Will O’Neill | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mayor of Newport Beach | |
| In office 2019–2020 | |
| Preceded by | Diane Dixon |
| Succeeded by | Brad Avery |
| In office 2023–2024 | |
| Preceded by | Noah Blom |
| Succeeded by | Joe Stapleton |
| Newport Beach City Council,District 7 | |
| In office 2016–2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 21,1983 |
| Political party | Republican |
Will O'Neill (born October 21,1983) is the former Mayor of the City of Newport Beach [1] and former Chair of the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency. [2]
O’Neill grew up in the Central Valley community of Fresno. [3] At Stanford University he read for a bachelor's degree in history,and competed with the track and field team. [4] O'Neill later studied for a law degree at the U.C. Hastings College of the Law. He has served on the U.C. Hastings Board of Governors,most recently as President during 2016-2017. [5]
O'Neill is a partner with the law firm of Ross,Wersching &Wolcott,LLP. He previously worked for California Supreme Court Justice Marvin Baxter (Ret.),the California Court of Appeal (Fifth Appellate District),and Dallas-based firm Haynes &Boone,LLP.[ citation needed ] As chair of the Newport Beach Finance Committee, [6] O'Neill has helped lead efforts to restructure Newport Beach's unfunded pension liability payments. [7] [8] O'Neill has also helped reform Newport Beach's civil asset forfeiture policy, [9] [10] [11] and led efforts in Newport Beach to prohibit using public money to advocate for tax increases. [12] As Mayor,O'Neill declared 2020 "The Year Of The Volunteer", [13] to celebrate the volunteers and community members that give their time and talents for the betterment of the city. [14]
On January 26,2020,nine people (mostly from Newport Beach) died in a helicopter crash,including Kobe Bryant. [15] O'Neill visited an impromptu candlelight vigil where he said:“There were seven lights that were burning bright this morning in Newport Beach and they got snuffed out. When we lose fathers and mothers and daughters and sons and those lights go out,we come together as a community. That’s who we are.” [16] O'Neill was mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic,when Governor Gavin Newsom shut down Orange County's beaches. [17] Mayor O'Neill appeared on The Tucker Carlson Show to denounce the closures as politically motivated rather than science-based. [18] He also appeared on a Fox11 special report with Elex Michaelson and Dr. Drew Pinsky. [19] Newport Beach's beaches were reopened shortly after. [20] Mayor O'Neill was re-elected to Newport Beach City Council on November 3,2020,after running unopposed. [21] [22]
In 2022,O'Neill was elected as chair of the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency (SJHTCA). [23] The SJHTCA oversees the 73 Toll Road and includes member agencies Aliso Viejo,Costa Mesa,Dana Point,Irvine,Laguna Hills,Laguna Niguel,Laguna Woods,Mission Viejo,Newport Beach,San Juan Capistrano,Santa Ana and the County of Orange. [24] When the SJHTCA approved an approximate $134 million budget for 2022-2023,O'Neill was quoted saying:“The agencies have a proven record of creating reliable infrastructure and ensuring our roads support the movement of people and goods through strong fiscal stewardship. The adoption of the budgets continues that stewardship and will allow us to continue providing transportation solutions in our region.” [25]
In 2023,the council reelected O'Neill to Mayor for a second term. [26] After Governor Newsom discussed "Trump-proofing" California following the 2024 United States presidential election,O'Neill criticized Democratic lawmakers and commented that "We here in Orange County are trying to Newsom-proof Orange County." [27] On November 14,2024,the Coast Guard detained 21 migrants found off the coast of Newport Beach [28] . O'Neill again criticized state lawmakers,stating "Every city in California now is essentially a border city thanks to SB 54." O'Neill termed out of his positions as Mayor and City Council member in December of 2024. [29]
Orange County is a county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California,United States. As of the 2020 census,the population was 3,186,989,making it the third-most-populous county in California,the sixth-most-populous in the United States,and more populous than 19 American states and Washington,D.C. Although largely suburban,it is the second-most-densely-populated county in the state behind San Francisco County. The county's three most-populous cities are Anaheim,Santa Ana,and Irvine,each of which has a population exceeding 300,000. Santa Ana is also the county seat. Six cities in Orange County are on the Pacific coast:Seal Beach,Huntington Beach,Newport Beach,Laguna Beach,Dana Point,and San Clemente.
Southern California is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area as well as the Inland Empire. The region generally contains ten of California's 58 counties:Los Angeles,San Diego,Orange,Riverside,San Bernardino,Kern,Ventura,Santa Barbara,San Luis Obispo,and Imperial counties.
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County,California,United States. Since its incorporation in 1953,the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including part of the South Coast Plaza–John Wayne Airport edge city,one of the region's largest commercial clusters,with an economy based on retail,commerce,and light manufacturing. The city is home to the two tallest skyscrapers in Orange County. The population was 111,918 at the 2020 census.
Laguna Beach is a city in Orange County,California,United States. Located in Southern California along the Pacific Ocean,this seaside resort city has a mild year-round climate,scenic coves,and environmental preservation efforts. The population in the 2020 census was 23,032.
