Ding Ding TV Interview Teresa O’Neill for Santa Clara City Council

Teresa O’Neill was born in Santa Clara County, and has spent most of her life in Santa Clara. Teresa’s parents, Tom and Sally O’Neill, started their married life together in the married students housing at Santa Clara University. There, they made lifelong friends and established many connections to the Santa Clara community.

In 2007, Teresa was appointed by the City Council to the Santa Clara Planning Commission. She has participated in many land use decisions, from small home remodels to commercial developments costing hundreds of millions of dollars. She has repeatedly seen how land use decisions impact surrounding residents, as well as the homeowners and businesses that want to build something new in Santa Clara.

Teresa also has been a member of the Santa Clara General Plan Steering Committee, which is working to establish the direction of Santa Clara for the next 25 years. On that committee, she worked to include language on smarter growth planning practices, encourage healthier communities and encourage open space uses for such things as community gardens.