FPPC Opens Investigation of Petaluma Climate Action Manager Deborah Fox
Ms. Fox failed to report her income as Director of Collaborations & Operations, Cool Petaluma & her spouse's income as a Senior Product Specialist, Span. IO, Inc.
Ms. Deborah (Edgar) Fox assumed office with the City of Petaluma, California as the Climate Action Manager on August 20, 2024.
All designated filers within the City’s conflict of interest code must report financial interests to the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) upon assuming office, annually, and upon leaving office.
Upon assuming office, designated filers must report all financial interests for the prior year. Because Ms. Fox failed to report any applicable sources of income to the FPPC, I filed a sworn complaint regarding the omissions.
This afternoon, I received the following letter from the FPPC:
It appears that Ms. Fox submitted amended filings for 2024/2025 to the FPPC on March 24, 2025, following the initiation of my complaint.
Per her LinkedIn profile, Ms. Fox held the title of Director of Collaborations & Operations for Cool Petaluma from Jan 2022 to Aug 2024. She did not initially report this source of income.
Cool Petaluma describes themselves as follows on their website:
Climate solutions by the community, for the community.
Climate change and social division are threatening to drastically and irrevocably damage life on Earth.
Cool Petaluma brings people together so that we can take care of each other while we take care of the planet.
By gathering people, we create a collaborative team spirit that makes it enjoyable to learn from each other and take action together.
This collective effort becomes more powerful than the sum of its individual parts.
And it’s more fun!
The organization is partnered with the City of Petaluma amongst many other entities.
The City’s September 2024 Register indicated that Cool Petaluma was compensated $6,400 for their Cool Block Program dated 8/24/24.
The County of Sonoma’s fictitious business name database indicated that the Aqus Community Foundation founded by Mr. John Crowley is doing business as ‘Cool Petaluma’, a nonprofit corporation for public benefit.
Per his LinkedIn profile, Mr. Christopher Fox, Ms. Deborah Fox’s spouse, is a Senior Product Specialist at SPAN. This source of income was not reported.
According to their website, SPAN is a smarter electrical panel that unlocks whole-home, room, and appliance energy data designed to lower your energy bill.
As Climate Action Manager Fox advises the city regarding climate adaption, are these directives driven by sincere care of the environment or potential business ventures?
The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left. -Isaiah 24:5-6