Melissa Fox has earned a reputation in Orange County, Sacramento, and throughout the State of California as a formidable advocate for her clients and a respected leader in the legal profession and the community.

She is well known and respected by elected officials across California, on both sides of the aisle, from the municipal level to the state-wide level, as well as by the leaders of California’s influential business and political organizations.

A graduate of Brandeis University and the Tulane University School of Law, Melissa is a member of the Bars of the State of California and the United States Tax Court. She also earned a California Real Estate Broker License.

Melissa was elected to a four-year term on the Irvine City Council in November 2016.  She previously served for four years as a Commissioner on the City of Irvine Community Services Commission.

In addition, Melissa served as Vice Chair of the Orange County Great Park and as a member of the board of directors of the Orange County Fire Authority.

As an Irvine City Councilmember, Melissa led the effort to make the city’s finances more accurate, stable, and transparent; increased the city’s commitment to environmental awareness and fighting climate change; brought live music and Wild Rivers back to the Orange County Great Park; negotiated the agreement to have Irvine rejoin the Orange County Fire Authority; repealed the city’s decades-old anti-LGBTQ ordinance; and successfully championed flying the Pride Flag over City Hall.

Melissa also served as Chair of the Irvine Community Land Trust, guiding its mission of providing secure, high-quality affordable housing for the benefit of income-eligible families, veterans, and disabled persons. 

As Chair, she led the Irvine Community Land Trust to win multiple awards for providing affordable housing, as well as for fiscal responsibility and financial transparency. She also led the Land Trust’s successful effort to pass legislation that sets a lower tax rate for properties slated for affordable housing, making it much easier and more practical to build affordable housing for more people in need.

As an elected official, Melissa received the Orange County Taxpayers Watchdog Award for fiscal responsibility, the Active Transportation Change Maker Award from the Alliance for a Healthy Orange County, the Hero of Children Award from the Child Abuse Prevention Network, was honored as an Irish Honoree of the Year by the City of Los Angeles, was named Orange County’s “Best Politician” by the OC Weekly, and was selected as one of Orange County’s “100 Most Influential People” by the OC Register. Melissa also served as a national board member and as California president of the National Women’s Political Caucus.

You can contact Melissa at 949-683-8855 or at melissa@melissafoxlaw.com.