David H. Fox, 60; Former Head of State Real Estate Department

David H. Fox, a former director of the state Department of Real Estate, has died. He was 60.

Fox died Tuesday at his Sherman Oaks home of a heart attack.

A former top aide to Gov. Jerry Brown, Fox was appointed to the real estate post on Oct. 10, 1976, and served for five years. During his tenure, he was known as an activist who pressed for a mandatory code of ethics, toughened the code of conduct for real estate and mortgage loan brokers, and sharply reduced the number of documents required for public reports.

After resigning as real estate commissioner, Fox developed seminars in real estate ethics and earned a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling. At the time of his death, he was president and chief executive of Professional Achievement Success Systems, a company he founded to provide study materials, seminars and small-group training to prepare students for state licensing exams for the master’s degree in family therapy.

A native of Los Angeles, Fox graduated from Cal State Los Angeles and earned his law degree at Stanford before joining the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles.

He became Brown’s Cabinet secretary in January 1975, then was named director of the Department of Real Estate.

He is survived by two children, Susanne Fox of Los Angeles and Kevin Fox of Berkeley; his father, Fred Fox of Sherman Oaks; and a brother, Alan C. Fox, also of Sherman Oaks.

A memorial service will be held today at 10 a.m. at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles.