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.
U.S. Senate Race Should Be the Beginning of the End of Top Two
The U.S . Senate race, won by Attorney General Kamala Harris over Rep. Loretta Sanchez, ought to be the end of the top two system.
The problems of the race weren’t unfamiliar; the contest followed a pattern Californians have now seen in our legislative elections for the last few cycles. The only difference this time was that top two failed in a high-profile way.
Top two was supposed to favor moderates. Instead, it favored the more ideological partisan in the race, Harris. (more…)
With Election Behind Us, Californians Look to “Mod Squad” as Bastion of Hope
Voters in this state continually tell pollsters that their number one concern is jobs and the economy. Following the election, I have to wonder if the new legislature will take that concern to heart when they fashion legislation.
Given the political changes in this state, job creation and economic growth may rest in the hands of a group of so-called moderate Democrats. Who are they? Elected Democrats who don’t always follow the most progressive agenda. Democrats who understand that their small business constituents need the utmost consideration and cannot be buried under new government mandated burdens because they are the ones who create jobs and make the economy hum. (more…)
Another Minimum Wage Hike Takes Effect in January
Earlier this year, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 3 by State Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). The bill is now Chapter 4 and it amends Sections 245.5, 246 and 1182.12 of the Labor Code. As a result of the enactment of this bill, California’s minimum wage is going up on January 1, 2017 as it eventually makes its way to $15 per hour.
Under existing state law, the minimum wage for all industries increased to $10 per hour on January 1, 2016. Under SB 3, the minimum wage for all industries will be increased to $15 per hour from January 1, 2017 to January 1, 2022 for businesses employing 26 or more employees and from January 1, 2018 to January 1, 2023 for businesses employing 25 or fewer employees. (more…)
Little Policy Innovation From Ballot Measures
The laboratories of democracy were relatively quiet last week.
Voters in 35 states considered 154 measures on their ballots, but few broke new ground. Even California, often considered the bellwether for new voter-driven policies and flush with 17 measures on the ballot, behaved conventionally.
The most far-reaching and unpredictable measures on California’s ballot failed. Proposition 61 would have capped prescription drug prices for some, but not all health care programs, and Proposition 53 would have required statewide voter approval for large projects financed by revenue bonds.
Californians by a wide margin approved Proposition 64, legalizing recreational marijuana. But so did two other states, this after four other states and DC approved legal recreational weed earlier this decade. (more…)
Delaine Eastin Runs for Governor
In California, bad politicians don’t fade away, they run for governor. The latest is Delaine Eastin, the former superintendent of public instruction best known for trying to kill off homeschooling. In announcing her bid, she told the Los Angeles Times, “I’m a very frustrated person who’s been watching from the sidelines for some time now…. I want people in Sacramento who are going to put the children first again.”
The Times reported, “Eastin, 69, said she is concerned that the state’s elected officials no longer see public-school funding as a top priority. In particular, she is critical of a lack of support by Gov. Jerry Brown and current lawmakers for additional preschool funding and for failed efforts at implementing full-day kindergarten…. I’m very committed to running. I’m going to do my very best after the first of the year to run a winning campaign.” (more…)
They’re Off and Running for 2018
With the Senate race behind her, Loretta Sanchez has at least a few political routes forward. She could try for governor or another statewide office in 2018, wait to see if Dianne Feinstein retires and make another attempt at the Senate, or stay closer to home and run for a position in Orange County, such as on the Board of Supervisors.”
Sanchez lives in Orange, which is in the 3rd Supervisorial district, currently represented by former Republican Assemblymember Todd Spitzer. The district strongly leans Republican.
The two seats where Democrats have a significant voter registration advantage are the 1st and 4th. The 1st (Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Westminster, and part of Fountain Valley) is represented by Andrew Do, the former chief of staff to now-State Senator Janet Nguyen. The district is a mix of of Santa Ana Latinos, although it is becoming highly gentrified. The remaining part of the district is heavily Asian–particularly Vietnamese and Korean. Do is a Republican and the district is up in 2020. Waiting until 2020 and challenging a Vietnamese-American would probably not be the best move. (more…)