Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
McKenna (Dianne) Papers
MSS.1997.02
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Title: Dianne McKenna Papers
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.1997.02
Physical Description:
8 boxes
(10.5 linear feet)
Date (inclusive): 1985-1996
Abstract: The Dianne McKenna Papers document a portion of her political career as Mayor and City Council Member of Sunnyvale from 1977-1984,
and her work on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors (SCCBS), on which she served serving from 1985-1996. The collection
spans 1980-1996, the bulk of which documents her contributions to the SCCBS from 1985-1996, and particularly her work in transportation
and child advocacy.
The collection is open for research.
Copyright has not been assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives. All requests for
permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions
also apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational
purposes.
Dianne McKenna Papers, MSS-1997-02, San José State University Library Special Collections and Archives.
Preliminary processing and guide prepared by Susan Klingberg, 1997. Guide completed by Danelle Moon and Kaye Moore, 2006.
Guide encoded by Kaye Moore, 2006.
Biography / Administrative History
Dianne McKenna, a native of Pennsylvania, moved to Silicon Valley in the 1960's. In 1977, she received her Master's Degree
in Urban and Regional Planning from San José State University. In that same year, McKenna was elected to the Sunnyvale City
Council, where she served until 1984, with exception of the terms 1980-1981 and 1982-1983, when she served as the Mayor of
Sunnyvale. In 1985, McKenna became the fifth woman elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, a position that
she held until 1996. She led the successful merger of the Congestion Management Agency and the Transit District Board, and
served as a guide for regional projects for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. McKenna was a founding member of Kids
in Common, a collaborative children's advocacy program, a member of the Board of Trustees for the Children's Shelter, and
chair of the Children and Youth Services Joint Conference Committee. She initiated recycling efforts as the Chair of the Solid
Waste Commission of Santa Clara County, and in 1994, led the General Plan Review Advisory Committee to complete its work of
reviewing and updating land use plans and policies. As of 2006, she serves on the Board of Directors for Peninsula Open Space
Trust (POST), a San Francisco Bay Area environmental preservation organization.
Scope and Content of Collection
The materials in this collection document McKenna's political career as Mayor and City Council Member of Sunnyvale from 1977-1984,
and her work on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors (SCCBS), serving from 1985-1996. The bulk of the collection documents
her contributions to the SCCBS, including her work as chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Santa Clara
Valley Transportation Authority. Committed to improving the lives of children, McKenna helped form the Children's Shelter
in 1995, and Kids In Common, a children's advocacy organization.
The collection is arranged in two series: Series I, Speech Files, 1980-1996; Series II, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors,
Administrative Records, 1985-1996.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Transportation -- California -- Santa Clara County -- Sources.
Local transit -- California -- Santa Clara County -- Sources.
Children -- Institutional care -- California -- Santa Clara County -- Sources.
Supervisors (Local government) -- California -- Santa Clara County -- Archives.
Santa Clara County (Calif.) -- Politics and government -- Sources.
Children's Shelter.
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center(Santa Clara County, Calif.)
Santa Clara County (Calif.). Board of Supervisors.
San José State University. Library. Special Collections & Archives
McKenna, Dianne.