Knox's 42nd Assembly district included the Los Angeles area communities of Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Beverly Fairfax, Bel Air, Century City, Hancock Park, Hollywood, Miracle Mile, Westwood, West Los Angeles and West Hollywood.

In 1997-1998, he was chair of the Select Committee on the California Middle Class, which examined the causes of stagnating wages and declining living standards for working families.

He gained passage of anti-crime measures, including a one-gun limit law, intended to dry up the black market sales of handguns to gang members, youths and felons.

For four consecutive years Knox earned a score of 100% from the California League of Conservation Voters with a perfect pro-environment voting record.

He is responsible for expanding State assistance to innovative start-up companies, in the high-tech, biotech and multi-media fields, through the new business incubator program.

He authored a landmark law requiring insurers to disclose Holocaust-era policy information to a public State registry, or lose their license to operate in California.