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.

Brown’s State of the State Strong on Rage, Light on Solutions to State’s Problems

What is the state of the state in California? Apparently it’s under siege. Gov. Jerry Brown’s annual address sounded more like a commander rallying his troops to resist an occupying force than an informative report from the state government’s chief executive.

“The recent election and inauguration of a new president have shown deep divisions across America,” said Brown. “While no one knows what the new leaders will actually do, there are signs that are disturbing. . . . Familiar signposts of our democracy – truth, civility, working together – have been obscured or swept aside.”

He returned to the theme moments later, saying that “while we now face different challenges, make no mistake: the future is uncertain and dangers abound. . . . this is a time which calls out for courage and for perseverance.” He promised that as leader of the resistance, he would provide both. (more…)

From Lexington & Concord, to LAX & SFO

The first shots of the American Revolution were fired at sunrise at Lexington, Massachusetts. The imperial regime of Britain sought to secretly capture and destroy the military supplies of rebellious Massachusetts militia at Concord.

At the North Bridge, the American militia outnumbered and thus turned back the empire’s regulars.

The empire was stopped, but it refused to relinquish its claim that it could rule the Americans as it pleased. It wouldn’t be beaten for eight more years.

The first battles of the California rebellion against a new American regime came at a similarly strategic spot: our two biggest airports. (more…)

How to Improve California’s Growth

California has problems that could lead to economic failings and if that happens there will be no help from Washington. But there are things California can do to encourage economic growth, the state’s saving grace.

Unfortunately Senator Harry Reid and President Obama endowed the modern presidency with unforeseen powers. Trump now has a pen and a phone the way Obama did, and he will use both tools as he sees fit. If California fails economically, as our pensions, deficits and environmental edicts push us closer to the abyss, it is a fallacy that the federal government will come to our rescue.

Here are some things that could bring better results to all Californians.

Do away with environmental-nihilism, and instead embrace economic growth. With growth comes innovation and prosperity along with clean air and water. The Breakthrough Institute, The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) in Montana, the EPA, and Bloomberg’s New Energy Finance (BNEF have all confirmed that growing economies and innovation coexist while keeping the environment clean.  (more…)

Untested Consequences Come with Legislative Pushback on Immigration Order

In their haste to confront the Trump Administration on immigration, lawmakers on the local and state level are making proposals that have untested consequences for businesses and residents and even some of the immigrants themselves. Two examples: the Los Angeles proposal to legalize street vendors, whether the vendors are legal citizens or not; and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher’s AB 206 to require workers compensation applied to day laborers no matter their immigration status.

Street vending in Los Angeles is against the law. With Trump’s order that illegal immigrant criminals and alleged criminals should be subject for possible deportation, street vendors who are cited for breaking the law could be classified as criminals according to immigration advocates. No standards have been set by the administration yet and whether street vending will be classified as a serious enough crime to face deportation is uncertain. Yet, the Los Angeles City Council wants to act to remove the stigma of criminal association with street vendors. (more…)

The Twilight of Statewide Telephone Polling?

A few weeks ago, on the heels of the now infamous presidential polling misses in Wisconsin, Michigan, and elsewhere, we learned that the Field Poll – perhaps the most venerable polling organization in California for the last 60+ years – was forced to shut its doors. The proximity in time of these events was not a coincidence. Telephone pollsters, particularly at the state and local level, are becoming an endangered species. Indeed, only about a third of Californians really use a landline phone anymore, so calling those numbers has become pretty pointless. And as for cellphones, the frequent mismatch between area codes and actual places of residence means that drawing samples of folks living in a specific geographical area is becoming less a science than . . . well, it may not even be an art at this point.

These and other developments have sent survey response rates plummeting — and the costs of conducting a quality poll skyrocketing. Most media, politicians, and other public-minded organizations simply cannot afford the luxury of monitoring public opinion anymore. And even when pockets are deep enough to commission a quality poll, securing demographic representativeness between the sample and the population is far from assured. (more…)

Respect and Cooperation with Trump Key to California’s Many Interests

Donald Trump was elected president in part because of the public’s distain for politicians who focus on personal, partisan conflict instead of pragmatic problem solving.  The hostile, vehement opposition to President Trump displayed by California Democratic leaders since Election Day confirms that confrontational attitude flourishes in our deep blue state.

But why do they keep taking these gratuitous shots?  Like it or not, President Trump and his appointees are going to be making critical decisions for California’s future for at least the next four years.  That is a long time to keep biting the federal hand that feeds you.

On matters of finance, California’s policy makers hope to retain billions in federal funds when the Affordable Care Act is repealed and want the federal government to pay for large portions of the Water Fix tunnels and the high speed rail project, to name a just few. (more…)