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 led 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 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,claiming "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 2024.[29]
In January of 2025,O'Neill was elected as the new chairman of the Orange County Republican Party,succeeding Fred Whitaker.[30]
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