A Newport Beach resident is accusing two council members and a city committee appointee of suppressing public criticism of the proposed police headquarters on the social media platform Nextdoor, adding a transparency dispute to an already contentious $150–$233 million project.

Lynn Swain, in a letter published Monday, July 27, in Stu News Newport, alleges that an account listed as "Sara W" on Nextdoor's volunteer Review Team belongs to Councilmember Sara Weber and may have participated in moderating discussions about the proposed Civic Center police station. Swain also alleges that Mayor Lauren Kleiman reported one of Swain's own anti-project posts for removal after it had been online for roughly two weeks.

The letter names Tom Maloney, a public appointee to the Police Headquarters Advisory Committee, as potentially involved in efforts to remove critical posts as well.

None of the allegations have been independently verified. Weber, Kleiman, and Maloney had not publicly responded to the claims as of Wednesday, July 29. The Newport Signal has requested comment from all three.

Committee vote halted Santa Barbara site work

The Nextdoor allegations surface alongside broader process concerns about the advisory committee itself. At the committee's second meeting on Wednesday, July 22, Councilman Noah Blom moved to stop spending staff time or money evaluating the existing Santa Barbara site and return the issue to the full City Council.

The motion passed with the votes of all three council members on the panel — Blom, Councilmember Michelle Barto, and Chair Sara Weber — plus two public members. Two public members were absent.

Former Mayor Keith Curry, in a guest letter published Thursday, July 23, in Stu News Newport, called the vote a contradiction of four months of city statements that all sites remained under consideration. He characterized the process as "a sham."

According to Curry's letter, Blom said at the July 22 meeting: "Just because we have directed staff not to spend any staff time or money evaluating this site doesn't mean we have taken the site out of consideration."

$13.3 million in contracts approved

The City Council voted Tuesday, July 28, to approve more than $13.3 million in professional services contracts for the police headquarters project, including architectural, environmental, and communications work focused on the Civic Center campus.

Curry's letter had flagged that the council was scheduled to consider a public relations contract at that meeting to "change public opinion" on the project.

What's at stake

The new police headquarters is estimated to cost between $150 million and $233 million depending on the site chosen. Weber stated in March 2026 that the project would be "one of the most important civic investments Newport Beach makes for decades," according to Voice of OC.

The Police Headquarters Advisory Committee was formed in late June 2026 and includes Blom, Weber, Barto, and public members Sandra Meadows, Bob Olson, Paul Watkins, and Maloney.

Swain's letter posed the question directly: "Should elected officials be using their positions, directly or indirectly, to report or suppress residents' speech on matters of public policy simply because they disagree with it?"

The police headquarters issue is expected to return to the full City Council following the committee's July 22 action. No date for that discussion has been announced. Residents can submit public comments through the city clerk's office or speak during the public comment period at council meetings, held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive.