Former City Councilor
City: Irvine, CA
Population: 350,000
Form of Government: Mayor-Council
Years in Elected Office: 4
Positions Held: City Councilor (2017-2021)
Commission & Boards: Fire, Land Trust, Library, Water
I am an Orange County native and longtime community leader who served on the Irvine City Council from 2016 to 2020. I am also an attorney and small business owner. I learned the importance of public service from my parents — my father was a police officer and combat veteran and my mother was a public librarian.
I have been recognized for my fiscally responsible approach to government, earning the “OC Taxpayer Watchdog Award.” The OC Register also described me as “an incredible advocate for veterans.” The Irvine City News called me “a decisive, compassionate and thoughtful leader in our city,” noting that “Fox has been fearless.”
As a city leader during the coronavirus pandemic, I fought for a moratorium on evictions in Irvine, created a safe way to keep our farmers market open, and conducted wellness checks on our seniors. I spoke out against the Republican OC Board of Supervisors anti-science opposition to mask requirements and fought to require that all people must wear face masks or coverings while in public.
A former OC Fire Authority board member, I stood up for our local first-responders and prioritized local 911 emergency response services, especially during the pandemic. Additionally, as Chair of the Irvine Community Land Trust, I guided that organization to win numerous awards for building affordable housing for working families, veterans, and people with disabilities.
Accomplishments include awards for fiscal responsibility and government transparency (number one in the nation), awards for public safety (number one in the nation), awards for creating affordable housing, awards for increasing children’s health, awards for sustainability and environmental achievements, reinstatement of the Green Ribbon Environmental Committee, expansion of the iShuttle to reduce traffic congestion and pollution, implementation of a $19 million plan to reduce traffic congestion, returning live music to Irvine with the opening of a 12,000-seat live music amphitheater in the Great Park, opening of the Great Park Sports Complex, including the Championship Soccer Stadium, the Ice Arena, the Great Park Baseball Stadium, and numerous sports fields, as well as bringing Pretend City Children’s Museum and the new Wild Rivers Water Park to the Great Park.
I ran as the Democratic nominee for the California Assembly in 2010 and 2020. I now lives in La Quinta, California, with my husband, Dr. Michael Fox, and our Siberian Husky/Alaska Malamute rescue, Chief.
Other Notable Work
- Founder and chief attorney at The Fox Firm, a law, public affairs, and government relations firm
- Delegate and Member of the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party
- Member of the Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Orange County
- Chair of the California National Women’s Political Caucus
- Longtime DMO member and official