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.
I’m a Millennial and a Republican, and I believe we can win – here’s why…
When out-of-control legislatures, often controlled by Democrats, put their states’ future in danger, voters are electing business oriented, Republican governors to lead a turnaround – in historically progressive blue states.
There are now 19 businessmen-governors in state houses across the country. Many of them are serving in elected office for the first time. Some prominent names include Governor Larry Hogan in Maryland, Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, and Gina Raimondo in Rhode Island, to name a few. The list includes both Democrat and Republican business-minded Governors who were former CEO’s and bankers, a venture capitalist, a retail chain head, a farmer and food company founder, and a medical clinic operator.
Voters are expressing a preference for vision and entrepreneurial capabilities over electoral resume.
These are traits extremely attractive to Millennials and those of us 20-somethings facing an extraordinary future. (more…)
Will Trump’s Proposals Destroy California Republicans?
In 1994 and again in 2010, Democrats suffered historic loses in the House of Representatives because newly minted Presidents Clinton and Obama forced their members walk the plank with unpopular votes on tax and health care bills. Now President Trump seems to be doing the same thing to his Republican backers, and the results look to be the same: a massacre of incumbent Republicans in 2018.
We have only had two House special elections since Trump became president, in Kansas and Georgia, and they are little more than straws in the wind. But in both cases, the Democratic House candidates outran Hillary Clinton’s 2016 numbers in their districts. Were that to happen in California, seven of the 14 incumbent Republican Congress members would lose their seats.
GOP House members are being led down the road to defeat over Trump’s two signature issues: repealing Obamacare and tax reform. The first version of Obamacare repeal was so unpopular in the country it failed even to pass the House. But to get more right wing votes it has been made even more unpalatable to the voters. (more…)
Climate Change and Our Inner Elephant (Part 2): Measuring Success for the Climate and the Economy
In yesterday’s edition of Fox and Hounds, I explained that Californians see climate change as a serious issue, but do not favor regulatory actions that unfairly penalize them. Today, we’ll explore if there are opportunities for California to lead without placing the burden on the most vulnerable Californians and/or cause displacement of middle-income jobs to other states and nations. The good news is that solutions are available if we approach the issue thoughtfully.
What we need is a global triple-bottom-line transition plan from dependence on fossil fuels. We need to develop rigorous analytics that measure the triple-bottom-line impact of climate change policies; analytics that can be applied to California, but that other states and nations will want to follow because they can see the beneficial triple-bottom-line impacts.
We need a transition plan because, let’s face it, we’re not close to the post-fossil era. The American Energy Institute, Bloomberg and Goldman Sachs all agree that we have about 1 billion internal combustion engines in operation today and very few electric cars. They also agree that in 2050 we’ll have 1 billion electric cars and that we’ll still have 1 billion internal combustion engines. (more…)
Is CA a Good Place to Start a Small Business?
Since 1963, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. We are in the midst of Small Business Week 2017 now and it’s important to know if California cities are welcoming to small business.
Important because according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, “More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.”
The State of California takes recognizing small business a step further by designating the entire month of May Small Business Month. The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) kicked off the state effort with a press conference yesterday featuring legislators, educators and small business owners. The conference announced free events during the month and a new micro-lending program called Jump Start.
So how does California stack up with other states in encouraging small business? (more…)
AB 1679: Reining in Insurance Department’s Regulatory Authority
After years of falling rates, the cost of auto insurance is now once again increasing across the nation. The problems of distracted driving and rising repair expenses are acting together to force rates up. Legislators in Capitol buildings throughout the country are directing their attention at the trend in an effort to ensure that their constituents have access to insurance.
Given that trend, it’s strange that the California Department of Insurance would seek to restrict competition in the automotive repair sector in ways that would drive rates up further still. The department’s actions makes sense only when seen for what they are: an unambiguous ploy to expand its regulatory power.
At the beginning of 2016, the CDI formally proposed new rules for auto insurers in accident repairs. One set of rules sought to curtail the practice of “steering,” where insurers compel insureds to use specific repair shops, by placing new restrictions on information insurers can give their insureds. The department also proposed mandatory standards for how insurers measure and set labor rates for auto repairs. Both sets of regulations recently went into effect. (more…)
Standing Up for Retailers of Pets
On April 18, 10 state lawmakers voted to ban the retail sales of cats, dogs, and rabbits unless they are sourced from shelters. According to sponsor Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell, Assembly Bill 485 is intended to stop substandard breeders from placing unhealthy pets with uninformed consumers.
Regretfully, it will do just the opposite – and recommendations by the responsible pet trade that would accomplish Assemblyman O’Donnell’s goal of getting healthy pets into loving homes have been flatly ignored.
AB 485 will cause severe harm for pets and people who care for them. It risks closing many of the estimated 95 retailers in the state – retailers who employ college students, high schoolers in their first job, single mothers, and many other California residents. It will effectively eliminate warranty protections that California law currently extends to consumers who buy from pet stores, as retailers will not be able to provide warranties for shelter-sourced pets. And it will increase the risk that dogs, cats, and rabbits provided to prospective owners will have genetic defects and communicable diseases, since shelters are virtually unregulated. (more…)