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.
Governor’s “Nowhere Money” a Violation of State Spending Limit, Says LAO
The Legislative Analyst’s Office says the governor’s budget proposal attempts to dodge the state spending limit that was overwhelming passed by voters in a 1979 Special Election. In declaring that the governor’s budget does not count $22 billion dollars against any appropriation limit, the LAO report states clearly that the Governor’s proposal violates the spirit of the Gann Limit.
The state spending, or more properly, appropriation limit, named after chief proponent Paul Gann, intended to limit state appropriations to 1978-79 spending with increases allowed for population and inflation growth.
With the state economy growing, revenue is now approaching the appropriation cap, according to the LAO’s calculations. If the appropriation limit is breached, the law requires excess revenue be split between the schools and taxpayer rebates.
The governor’s plan is to make $22 billion invisible from spending limit calculations and create greater room for spending in the state budget. (more…)
Striking the Right Balance on Air Quality
California, long-known for its environmental leadership, also boasts the world’s sixth largest economy. For Southern California, with our large, diverse population, the leadership challenge we face is how to create more good-paying, middle class jobs while improving our quality of life – cleaner air and water, reduced road congestion and increased affordable housing.
Nowhere is this balancing act better illustrated than at the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) – the regional air board responsible for managing air emissions from stationary sources in four counties – Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino.
For the past four years, SCAQMD Board and staff have engaged with stakeholders to develop the latest iteration of the region’s Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP). SCAQMD staff held hundreds of meeting and forums, generated thousands of pages of documents and produced a final draft Plan that is balanced and strong. In fact, SCAQMD staff indicated at the February meeting where the Plan was discussed that this AQMP will set us on course to achieve federal clean air standards (something that the district has struggled with in the past) and does so at a pace that is equal to or faster than prior AQMPs. This AQMP will achieve these standards in a way that also allows for continued economic growth. (more…)
Capitol Housing Battles Ahead
It had to happen. California is suffering through one of its worst housing crises and all the while the state legislature is doing nothing to solve the problem. In fact, based on the numerous pieces of legislation introduced before the curtain went down for such proposals last month, they’re making things worse.
Inadequate supply. By nearly all accounts, these two words define California’s chronic housing problem. California is home to roughly 13 percent of the nation’s population, and has slightly greater than average population growth. Yet, over the last 20 years the state has accounted for only eight percent of all national building permits. Consequently, the state is short on supply and, correspondingly, has the nation’s most unaffordable housing markets.
There are several pieces of legislation proposed in 2017 to deal with the state’s housing crisis. A large number of them are, for example, being advanced as “spot” bills – with the substantive contents due later – so we don’t know yet what’s intended by them. Many of those bills promise to amend the state’s housing element law, which is intended to obligate local governments to plan for more housing. Underlying the housing element law is the state’s good intention to take control of the housing problem and insist that local governments comply. (more…)
More Transparency Needed for Little-Known Driver of Health Care Costs
Imagine walking into your pharmacy to pick up your medication only to find that the drug you have been prescribed is not covered. What does that mean? Because your medication was not “chosen” by a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) – a shadowy third-party entity that insurance companies hire to manage prescription drug benefits – your anticipated $10 copay might now have turned into $600 per month. How can this happen to California patients with insurance?
PBMs determine which drugs a health plan will cover. They negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies over the cost of the drugs. While one of the main purposes of PBMs is to leverage the number of people they represent for lower prices from drug makers, it is unclear whether they save insurance carriers and ultimately patients, any money at all. Even if they do, whether they actually pass on those savings to America’s patients is an open question. In fact, in some cases PBMs even charge insurance companies more for contracts that disclose information on how much money they are pocketing for themselves. Further, the health plans can financially punish the pharmacist if he or she offers the patient a cash price that would save money. (more…)
Hardly Anyone Running for Office in LA Election
Isn’t it a problem in a great metropolis like Los Angeles that two of the three charter officers running for election are unopposed and the third—the mayor– has only token opposition?
The situation brings to mind the old question: What if they gave an election and no one came? Unfortunately, close to that result is a prospect for the Los Angeles city election coming Tuesday. I talked to a Los Angeles City insider and a local political reporter this week and both questioned whether turnout for the election would top 10-percent. Four years ago, the election saw a 21-percent turnout but there was a contested mayoral race.
City attorney Mike Feuer and city controller Ron Galperin have no opposition. None. Not even token opposition. Under each office in the ballot the incumbent is the only name listed. Raising this issue is not an indictment of the men who hold these offices. By all accounts, they have done good jobs. (more…)
After Recent Storms, California Drivers Deserve a Better Transportation Infrastructure Plan
A recent study put Los Angeles and San Francisco in the top five worst cities on the planet for traffic congestion. Roads and bridges around the state are literally crumbling from recent storms. And the extra wear and tear caused by the poor condition of our roads costs the average California driver an extra $739 in vehicle operating costs every year.
Capitol Democrats’ solution to this problem is to raise gas taxes 20 cents per gallon, raise diesel taxes by 12 cents per gallon, and hike vehicle registration fees by nearly $40. The problem is that there are no assurances about how much of this money will actually go towards roads. It is unacceptable that transportation funds that the state currently collects are being swept into the General Fund to be used for non-transportation related items.
Despite state spending increasing by $18 billion over the last 2 years alone, not one additional dime has gone towards transportation. Capitol Democrats have made it clear that transportation infrastructure is not a priority, and the way they have raided transportation funds year after year proves that we must reevaluate our budget priorities. (more…)