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.

Hysteria Over Trump Hits California Media

The possibility that Donald Trump might win the presidency has set off high decibels of hysteria among the political establishment, and no more so than in blue California. Despite an historic level of unpopularity in California, it is quite possible Trump could be elected. The media and political establishment are already musing about what it would do if that happened.

Take for instance the California reaction of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s political attack on Trump. “I can’t imagine what this place would be — I can’t imagine what the country would be — with Donald Trump as our president,” she told the New York Times.

This is not some alderman for the 3rd district speaking; this is a Supreme Court justice, one ninth of one third of the government of the United States. Ginsburg’s remarks were so unethical and out of line and she was forced to apologize a few days later. (more…)

Direct Democracy Strategy Questions Raised by Gun Referendums

Californian’s embrace of direct democracy continues to entrance those who want to legislate from the outside or to undo legislative actions. As explained in Laurel Rosenhall’s column Friday a bill intended to limit direct democracy has not reduced the number of measures that will appear on November’s ballot. Perhaps this is a result of circumstance—the lower signature count necessary to qualify measures or the decision of the legislature to crowd all initiatives on the General Election ballot.

The tools of direct democracy are available to those who want to set an agenda or to force the legislature into action, or to reverse legislative action. I’m guilty of this myself both in being a proponent of initiatives that changed laws, and in the case of the workers comp initiative that never went before voters, a measure that pushed the legislature into action it probably would not have taken without the persuasive power of a coming, popular proposition.

The power to undo legislative action is a course I never participated in, which brings me to try and understand the strategy to refer to voters the six gun related bills signed by Governor Jerry Brown. (more…)

Collaborative Leadership Needed on Climate Policy

When the Legislature returns in next Monday, our Senators and Assemblymembers should think carefully when considering another climate change bill, namely SB 32. They rejected the bill last year and many organizations continue to oppose the bill this year, for good reason. There has been no meaningful engagement with stakeholders to develop legislation that would address problems with the suite of AB 32 programs that the bill intends to extend and expand for another ten years.

SB 32 is following a completely different process than AB 8, a law passed in 2013. AB 8 authorized funding for clean air and clean vehicle programs such as the Carl Moyer program, which is designed to reduce diesel emissions like particulate matter and has proven clean air results. This is in contrast to how AB 32 funded projects are not required to demonstrate they are achieving their intended results. A bipartisan group of legislators backed AB 8 to improve air quality for all California residents. While the bill did not receive unanimous support, the collaborative process resulted in a two-thirds vote in both houses of the legislature. (more…)

The Pension Monster and How Much It’s Costing You to Keep It Fed

Why haven’t Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Council President Herb Wesson followed up on the recommendation by the LA 2020 Commission to “establish a Commission on Retirement Security to review the City’s retirement obligations in order to promote an accurate understanding of the facts” and make “concrete recommendations on how to achieve equilibrium on retirement costs by 2020?”

Why?  Because these two ambitious politicians fear alienating the campaign funding leaders of the City’s unions who do not want a public discussion of the facts surrounding the City’s ever increasing annual contributions to the City’s two massively underfunded pension plans that are forcing the City to scale back on basic services.

Over the last ten years, the City’s contribution to its two pension plans (Los Angeles City Employees Retirement System and the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pension System) has tripled to $1.1 billion, up from $350 million in 2005.  As a result, pension contributions now chew up 20% of the City’s $5.6 billion budget, up from less than 10% in 2005.  (more…)

Unconventional Wisdom after Cleveland

*   While the Republicans have been doing their best to paint the darkest possible picture of Hillary Clinton, the back-to-back party conventions give the Democrats an edge, as they can have the last word—if anybody is still listening. Counterpunching can be an extremely effective political tactic.

*   The red-meat prosecutors Rudy Giuliani and Chris Christie lit up the hall with their denunciation of Hillary Clinton; but how will their tough rhetoric play with those who aren’t already Hillary haters? Or has the Trump campaign purposely adopted the Bush 2004 strategy of revving up the party’s conservative base to bump up GOP turn-out; that year 11 states placed anti-same-sex marriage on their ballots and 9 of them went for Bush—including Ohio (Of course, the demographic make-up of the electorate has changed significantly since 2004.)

*   For all the talk of Benghazi and those e-mails, the Trump campaign hasn’t paid much attention to those high paid Wall Street speeches, on which Hillary Clinton may be most vulnerable to attack. Their impact, as examples of a real economic disconnect, could resonate more directly with the broader electorate. Using valuable time and resources to re-litigate Bill Clinton’s sex life won’t move many uncommitted voters either. (more…)

Wrapping up the RNC–Trump is on His Way

Donald J. Trump delivered such a stunning, direct and visionary speech as he accepted his nomination for President of the  USA that reached out to every single American.  His common sense approach, his words, his family, his work ethic, his direct talk are taking us back to our roots as a country.  Bringing us back on track, fighting for our freedoms,  fighting for our rights, freeing us from the government and bureaucracy that has overburdened every facet of our lives.  He will honor our police, our military, our families, our need for jobs, our constitution and fight  to make us proud to all be Americans without any apology.

The 2016 is absolutely perfect-  historical, grassroots with peoples voices, some just loud and most clear and engaging. We have a real discourse going on in our country — 240 years after our Declaration of Independence. (more…)