Fox and Hounds Daily Says Goodbye

With this article, we end publication of Fox and Hounds Daily. It has been a satisfying 12½ year run. When we opened in May 2008, our site was designed to offer an opportunity to those who wished to engage in public debate on many issues, especially in politics and business, but found it difficult to get placed in newspaper op-ed pages. 

Co-publishers Tom Ross, Bryan Merica and I have kept F&H going over this time investing our own time, funding, and staff help. Last year at this time we considered closing the site, however with an election on the horizon we decided to keep F&H going through the election year. With the election come and gone, and with no sense of additional resources, we have decided to close the site down. 

Fox and Hounds will live on, at least, with my articles collected in the California State Library.

On a personal note, I have spent over 40 years in California policy and politics. There have been some incredible high moments and some difficult low points. It pains me that politics too often is a blood sport, frequently demonizing the motives of opponents and using the legal system as a weapon in public discourse. At Fox & Hounds, we tried to adhere to the practice of giving all a voice in the debate, yet keep the commentaries civil and avoided personal attacks.

F&H offered the opportunity to publish different perspectives (even ones that criticized my writings!).  We had success as indicated by the Washington Post twice citing Fox and Hounds Daily one of the best California political websites and many other positive affirmations and comments received over the years.

Tom, Bryan and I want to thank our many readers and writers for being part of our journey.  The publishers of Fox and Hounds Daily believe that we added value to California and its people. We hope you agree.

In Today’s California, the Dude—Once the Quintessential Outsider—Has Become the Mainstream

Are we becoming a state of Lebowskis?

Jeffrey Lebowski, better known as the Dude, is arguably the most successful fictional Californian of the past two decades. Created by the Coen brothers in their 1998 film The Big Lebowski, and embodied by the actor Jeff Bridges, Lebowski became a cult favorite for being an outsider (in his own words, not a member “of the square community”). He was a stoner who drank White Russians, wore a bathrobe to the grocery store, bowled, tangled with pornographers and German nihilists, was indifferent to work, and retired the trophy for most laid-back Angeleno ever.

But times have changed since the movie was made (and since 1991, when it was set). And so has California. This weekend, Bridges and his country-rock band, The Abiders, headline Lebowski Fest Los Angeles at the Wiltern Theater. Tickets, priced at $40, are sold out, though as of this writing $25 tickets for the Lebowski Fest bowling party in Fountain Valley are still available.

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Turn Of The Screwed: Does The GOP Have A Shot At Wooing Disgruntled Millennials?

Over the past five years, the millennial generation (born after 1983) has been exercising greater influence over the economy, society and politics of the country, a trend that will only grow in the coming years. So far, they’ve leaned Democratic in the voting booth, but could the lousy economic fate of what I’ve dubbed “the screwed generation” lead to a change?

Just look at these numbers. Since 2008, the percentage of the workforce under 25 has dropped by 13.2%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while that of people over 55 has risen by 7.6%. Among high school graduates who left school in 2009-11, only 16% had full-time work in 2012, and 22% worked part time although most sought a full-time job.

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How Will “Ambush” Union Elections Affect Silicon Valley’s Libertarians?

Despite being one of the biggest strongholds of Democratic power in the United States, there are almost no unions representing private sector workers in the Silicon Valley. But a new NLRB ruling that takes effect next month is going to make it much easier to organize workers. Here, quoting from a March 26th Inside Counsel article entitled “Proposed ambush election rule from NLRB said to favor unions,” is a summary of the new rules:

  • Opponents to a union drive would have as few as 10 days to campaign against unionization – as opposed to the 42 days now given to them.
  • Employers have to file a “Statement of Position” within seven days or lose the right to pursue any issues.
  • Requiring nonunion employers to provide employee personal information such as home addresses, e-mail addresses, home phone numbers and cell phone numbers to the union.
  • Ending a 25-day waiting period before holding an election.
  • Letting workers vote even if eligibility is challenged. Legal action would have to wait until after the election.
  • Employers would no longer have an automatic right to a review of contested issues.

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California Needs A Bright-Line Test for Determining Residency for Tax Purposes

“Where do you live?” This seemingly straightforward question has been the source of major contention between taxpayers and the Franchise Tax Board for many years, resulting in time-consuming appeals, exhausting searches for documents and witnesses, significant audit resources, and, in some cases, expensive litigation. It is time for the state to end the confusion by establishing a bright-line test for determining whether a person is or isn’t a California resident for income tax purposes.

Inventor Gilbert Hyatt’s recent federal civil rights suit against members of the FTB and the State Board of Equalization brought the residency issue back to the front burner, but the issue started causing headaches long before the dispute between Mr. Hyatt and the FTB started more than 20 years ago.

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Who Was That Fellow on the Train?

Did I see a unicorn? Or was that really a California petition circulator being paid hourly?

I was riding the Gold Line, one of the Metro trains in Los Angeles, in Little Tokyo with my son last month when I was approached by a petition circulator, carrying a clipboard full of statewide ballot initiatives.

The circulator was pushing two health care initiatives back by SEIU-UHW – one to cap what hospitals can charge, another to cap CEO salaries at nonprofit hospitals.

This was the first time I’d encountered a circulator on a train, and I engaged him in conversation. He said he often worked the train. Then I asked him, as I often do with circulators, what circulators were being paid per signature.

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CA Fwd Releases Report On How To Build Stronger Budget Reserve

By calling a special legislative session today to focus lawmakers’ attention on creating a more robust budget reserve, Gov. Brown has demonstrated his commitment to strengthening California’s fiscal condition—and to ensuring the state, with years of double-digit deficits fading into memory, sets aside enough money for the next rainy day.

The question now is: What is the most effective way to get this done?

In a new report released today, Ending the Boom and Bust: How to Build a Stronger Budget ReserveCalifornia Forward offers a range of ideas lawmakers should consider to protect major state programs and the safety net before the next downturn.

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