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.

Mr. Moorlach Goes to Sacramento

I’m a CPA groupie. Not being a mathemagician myself, I rely on my pocket-protector friends to protect our pocketbook. Simply put, I like getting down to brass tacks, and it’s evident, the tax guys and gals usually know the score.

So that’s why I’ve been interviewing John Moorlach for years. The State Senator and veteran CPA is California’s most congenial Republican. Despite being a wet blanket on the Golden State’s fiscal forecast, he’s just so dang likeable.

He says part of his congeniality is that his first lesson in public service 22 years ago was to grin and bear it. (more…)

The House Work of Counterterrorism

The Chairmen’s Task Force on Counterterrorism and Homeland Security—formed in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Paris last November—met to discuss how the House can respond to the Orlando terrorism attack in the weeks to come.

America is no stranger to terrorism, but these new threats are of a different nature than the old. In Orlando, a single man fueled by a militant Islamist ideology and highly likely to have been at least in part radicalized online killed 49 of our fellow Americans. We don’t yet know exactly how he was radicalized or who, if anyone, he was in contact with. (more…)

California’s Reading Challenge 

This summer, Californians of all ages and ancestries are reading.

Some are reading for work. Some are reading for fun. Either way, reading is good for us in all kinds of ways.

California’s 1,100 libraries are challenging themselves to sign up 1 million readers for summer reading programs between now and August 31.

The California State Library invites you to be one of those 1 million readers – and win some cool prizes if you read the most books over the next 10 weeks.  (more…)

Orlando and Donald Trump

As Donald Trump raises his right hand to assume the presidency next January 20, one word will explain how it all happened: Orlando.  What occurred early in the morning of June 12 in this usually quiet central Florida city – the greatest mass killing in American history – is going to reverberate through our presidential politics over the next five months and very possibly elect Trump president.

What makes Orlando so politically dangerous for Hillary Clinton and the Democrats is that it does not fit their usual explanation for mass shootings.  Unlike Sandy Hook, it is not some deranged killer with easy access to guns; in this case it is a security guard who had a permit to carry a gun and who should have been on the FBI watch lists but apparently wasn’t. (more…)

Who will run the Coastal Commission?

Why bother having public-facing commissions if they can’t deal with the public?

A century-old hallmark of the Progressive Era, quasi-independent boards and commissions wield broad executive powers implementing and enforcing laws, permitting business operations and land development, and punishing wrongdoers within their jurisdictions. Some of the most powerful in California are the Public Utilities Commission, Air Resources Board and Coastal Commission.

The Progressives believed these public bodies to be a check on the political branches. They achieved this by delegating some legislative power to commissions and other “experts” they thought less susceptible to corruption and more accountable to the public than traditional political institutions. (more…)

Coming Together After Orlando

We live our lives day by day, but we are defined by those moments which we carry with us forever. Whether a wedding, the birth of a child or an historic event, we remember the fluid details and panorama of experiences that we lose in an average Tuesday as soon as its over.

I can remember exactly where I was win the Challenger exploded on liftoff, when the first Gulf War started and a moment by moment mental reel of 9/11. Some of these moments are directly related to us. Others are outside events of which we have no part but leave their indelible mark on our personal timeline and those of everyone around us. (more…)