[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 8 (Thursday, January 20, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E94]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN RECOGNITION OF JAMES P. FOX

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 20, 2011

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor James P. Fox for his public 
service as district attorney of San Mateo County for 27 years. Jim was 
first elected in 1982 and then re-elected every four years since 
without opposition.
  I first worked with Jim when I served on the Board of Supervisors. 
Even then, he was known as the ``Silver Fox'' for the luxurious topping 
of silver on his head. During my time in the California Legislature, I 
received many calls from Jim who often offered suggestions regarding 
legislation. We worked closely together on strengthening California's 
laws so that non-paying obligor parents would pay up what was owed. He 
once told me he saw a local realtor depicted as a family man in an 
advertisement with his new wife and their children on a beach, all the 
while failing to support his former wife and their children. Jim wasn't 
afraid to name names. The realtor paid up.
  Jim courageously opposed the Three Strikes Initiative. He is a 
district attorney who has the courage to favor punishment when 
appropriate and who also favors treatment and deterrence through crime 
prevention. Jim is tough as nails but also thoughtful--a true public 
servant. He decided at an early age to dedicate his career to the law. 
In third grade, home sick with pneumonia, he watched the McCarthy 
hearings on television and declared he would be an attorney.
  Jim received his Bachelor's degree in psychology from the University 
of San Francisco in 1966 and his law degree from the University of San 
Francisco in 1969. In 1970 he started as a deputy district attorney for 
the San Mateo County District Attorney's office for four years before 
entering private practice for seven years in addition to serving as the 
city attorney of Half Moon Bay.
  His dedication to public service has been outstanding. He has found 
time and energy to be a member of a number of commissions and 
committees, including the California Bar Association's Commission on 
Judicial Nominees Evaluations, the Criminal Law Advisory Committee, the 
Court Profiles Committee and the Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Cameras 
in the Courtroom. He is a past president of the California District 
Attorneys' Association and a past vice president of the National 
District Attorneys' Association. Jim has been appointed twice to the 
California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.
  Additionally, Jim has been very active in civic affairs. He served as 
a member of the Board of Directors of Mercy High School in Burlingame, 
the Board of Directors of Notre Dame High School in Belmont and 
Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo and as a member of the San 
Mateo County Children and Family First Commission, now named First 
Five.
  With all of these volunteer positions, Jim still finds time to pursue 
his culinary passion. His chocolate fudge is legendary. If you have 
attended county events with Jim, you may have encountered these 
delicious confections labeled with his signature golden sticker 
depicting a fox and proclaiming: ``County of San Mateo, FOX FUDGE (not 
produced at government expense).''
  Jim's wonderful sense of humor and easy smile endear him to his 
colleagues, friends and his family. He and his wife Bonnie of 42 years 
are the proud parents of three and grandparents of seven.
  Mr. Speaker, it is right to honor James P. Fox for his tireless 
dedication to the public upon the occasion of his retirement on 
December 31, 2010, after seven terms as the District Attorney of San 
Mateo County.