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.
Why California’s Finances Could Derail Their Energy Plans
According to State Senator John Moorlach (R – Costa Mesa) California has real financial problems that need to be immediately addressed. A self-described Truman Democrat, Joel Kotkin, in a recent syndicated article echoes the same sentiments. Some of the problems are California has the highest taxes overall in the nation, worst roads, underperforming schools, and the recent budget has at least a $1.6 billion shortfall.
Moreover, depending on how the numbers are analyzed California has either a $1.3 or a $2.8 trillion outstanding debt. This is before counting the maintenance work needed for infrastructure, particularly roads, bridges and water systems. Yet tax increases aren’t covering these obligations, and even the bullet train project, which held so much promise when it was passed are now billions over budget.
However, the financial strain also has California’s net financial position running a $169 billion deficit according to the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, which puts California ranked last in the nation. Deferred maintenance on our state roads and highways is roughly $59 billion. Estimates of California’s unfunded pension liabilities – assuming a rate of return – above 5% has CalPERS at $114.5 billion, CalSTRS at $76.2 billion and UC Pension (UCR) at $12.1 billion. (more…)
Focusing on Mobility Not Travel Mode for Better Economic Growth
The last article outlined research on job access by cars, transit and walking by the University of Minnesota Accessibility Observatory that assesses mobility by car, transit and walking in 49 of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas. Of course, it is to be expected that the metropolitan areas will have the largest number of jobs accessible to the average employee simply by virtue of their larger labor markets.
Indeed, smaller, but important major labor markets, from Grand Rapids and Buffalo to Philadelphia and Washington seem unlikely to ever rival the job numbers in metropolitan areas like New York and Los Angeles.
Researchers such as Remy Prud’homme and Chang-Woon Lee of the University of Paris, David Hartgen and M. Gregory Fields of the University of North Carolina, Charlotte have shown that a city (metropolitan area( is likely to experience better economic results if its transportation system provides better mobility. This includes greater job creation, greater economic growth and poverty reduction. (more…)
California’s Election System Exaggerates Democrats’ Strengths. Again.
Four years ago, I wrote in this space about how California elections produce results that are unrepresentative of voter choices.
The losers, in these unfair elections, are Republicans. They receive a lower percentage of seats in the legislature than the percentage of votes they get in elections.
Four years later, this is still true. Indeed, Californians for Electoral Reform recently sent me data showing that in 2016, Democrats won a supermajority in each house of the legislature while receiving less than 2/3 of the vote. Democrats also earned more than their fair share of California seats in Congress. (more…)
Educating Voters on Education Spending
The latest Public Policy Institute of California poll reflected a similar finding from previous PPIC polls that’s puzzling: When it comes to actual state spending priorities versus the knowledge voters have of those spending priorities the lineup is nearly reversed.
California spends the most money from its General Fund budget on K-12 education (42.6%), the next largest amount on Health and Human Services (27.7%), next comes Higher Education (11.9%) and finally Prisons and Corrections (9%). That’s reality. Here’s voter perception when it comes to state funding in order of most to least according to the new PPIC poll: Prisons, Health and Human Services, K-12 and Higher Ed. (more…)
California: Time for a Major Change in Course
Governor Brown, California Attorney General Becerra, legislative and other government officials are fixated on battling the new administration in Washington with almost total disregard for California’s major problems and unmet needs. Failure to address these pressing problems threatens the viability of a state whose status is rapidly being transformed from “golden” to “tarnished.”
To help the political class refocus on the important, here is a list of the most exigent problems accompanied by modest solutions, as compiled by a couple of veteran taxpayer advocates who speak with, and hear from, thousands of California taxpayers. (more…)
U.S. Government vs. California – Let The Battle Begin!
On Tuesday, former Attorney General Eric Holder, one of President Barack Obama’s longest serving Cabinet members, paid a visit to one of his newest clients: the California State Legislature.
Holder, who returned back to private practice as a partner with the law firm of Convington and Burling in the fall of 2015, was hired by the California legislature as part of an aggressive posturing by California’s Democratic leaders against the presidency and policies of Donald Trump.
On November 9, the day after Trump won the election, State Senate President Kevin De Léon and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon issued a strong joint statement that began with them saying that they “… woke up feeling like strangers in a foreign land …”. (more…)