Laguna Niguel is a city in Orange County,California,United States. The name Laguna Niguel is derived from the words "Laguna" and "Niguili". As of the 2020 census,the population was 64,355. Laguna Niguel is located in the San Joaquin Hills in the southeastern corner of Orange County,close to the Pacific Ocean,and borders the cities of Aliso Viejo,Dana Point,Laguna Beach,Laguna Hills,Mission Viejo,and San Juan Capistrano.
Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County,California,United States. Located about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of downtown Los Angeles,Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime industries. Today it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island draws visitors with a waterfront path and easy access from the ferry to the shops and restaurants.
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is the transportation planning commission for Orange County,California,in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. OCTA is responsible for funding and implementing transit and capital projects for the transportation system in the county,including freeway expansions,express lane management,bus and rail transit operation,and commuter rail funding and oversight.
State Route 55 (SR 55) is an 18-mile (30-km) long north–south state highway that passes through suburban Orange County in the U.S. state of California. The portion of the route built to freeway standards is known as the Costa Mesa Freeway. SR 55 runs between Via Lido south of Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach and the Riverside Freeway in Anaheim to the north,intersecting other major Orange County freeways such as SR 22,SR 73,and Interstate 405 (I-405).
State Route 133 (SR 133) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California,serving as an urban route in Orange County. It connects SR 1 in Laguna Beach through the San Joaquin Hills with several freeways in Irvine,ending at the SR 241,a toll road in the latter city. It is built as an expressway from SR 73 to Laguna Canyon Road,and past this,SR 133 is a freeway to I-5,and a tollway to SR 241 near the Santa Ana Mountains.
The Orange Coast is the string of cities and neighborhoods fronting the Pacific Coast in Orange County,California. From northwest to southeast,these cities are Seal Beach,Huntington Beach,Newport Beach,Laguna Beach,Dana Point and San Clemente. There are also two small unincorporated areas,a portion of Crystal Cove State Park between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach and Emerald Bay,a gated community located between two neighborhoods of Laguna Beach.
State Route 73 (SR 73) is an approximately 17.76-mile (28.58 km) state highway in Orange County,California. The southernmost 12 miles (19.31 km) of the highway is a toll road operated by the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency named the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor,which opened in November 1996. The northernmost 5.76 miles (9.27 km) of the highway,which opened in 1978,is part of the Corona del Mar Freeway. SR 73's southern terminus is at Interstate 5 (I-5) near the San Juan Capistrano–Mission Viejo–Laguna Niguel tripoint. Its northern terminus is at Interstate 405 (I-405) in Costa Mesa. The highway's alignment through the San Joaquin Hills follows an approximately parallel path between the Pacific Coast Highway and I-405. Currently,there are no HOV lanes for the three-mile freeway segment,but the medians have been designed with sufficient clearance for their construction should the need arise in the future.
Huntington Beach High School (HBHS) is a public high school in Huntington Beach,California. Built in 1906,it is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District. HBHS is a California Distinguished School. Huntington Beach High School is also the home of the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts.
California's 47th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California.
Newport Harbor:The Real Orange County is an MTV reality television series,documenting the lives of several teenagers of affluent families in Newport Harbor,a seaside community located in Orange County,California,United States. It differs from the usual reality show in that it is structured as a traditional narrative than a straightforward observant documentary style.
The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) of six of the ten counties in Southern California,serving Imperial County,Los Angeles County,Orange County,Riverside County,San Bernardino County,and Ventura County. San Diego County's MPO is the San Diego Association of Governments,which is an unrelated agency.
Matthew Harper served as the 59th Mayor of Huntington Beach,California (2013-2014). Harper was elected to three terms to the Huntington Beach Union High School District Board of Trustees (1998-2010),one term to the Huntington Beach City Council (2010-2014) and two terms to the California State Assembly (2014-2018).
Patricia "Pat" Carmody Bates is an American Republican politician who served in the California State Senate,representing the 36th Senate district,which encompasses parts of Orange and San Diego counties. She left office on December 5,2022. She served as the Senate's minority leader from 2017 to 2019. She previously served as a member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors from 2007 to 2014,and the California State Assembly from 1998 to 2004. She also served as the first mayor of Laguna Niguel,California following its incorporation in 1989,and continued to serve on the city council until 1998. Before serving as mayor,she had been employed as a social worker in Los Angeles County.
Orange County Parks,more commonly abbreviated to OC Parks,is a government agency that maintains and oversees the public parks of Orange County,California. The agency operates both natural and manmade parks of the region. OC Parks is responsible for 60,000 acres (24,000 ha) of inland and coastal open space that collectively receives millions of visitors every year.
The 2022 Orange County Board of Supervisors elections were held on June 7 and November 8,2022. Three of the five seats of the Orange County,California Board of Supervisors were up for election. This was the first set of elections held after the 2020 redistricting cycle. County elections in California are officially nonpartisan. A two-round system was used for the election,starting with the first round in June. Runoffs were held in all three districts,as no candidate managed to reach the 50% + 1 threshold.
Diane Brooks Dixon is an American politician serving in the California State Assembly. A Republican,she represents the 72nd State Assembly District,which includes Huntington Beach,Newport Beach,Seal Beach,Laguna Hills,Laguna Woods,Lake Forest,Aliso Viejo,and Laguna Beach. She was a former mayor and city councilwoman of Newport Beach.