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.

LA Times is hurting small business by getting the facts wrong

Last week, the LA Times produced two days of opinion articles about new legislation that it deemed “truly terrible” and “sloppy.”  What is this new law plaguing Californians and deserving so much ink in a major metropolitan paper? It’s common sense protections for consumers of signed collectibles – a market full of fraud. It affords the same protections that have for years applied to sports collectibles to now include historical and entertainment memorabilia.  It was endorsed by California Consumer Federation as well as the California Police Chiefs Association – not to mention Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker himself.

And why is this new law worthy of such negative hyperbole from the LA Times editorial board? They claim it will impose new rules on some bookstores that happen to sell signed memorabilia, like those who have book-signing events.  But that’s not true.  The new law is narrowly tailored and states a dealer needs to be principally in the business of selling “signed collectibles.” Bookstores are principally in the business of selling, well, books. Even if they sell some that include signatures, it would not apply to them. I am an attorney, but you don’t need a law degree to see the obvious distinction. (more…)

Tom Hayden

The first time I saw Tom Hayden he was running in the 1976 primary for the United States Senate to displace fellow Democrat John Tunney. I was relatively new to California. It was in the San Francisco area. Hayden was campaigning, walking down the street with a group of young campaign supporters advancing him, announcing to passersby that Tom Hayden was coming that way and we should say hello. We didn’t meet then.

We did meet later, of course, a number of times and since we were on opposite sides politically the meetings were mostly around professional circumstances, such as at Bill Rosendahl’s television studios in Santa Monica. There was little agreement between us. I opposed his many runs for office. However, one thing that we both supported was involving people in direct democracy. (more…)

Local Governments Rigging Elections

With all the state and local taxes on the November ballot, one would think that government at all levels in California was starved for revenue. But even a cursory review of the Golden State’s “tax machine” reveals that the tax burden is already too heavy for many to bear. California has the highest income rate in America (likely to be extended for another 12 years) and the highest state sales tax rate. And despite Prop 13, our per capita property tax collections ranks no lower than 14th in the nation.

In the June primary, voters already passed 29 out of 40 local tax increases. But those taxes register as barely a blip compared to the earthquake confronting voters in less than three weeks. According to the California Taxpayers Association, there are 228 local tax measures representing a cumulative tax increase of more than $3 billion per year, along with 193 bonds (more than $30 billion’s worth) that would dramatically increase annual property taxes. (more…)

Business and Tax Ballot Measures

Last week, the Los Angeles Times’ Liam Dillon reported that the business community is not engaging on the big tax fights appearing on the November ballot: Proposition 55, the income tax extension and Proposition 56, the increased tobacco tax. While business leaders say the positions taken is colored by political circumstances around these particular measures, business must stay clear of the trap in which numerous tax increases add up to a suffocating tax burden.

Dillon noted the shift in position of business from 2012 when the California Chamber of Commerce opposed the cigarette tax and stayed neutral on Proposition 30’s income and sales tax increases. Today, CalChamber has no position on the tobacco tax and, while officially opposed to the Prop 55 tax extension, is expending no effort or money to defeat it. (more…)

Nonpartisan Voter Guide Simplifies California’s Most Complex Election in Decades

It’s been called the most important election in our lifetimes. Indeed, the 2016 election will go down in history as truly unusual and at times, unpredictable. Here in California, voters have taken note, with registrations hitting a record high. But this year, the nearly 18 million California voters heading to the polls in November will face the most complex and expensive statewide election in decades. In this intense political climate, it’s never been more important that voters have access to unbiased, comprehensive ballot information.

This is why Next 10 and UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies created California Choices – an interactive, nonpartisan voter guide that helps Californians through the voting process. The tool not only offers in-depth background information on each proposition, but also provides voters with endorsements from more than 40 organizations and entities from across the political spectrum. The California Choices Endorsement Table summarizes ballot measure endorsements for all 17 initiatives in one easy-to-view page. (more…)

L.A.’s Measure M: Long Range Spending Based on Short Term Thinking  

Los Angeles County is potentially poised to inflict a “forever” sales tax on itself and spend a majority of the funds in ways which cannot possibly produce what its supporters claim.  Advocates appear oblivious to transit ridership trends and new technologies which will make Measure M an expensive and futile experiment.

Metro’s CEO Phillip Washington has stated that Metro’s goal is to convert 20-25% of the county’s population into regular transit riders.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that these new riders will have to be “choice” riders. Choice riders, those who have access to a car and yet choose to ride transit, constitute less than 20% of Metro ridership and less than 2% of total passengers.  The non-choice market is saturated. To achieve a 20-25% market share would require attracting 10 to 15 times the number of existing choice riders. Metro’s transit’s goal is unobtainable and creates false expectations. (more…)