Longtime Beaumont Councilman Jeff Fox Dies at 53

BEAUMONT, CA- Beaumont City Councilman Jeff Fox has died, city officials announced Tuesday. He was 53.

Fox was a member of the city council for the last 15 years.

Following is a statement from the City of Beaumont:

Beaumont City Council member and lifelong resident Jeffrey H. Fox passed away early this morning his family announced. Jeff Fox served in his elected position from 2000-2015. Mayor Knight said, “As a council we are filled with sadness and grief, our hearts go out to Lori and his boys. We will miss Jeff’s sense of humor, friendship and dedication to this community.”

Jeff was first elected to Beaumont City Council in 2000 and was instrumental in the building of the memorial projects in front of City Hall. During the upswing of housing, Jeff would tell each developer that he wanted lot sizes on the new houses to be big enough for “Johnny and his swing set.” He lobbied hard in Washington for monies to bring back to Beaumont to build projects. He lead the way in bringing local veterans assistance services to City Hall and helped train staff on the importance of such services. He served as Mayor numerous times, sat on the Planning Commission and several other local boards to include Beaumont Youth Baseball and Softball. Jeff was also involved in a variety of charity work, his most successful was his leadership in fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Between the years of 2007 and 2014, the City raised over $233,000.00 for MDA.

Jeff served as a member of the Riverside Transit Authority (RTA) for over 13 years. During that time, he served as Chairman twice and successfully lobbied for much needed federal funding to build transit centers in Perris and Corona. In 2006 when Jeff served as Chairman he introduced the U-Pass program to UC Riverside student which gave them unlimited bus rides with their student ID’s. Since then, the program has exceeded expectations and expanded to colleges across the region. In 2013, Jeff was instrumental in launching Commuter Link Route 210/220, a new bus route that connected Riverside to Palm Desert. He was member of RTA’s Administration and Operations Committee and also a longtime member of the San Gorgonio Pass Transportation NOW chapter, which is a grassroots group dedicated to promoting public transportation in the region. He worked to bring a seamless Pass Transit system to the area in the early years of his term.

Larry Rubio, CEO of RTA, stated “Jeff proudly represented RTA for 13 years and we are a better agency today because of his leadership, vision and dedication to the residents not only to his own City of Beaumont, but to the people of this region as a whole. He played a big part in shaping RTA. His commitment was obvious and his passion was without match.”

Before running for Beaumont City Council, Jeff dedicated his life to civil service, having served in the U.S. Army as an attaché to a 4-star General and stationed in Germany, then working as a Deputy Sheriff in the Riverside County prison systems, and finally, as a Beaumont Council Member. He and Lori had been married 31 years this past December 1st and she was the love of his life. He affectionately referred to her oftentimes as “Nancy Lorraine.” They share three sons, Jeffrey Jr., Michael and Loren, as well as two grandchildren.

Funeral services are being arranged.