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’s Prop 50—Another Step Toward Restoring Public Trust
When state Sen. Leland Yee was arrested in 2014 on charges he engaged in racketeering and gun-trafficking activities, Californians were outraged.
A state senator who was campaigning for Secretary of State on a transparency platform was found to be a phony and ultimately a convicted criminal.
Yee became the third sitting State Senator charged with criminal offenses in a short period of time (remember Ron Calderon and Rod Wright?).
The public took notice—we weren’t happy. We saw it as another example of how lawmakers are shielded from the consequences of their own actions and play by a different set of rules than everyone else. (more…)
Trump and California
Now that Donald Trump has won the Nevada caucuses by a convincing margin, it’s time to ponder what will happen in neighboring California.
Out-of-state pundits often misjudge our political climate. Arnold Schwarzenegger was the most recent Republican to hold statewide office, they reason, so the state GOP will tend to favor more mainstream candidates. They forget that Schwarzenegger became governor only because of the odd rules governing the 2003 recall election, which included 135 candidates from all parties. If he had run in a closed Republican primary, conservative Tom McClintock probably would have defeated him. Indeed, the strong conservative cast of the state GOP primary electorate was the main reason why Schwarzenegger pushed for the adoption of the top-two primary system. (more…)
Like Magic, the Property Tax Initiative is Gone
What made an initiative measure seemingly on its way to the ballot suddenly disappear?
The Making Poverty History campaign pulled the plug on its property tax increase measure that would have dedicated funds to numerous anti-poverty programs. Despite raising well over a million dollars and having hundreds of thousands of signatures in hand to qualify the measure for November’s ballot, proponents said it was time to call it quits.
Why? (more…)
Shedding Light on California’s Gas Prices
While California drivers have been enjoying the recent drop in gas prices due to slumping global oil costs, you might be surprised to learn that only Hawaii has higher fuel prices. According to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report, the national average is currently around $1.71 per gallon while the California average is nearly 60 cents higher at $2.32 a gallon.
This leaves Californians asking the simple question: why?
For my district, finding an answer is particularly important. Every day, nearly 100,000 commuters leave my community in the Antelope Valley to work in Los Angeles, which can be longer than 150 miles roundtrip. This same story is common in communities across the state. For these families, gas is one of their largest monthly expenses—even during times of low prices like we fortunately have now. (more…)
No City Is Immune From an Identity Crisis
Can you imagine Southern California without Hollywood? Or the Bay Area without Silicon Valley?
No? History suggests that the identities of cities and regions are more fragile, and their central industries more perilous, than we care to admit. (Just ask former Detroit autoworkers.)
So it’s well within the realm of possibility that Los Angeles’ entertainment industry, already struggling with shifting business models and technology that allows film production just about anywhere, could be a much smaller part of life here in the near future. And Silicon Valley? Here’s a nightmare scenario: What if the security state escalates its current war against Apple to the point that technology companies relocate headquarters to countries with laws that protect their businesses and their customers’ privacy? Heck, they may even be able to lower their taxes while they’re at it. (more…)
Arrested Development?
When we reflect on the remarkable revival and development that’s occurred in such places as Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood and Venice in recent years, we seldom think of this: Dramatically lower crime rates made that gentrification possible.
If you’re younger than, say, 35, you probably don’t remember the so-called crack epidemic. That’s when urban areas across the United States pretty much emptied out in the 1980s and into the ’90s as crime soared.
Reports of violent crime in Los Angeles hit a high of 1,824 for every 100,000 people in 1991, according to the state Justice Department. But crime declined thereafter. In fact, it went all the way down to 405 by 2013 – a drop of 78 percent! Property crimes dropped big, too. (more…)