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.
UC Berkeley Unfairly Criticized in Wake of Protest
After the violence that shut down the speech of the provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos at UC Berkeley, the University has come under substantial criticism – including from President Trump, who tweeted a threat to defund it. Many have trotted out the old yarn that the University is nothing more than a hotbed of liberalism and political correctness and not a serious academic place. One article in particular, which appeared in the Los Angeles Times, by Heather Mac Donald, a Stanford Law School graduate now employed by the conservative think tank the Manhattan Institute, attacks the University, asserting it has declined “from a place of learning to a victimology hothouse” and is a “cultural reeducation camp.” These attacks on the University are unwarranted and tarnish the many attributes of this most important institution – and tarnish other colleges and universities across the country and undermine their mission. In a time when it is particularly important to speak about phony facts and other libels, the record needs to be set straight. (more…)
Caltrain and High Speed Rail and FTA funding – Revolving Door Shenanigans
A brewing scandal involving Federal Funding for the Bay Area Commuter line, Caltrain, has emerged. Caltrain has been seeking funding from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for its “modernization program”. Caltrain has been seeking approval for a FTA Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) in the amount of $647 million. Caltrain was pushing very hard to get approval of the grant, before the Trump administration took over on Jan 20th.
The push to get approval before Jan 20th involved, in a rush effort, special meetings being called by three county boards to approve additional funds. The additional funding from these boards, was being demanded by the FTA, before approving the FFGA. Even the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) held a special meeting and then sent its executive director, Steve Heminger, to Washington to lobby and gain approval of the grant, before the new Trump administration could take control. (more…)
California Must Discredit Trump Before Trump Discredits California
California is already on defense in its battle with Donald Trump.
We need offense—now.
Trump is attacking our state as if it were just another political opponent. His strategy is not merely to punish California; he wants to rob our state of its political legitimacy.
So the president of the United States has falsely claimed that California’s elections are fraudulent exercises involving millions of illegal votes. He’s frequently accused our biggest cities of endangering our country by failing to assist with deportations. He has called California “out of control” and threatened to “defund” state programs. (more…)
The Oroville Dam and the Fight for Infrastructure Funding
Might a pending disaster of the Oroville Dam spillway collapse move the legislature to a compromise on infrastructure funding? One of the criticisms that has arisen since the threat of a water deluge is that the dam and spillways were not maintained properly even when warnings about the structure were raised more than a decade ago. A disaster or near disaster could focus the legislature to resolve differences and create a package for infrastructure improvements.
Recall nearly 25 years ago that fires roared through Orange County prior to a statewide vote in a special election called by Governor Pete Wilson on a tax measure to fund public safety purposes. Nature’s fury convinced voters to go along with the tax in Proposition 172.
Similarly, the swollen Oroville Lake and coming rains might awaken legislators to act quickly on infrastructure fixes. The focus in the legislature has been on roads and highways but the danger to people and property at the site of the Oroville dam could set off a more complete infrastructure solution. (more…)
Andy Puzder, Abandoning California
President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Labor, Andy Puzder, is being scrutinized for his finances and his business record. There are real questions about his ethics and how he has treated workers.
But there can be little debate about his record as a California: he was a traitor to the Golden State.
Puzder was a Missouri lawyer when he came to Orange County to help Carl Karcher run the company founded in Anaheim. California was a fine place to grow and expand the company; our state helped make him a wealthy man.
But Puzder became a constant critic of California’s governance, especially its regulation of business. There is plenty to criticize about how California regulates and governs, but Puzder didn’t stick to the facts. He painted the state as an implacable foe of business. And he sometimes stooped to degrading workers, suggesting he’d rather have robots as servers than actual humans. (more…)
When Did Young Tech Workers Become the Enemy in San Francisco?
How did San Francisco, which welcomed newcomers for so long, decide that the tech workers flocking to it were no longer welcome? And why should those of us outside of tech care about this?
Over the past few years, tech workers have been blamed not only for the city’s worsening traffic congestion and sky-high housing, but also for undermining the city’s bohemian culture and leftist politics through their focus on commerce and money. The chief accusers have been members of San Francisco’s literary establishment, led by Salon founder David Talbot and journalist Rebecca Solnit. A part of this dispute reflects San Francisco’s provincial narcissism. But a part reflects broader themes important beyond San Francisco: the refusal of aging baby boomers to cede even part of the stage to younger creatives, and the related inability of the boomer intellectuals to recognize the creativity in tech’s new worlds of internet commerce and social media. (more…)