Laguna Beach election 2026 · Official ballot position 9 of 9 · Nonpartisan candidate profile

Karen Martin: Laguna Beach City Council Candidate 2026

Non-incumbentDoes not currently hold a Laguna Beach City Council seat.

Laguna Beach business ownerUrban planner

Ballot position 9. Candidate for one of three at-large seats (every Laguna Beach voter may vote for these seats; they are not assigned to geographic districts) in the November 3, 2026 election.

Urban planner and Laguna Beach business owner whose official statement emphasizes rule-based development, neighborhood protection, fiscal scrutiny and infrastructure.

Email candidate

Last reviewed August 27, 2026. Official ballot position follows the City Clerk’s August 13, 2026 candidate list, published after the Secretary of State randomized alphabet drawing.

Reported and maintained by Michael Kovach for So Laguna. Editorial and sourcing standard · Submit a correction

Candidate dashboard

Karen Martin at a glance

Council statusNot on CouncilNon-incumbent — does not currently hold a Council seat
Ballot position9 of 9Three citywide, at-large seats
Positions tracked7Sourced issue categories
Latest financePendingNo reviewed summary yet
Voting recordNo Council recordNot currently on City CouncilView record
Public disclosureForm 700 on fileEconomic-interest filingView summary

Career background

A detailed professional résumé has not yet been published in a source So Laguna can verify.

Review experience

Top issues

Public safety and hospital access, Housing and land use, Traffic, parking and transit, Budget and capital projects, Environment,…

See sourced positions

Public appearances

2026 candidate forums and debates

The City currently lists five forums hosted by independent community organizations. The hosts have affirmed that candidates were offered equal time and opportunity to appear. A listing does not establish that every candidate has confirmed attendance.

Open the So Laguna events calendarVerify the City’s current schedule

Experience

Career background and qualifications

So Laguna has not yet located a sufficiently detailed professional résumé in an official or candidate-controlled source. The candidate may provide education, employment, management, public-service and relevant project experience for verification.

Read the fuller biographical summary

Martin is an urban-planning and land-entitlement consultant with more than 30 years of experience. Pacific Planning Group identifies her as its founder, and a published executive biography identifies her as the owner of NotificationMaps.com. Her public-service background includes Laguna Beach’s Open Space Committee, Affordable Housing Task Force, and Housing and Human Services Committee.

In Laguna Beach and beyond

Local business and community roles

Martin founded Pacific Planning Group and NotificationMaps.com and reports serving as president of Genuine Living Co. Her public background combines urban planning, land-entitlement consulting, public-notice services, development and property management.

Only current or clearly labeled former roles supported by public sources are included. A Form 700 income source is not treated as a candidate-owned business without additional evidence. Submit a correction or verification.

Candidate-provided material

From Karen Martin’s official candidate statement

Read the official statement

The following is So Laguna’s concise summary of the candidate’s own ballot statement. It describes the candidate’s claims and priorities; it is not an endorsement or independent verification.

Martin emphasizes rule-based development, neighborhood and environmental protection, fiscal scrutiny, public safety, infrastructure and support for local businesses. She says planning decisions should weigh neighborhood, environmental and economic effects before approval.

View the statement background and priority list

Background described in the statement

Martin says she has graduate education in urban and regional planning and more than 30 years of California planning and policy experience, including coastal development. She cites Laguna Beach service involving open space, affordable housing, and housing and human services.

Priorities emphasized

  • Development that follows existing rules
  • Protection of neighborhoods and quality of life
  • Environmental and coastal stewardship
  • Fiscal scrutiny and a rainy-day fund
  • Public safety and infrastructure
  • Support for local businesses

Issues and positions

Where Karen Martin stands

The summaries below distinguish candidate statements from So Laguna reporting. “Not yet located” means we did not find a citable position; it does not imply support or opposition. Tap an issue to read the sourced summary.

Public safety and hospital access

Martin identifies public safety and infrastructure as priorities. Her official statement does not address hospital access.

Housing and land use

She says development can proceed while protecting neighborhoods, the environment and property rights if rules are followed and impacts are considered before decisions.

Traffic, parking and transit

No specific traffic, parking or transit position appears in the official statement.

Budget and capital projects

Martin calls for a rainy-day fund and scrutiny of the present and future cost of every major project, including what other priorities might go unfunded.

Environment, beaches and wildfire

She emphasizes protection of hillsides, trees, the ocean, beaches and environmental quality.

