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.

California Jumps the Shark

America may have trended toward the GOP, but California seems determined to find its own direction. The only question is, simply, how much more progressive the Golden State will become, even in the face of a far more conservative country beyond the Sierras.

This election confirmed, if it was needed, the death spiral of the state’s Republican Party. Thanks, in part, to Donald Trump — and his magnetic anti-appeal among Latinos, women and the educated — the GOP did even worse here in the presidential race than in 2012, when it couldn’t muster 40 percent support, and has lost several legislative seats, allowing the Democrats to re-establish their coveted two-thirds supermajority in the Assembly — and possibly in the Senate as well.

The progressives also won most of the major propositions — most critically, the extension of a high income tax rate on the state’s affluent population through 2030. We may have more freedom to smoke pot, but it won’t be so easy to start a business, buy a house or build a personal nest egg, if you are anything other than a trustifarian or a Silicon Valley mogul, or are related to one. (more…)

California Is An Alternate Universe

The Union has just seceded from California.

While the rest of the country was electing Donald Trump and returning Republican Congressional majorities, California turned an even deeper shade of blue. The Golden State delivered a drubbing to The Donald. Hillary Clinton piled up a 2.5 million vote margin over Trump, swamping him 62% to 33%. Even that erstwhile bastion of conservativism, Orange County, voted Democratic—for the first time since the Great Depression.

Thanks to California, which gave the former Secretary of State a 2.5 million popular vote margin, Clinton achieved a Pyrrhic electoral victory, becoming the second Democratic Presidential nominee in 16 years to win the popular vote and lose the election. (more…)

5 California Winners in Election Results

There are still many ballots to count, but here’s a preliminary list of the biggest California winners in the November elections.

1 — Gov. Jerry Brown. His Prop 57 won, and it appears he managed to defeat Prop 53. Kamala Harris’ victory means he’ll get to appoint a new attorney general. Plus, he’s now the most powerful Democrat in the country. Will he seize this high profile to lead the opposition to Trump?

1a — The next California governor, who will inherit the “Democratic shadow presidency at the end of 2018. (more…)

New Political Victors Would Arise From National Popular Vote

Once it became clear Donald Trump’s Electoral College triumph would be accompanied by a popular vote loss, USA Today predicted “attempts to kill the Electoral College.” On cue, supporters of the national popular vote (NPV) compact redoubled efforts to effectively do just that.

In the name of advancing democracy and making every vote count, the NPV compact would pledge each adopting state’s electoral votes to whoever received the largest national vote, if states representing 270 or more electoral votes did the same. It would sidestep the rules necessary for constitutional changes, which supporters cannot come close to. Current adopters already represent 165 state electoral votes. (more…)

Remembering Our Veterans Today

The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation.—George Washington

 

Business Looks At New Legislative Makeup

In a political landscape dominated by Democrats, the California business community looks for members of the majority party who will work with them—especially if the Democrats can secure the important two-thirds vote majority. The Democrats are close. They took two-thirds in the Assembly. One contested seat in the senate will determine whether the Democrats gain a two-thirds supermajority in that chamber.

Marty Wilson, executive vice-president of public affairs for the California Chamber of Commerce who oversees the Chamber’s political arm, JobsPAC, said results in this election for the business community was “a mixed bag.” Wilson was pleased, for example, that Bill Dodd won Senate District 3 and that former Assembly member Raul Bocenegra, who has a reputation of being open to business concerns, is returning to the legislature. However, he was disappointed that Assembly Member Cheryl Brown was defeated. (more…)