Judie Fenton, a Pillar of Beverly Hills, Dies

Judie Fenton, a longtime Beverly Hills civic leader whose work reached from the schools to City Hall and the firefighters' annual Backdraft Ball, has died. City Councilmembers Sharona Nazarian and Mary Wells paid tribute to her in public posts. Her age and date of death have not been confirmed.

Nazarian described Fenton as a dear friend whose strong opinions came with a deep commitment to Beverly Hills.

Today, Beverly Hills lost a pillar of our community, and I lost a dear friend.

Wells recalled Fenton's warmth, humor and generosity, as well as the impression she made on people who met her.

Judie was a formidable force, but what I will remember most is the person behind that force.

Fenton and her husband, former Mayor Frank Fenton, moved to Beverly Hills in 1971. Their four children brought them into the city's schools and community groups. Judie became president of the Horace Mann PTA while Frank led Little League. After Proposition 13 disrupted summer school, the couple started a children's sports camp.

In 1991, firefighter Capt. Stan Speth approached Judie about raising money for a medical trust fund for retired Beverly Hills firefighters. She and Dana Tomarken formed FTA Events and produced the first Backdraft Ball in 1993. The event grew into a long-running fundraiser, and Fenton was honored at the 2023 ball.

Fenton also shaped local campaigns. She co-chaired the 1987 Yes on K effort to raise money for Beverly Hills schools through a parcel tax. In a 2008 interview, she discussed her work with school board and City Council candidates, including campaigns for Barry Brucker and Myra Lurie. She spoke with particular pride about her son Steven's school board campaign. Decades later, she managed Lester Friedman's 2022 City Council campaign.

Her service inside city government included eight years on the Traffic and Parking Commission and a later term on the Recreation and Parks Commission. She was a founding committee member of the Beverly Hills 9/11 Memorial Garden. The City Council formally recognized her commission service in 2021.

Frank Fenton served on the Beverly Hills school board, as city treasurer, on the City Council and as mayor. He died in 2016. Their children are Mindy Fenton Samuels, Gary Fenton, Steven Fenton and Jennifer Smiley.

In a 2008 interview, Judie urged families moving to Beverly Hills to get involved in its schools, sports programs, boards and charities. For decades, she followed that advice herself.