Arts, business and village character

Martin calls for supporting local businesses and protecting the character that makes Laguna Beach home; no separate arts policy is stated.

Transparency and participation

She says she would listen to residents before deciding and weigh neighborhood, environmental and economic impacts to reduce disputes and delays.

Related civic records

Meetings, budgets and topic guides

Use these independent So Laguna guides to compare candidate positions with source-linked government records.

Meeting archiveCity budgetEmployee compensationIssue topic guidesDemographics

Official election records

Karen Martin candidate filings

These records are published by the Laguna Beach City Clerk. Campaign-finance totals below are summarized separately so amendments and reporting periods are not double counted.

Public financial disclosure

Form 700 summary

The filing reports interests in Laguna Beach planning and property-management businesses and real property.

So Laguna summarizes these public filings to identify relevant business, employment and property interests. Reported ranges are not estimates of net worth or proof of a conflict, and residential addresses and private third-party names are omitted.

View reported business, property and investment details

Businesses and income

  • Pacific Planning Group, Inc. — president; Laguna Beach urban-planning consulting firm; business interest valued at $100,001 to $1 million; gross income reported over $100,000.
  • Genuine Living Co. — president; Laguna Beach real-estate and property-management company; business interest valued over $1 million; gross income reported over $100,000. Private client names are omitted here.

Real-property interests

  • Genuine Living Co. reports a Laguna Beach real-property interest valued over $1 million.
  • A separate Laguna Beach ownership/deed-of-trust interest is reported over $1 million, with gross rental income over $100,000. Residential address and tenant information are omitted here.

Filing reviewed: August 7, 2026 candidate Form 700 · View the official City eFile record

Public questions

Ask Karen Martin a question

Submit a policy or public-service question. So Laguna moderates submissions for relevance and civility, and clearly labels candidate replies after verification.

How this works: Questions are reviewed before publication for relevance, civility, privacy and duplication. So Laguna may edit for length or clarity and will mark substantive edits. Published answers identify whether they came from the candidate, campaign or So Laguna editor.

No approved public questions yet. Submit the first question below.

Ask Karen Martin a public question

Your email will not be published. Questions appear only after editorial review. Do not include private addresses, phone numbers or allegations without primary documentation.

Campaign finance

Karen Martin campaign finance

This live module displays only figures reviewed against official Laguna Beach campaign filings.

No reviewed finance summary has been published yet. So Laguna links figures only after checking the candidate’s official filing.

Campaign-finance figures are compiled from public filings submitted to the City of Laguna Beach. Filings can be amended and recent transactions may not yet appear in periodic reports. So Laguna omits residential street addresses and links summaries to the original record.

Public voting record

Karen Martin voting record

No record in this office.

Karen Martin is not currently a member of the body they are seeking to join, so they have no incumbent voting record for this race. This is not a judgment about other public or appointed roles.

Laguna Beach City Hall, where the City Council conducts public meetings
Laguna Beach City Hall. So Laguna links candidate records to official City filings, minutes and election information.

Record and accountability

Public record and verification

This candidate does not have a Laguna Beach City Council voting record. So Laguna will add verified public-service records and questionnaire answers when relevant.

Search official campaign filings · City Clerk election information

Primary sources

Sources used for this profile

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

Is Karen Martin running for Laguna Beach City Council in 2026?

Yes. Karen Martin qualified for the November 3, 2026 ballot and appears in position 9 of nine candidates for three at-large City Council seats.

Is Karen Martin an incumbent?

No. Karen Martin is running as a non-incumbent candidate.

What businesses and community organizations is Karen Martin connected to?

Martin founded Pacific Planning Group and NotificationMaps.com and reports serving as president of Genuine Living Co. Her public background combines urban planning, land-entitlement consulting, public-notice services, development and property management. Each listed role includes its supporting public source.

What economic interests did Karen Martin disclose?

The filing reports interests in Laguna Beach planning and property-management businesses and real property. The complete filing is available through the City’s public eFile system.

How does So Laguna verify this profile?

So Laguna prioritizes official City records, campaign-controlled pages, public filings and dated primary-source statements. Unknown positions are labeled rather than inferred.

Where can I compare every candidate?

Use the Laguna Beach Election 2026 hub for the live candidate comparison and campaign-finance table in official ballot order.

Editorial method: This is a neutral voter-information profile, not an endorsement. Candidate claims are attributed, material corrections are dated, and private personal information is excluded. Read the editorial and sourcing standards.