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.
L.A. Is Right to Sue State on Redistricting
A bit of good news on the political reform front. Los Angeles is resisting the state’s effort to impose dubious redistricting reform on the county.
In a new law targeting only L.A. county, the state created a redistricting commission for the county based on the state version. The idea is to find people who have little connection to recent politics, with the supposed goal of creating a bipartisan commission to decide L.A.’s supervisorial districts.
But L.A. County has now filed suit against the state, and is making good arguments in the process. The law targets only one county. And despite its claims of bipartisanship, the measure could produce a commission that is 70 percent Democratic.
State redistricting has similar defects; no formula or commission can’t be gamed. And politics can’t be removed from the process of drawing district lines.
So who should have that power? The argument is: it’s a conflict of interest for the politicians involved to draw their own districts. That’s a good argument, but it’s not the only one. (more…)
Time to Act—Pass Comprehensive Tax Reform
Last Tuesday, President Trump outlined his legislative priorities before a joint session of Congress. While pundits quickly jumped on the president’s departure from his off-the-cuff approach, I’m glad to see that his agenda has received a great deal of air time in the past few days.
Among the issues President Trump promised to address was our bloated, outdated tax code. His promise to reform the tax code garnered much deserved applause, but taxpayers and business owners have endured empty rhetoric long enough; rhetoric without meaningful action won’t grow the economy and create jobs. What we need is comprehensive tax reform, and we need it now.
Republicans have been laying the ground work to overhaul our tax code for several years. I would argue, this work led by Speaker Paul Ryan and House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, that it has a lot to do with why Republicans now control the White House and both chambers of Congress. This comes with a big responsibility: making good on their promise to pass tax reform. (more…)
Nguyen for Governor?
Did the Democrats just gift California Republicans a viable candidate for governor?
Republicans don’t have a real candidate for governor in 2018. The two best possibilities – former Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin and current San Diego Alcalde Kevin Faulconer – don’t seem too interested. And who can blame them? The party brand is tarnished, and the party leadership has been making missteps, like bringing the party together behind President Trump, who could lose statewide to the Devil if the Prince of the Underworld decided to make a run for office.
Into this hopeless voids drops hope, in the form of State Senator Janet Nguyen.
Nguyen became well-known—a “star,” the LA Times called her – after she was removed from the floor while criticizing the late Tom Hayden. Nguyen was trying to make the point that Hayden and some others in the anti-war left went too far and ended up not just opposing the war in Vietnam but siding with the North Vietnamese government, with disastrous consequences for millions of Vietnamese people, including members of her own family. (more…)
Effects of the CA-DC Stare-down: Brown Walks a Tightrope. Feinstein Re-election Opponent?
Reporting on California policy and politics nowadays seems to be rooted in what happens in Washington, D.C. California, which sets itself up as the exception and trendsetter is spending much time reacting to what is coming out of the theater playing out in Washington.
CALmatters, the non-profit journalistic site, has gone as far as creating a scorecard on the bout between Sacramento and Washington. The scorecard covers battles on issues of the economy, education, the environment, health, immigration and justice.
While CALmatters gives a complete rundown of the CA-DC differences, let’s comment on two items dealing with the most senior of California’s politicians that arise out of the stare-down between the state and national governments: Jerry Brown’s delicate dance with the Washington powers and Dianne Feinstein’s re-election. (more…)
Assembly Hearings Focused on Raising More Californians into Middle Class
What can we do to lift people out of poverty or near poverty and into California’s middle class?
The California Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy (JEDE) held its second informational hearing this week in Sacramento to address this important issue.
“While many areas of California have recovered and are thriving since the recession, other areas of the state and certain population groups still lag economically. How we address those equity issues is a critical next step for California,” said Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, an Orange County Democrat who chairs the JEDE Committee
One of the questions the Committee is considering is fundamental: (more…)
Yes on Measure S Report: Public Unaware of Closed Door Meetings
The Yes on Measure S campaign releases a special report, “Pay to Play In Los Angeles City Government” entirely assembled from official city information that has been released publicly, but unpublished to date.
This report reveals how L.A. City employees and politicians work behind closed doors for months or years on behalf of specific developers and usually without knowledge of the public, to get around an area’s zoning rules. Throughout this closed process, most developers also donate to these same elected leaders.
The result of this non-transparent, favor-driven process can be seen by looking out the window: L.A.’s skyrocketing traffic, rents, homelessness and human displacement, during a time of low unemployment and low population growth of just 1.2% a year. (more…)