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.

The Waxman Berman Machine

With Howard Berman’s defeat for reelection in 2012 and Henry Waxman retiring this year, I thought I would look back on the early years of the Waxman-Berman political operation – how it came about, why it became so effective and my experience in going up against them.

Waxman first ran for public office in 1968 when, at the age of 28, he defeated 28-year veteran Assemblyman Lester McMillan, who represented a district based in the Los Angeles Fairfax area. He won the Democratic primary with 64% of the vote. His campaign manager was a young political consultant named Michael Berman, Howard’s brother.

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Faulconer Victory and Voter Turnout

San Diego City Councilman Kevin Faulconer captured an impressive victory in the San Diego mayoral special election boosting him immediately as a high profile Republican in a Democratic state. Despite heavy spending against him by public unions who backed Democratic City Councilman David Alvarez and even poll numbers over the last week, Faulconer captured a 10-point win.

Prior to the election, prognostications were made that a Faulconer win might happen because of low voter turnout. While the turnout of roughly 37% was nothing to write home about, the figure is fairly typical in a mayoral election and did not give Faulconer an advantage.

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Twice the Water for Half the Price Water Bond

California’s water crisis continues to grow worse.

We are currently in the midst of one of the driest winters on record.  Hardly any measurable rain fell in December and January, which are usually among the wettest months of the year, and there is no relief in sight.  The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center recently forecast that this dry weather pattern is expected to last for at least the next three months.

Meanwhile, real people are suffering under mandatory water rationing orders.  There is not enough water for farmers to grow crops.  Restaurants, hotels and equipment rental companies that rely upon water for tourism like skiing and water sports have seen their business drop sharply.  Californians are demanding action from Sacramento to address the immediate crisis and solve our water challenges once and for all.

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What is the Deal with Hot Coffee Lawsuits?

It has been 20 years since Stella Liebeck suffered third degree burns after she accidently spilled hot coffee in her lap and sued McDonald’s. The case became a lightning rod for legal reform. Initially she was awarded more than $2.7 million dollars by a jury in New Mexico. The trial judge reduced it to $640,000 and then the parties settled for a confidential amount.

I guess some Californians figured that enough time has passed since the last hot coffee suit and decided to take another shot at McDonald’s. Back in October, a 74 year old Clovis woman sued McDonald’s stating that the company acted with malice because its employees knowingly served her coffee through a drive-thru window that was “unreasonable hot in excess of 175 degree Fahrenheit.” She is seeking damages for medical expenses, physical pain, mental anguish, emotional distress and pain and suffering. That’s quite a bit for a $1 cup of coffee.

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My Response to Charles Schwab’s Plan to Leave California

Last week, Charles Schwab announced that they plan on moving “a significant number of San Francisco-based jobs” out of the state over the next three to five years. Charles Schwab’s San Francisco roots date back to its founding four decades ago and the firm was the Bay Area’s 47th-largest employer in 2013. The company employs almost 2,700 people in the region out of a company-wide workforce of 13,600. Observers close to the situation blame the city’s extreme payroll tax and high cost of doing business in California as the reasons for the company’s exodus.

California’s abundant resources, ideal climate, and excellent higher education system should make it a premier location for businesses around the country and the world.  Instead of attracting world class companies, California’s highest-in-the-nation taxes and excessive regulations are driving businesses like Charles Schwab to other states, taking thousands of jobs with them.

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NFIB/CA Ballot Results Show Little Appetite for More Taxes

Each year, NFIB/CA sends out ballots to our nearly 24,000 members across the state to determine their positions on the issues we see coming down the line in Sacramento.  Over the years, our members’ responses to these questions have directed us in taking policy positions on the issues that affect them: minimum wage, Prop 65 reform, independent contractors, paid sick leave, and a sales tax on services, to name a few.  It is one of the many things that makes NFIB unique – we develop our positions on policy proposals in Sacramento not based on what a few backroom board members think – but on how the majority of our members feel.

This year’s results, while not surprising to those of us who work with the business community, should be a wake-up call to those in Sacramento who think that they know what business needs.

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