the lives of people in our city were improved. Alexis Portillo is in the audience tonight and she now is a senior at Corona del Mar High School, and I am an advisor on her senior paper. Alexis, thank you for being an example of how to be a citizen. We are better off as a community when we have the Alexis Portillos of the world helping us. It’s been an hoor to recognize the helpers in our community.
Councilmember Blom said he wanted to serve a second term because “I fell in love with the idea of what good governance is. Very often it’s people who don’t want to do it that makes some of the best leaders in the world. I’m not saying I don’t want to do it, but sometimes looking at it from a perspective of less certainly creates more for the people in the city. That is the stance I have taken on so many things. I am grateful and so thankful for the colleagues I have served with up here as well as our new additions who are all amazing people. I think we truly embody one of the greatest councils anywhere in the world. We have people who care about the city and the people in it. We are a very blessed place. I feel lucky for the opportunity again.”
In her initial remarks as a new councilmember, Barto said she was thankful to be part of this wonderful city, and “very honored by all of the support that I had from all of the hard-working people of this city. I am very thankful for my family. I look forward to serving.”
Thank you to Will and Brad for the last eight years and keeping Newport the best city in the world,” said Weber. “To every voter thank you, the support has been the most humbling experience of my life—and quite frankly, it’s still a little surreal.”
In his first remarks as the city’s new mayor, Stapleton said it was an incredible moment.
“I am full of gratitude. Thank you to the voters for trusting me, and my fellow council members, I cannot wait to see what we can accomplish together. I am so blessed to have such a dedicated group of leaders working toward the same goal. We are committed to making Newport Beach better for everyone.”
Stapleton announced that his “simple yet profound theme” for 2025 is Celebrate Newport.
“We will take the time to recognize the contributions of the people and projects who have played a role in making Newport the dynamic and welcoming place we all love,” said Stapleton. “We are going to take this in time frames–the past, the present and the future. For the past we are going to cement the legacy of those wo came before us and celebrate those who made Newport, Newport. At each council meeting we will do a mini dive into the history of our great city.”
Stapleton also plans to celebrate the present—those who are protecting our quality of life, including volunteers, community leaders, first responders, and others.
And then Stapleton will look to the future.
“By understanding our past we can look into our future and inspire the next generation. The goal is to make sure the future leaders of Newport Beach are as passionate about the city as those that came before them.”
“Newport Beach is unlike any other city,” concluded Stapleton. We are family here, and together we will continue to make this place the best place in the country. We are proud to lead this wonderful city, and I cannot wait to see what we can accomplish together in the years to come. Here’s to a year of celebration, growth and community. Let’s Celebrate Newport.”
