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.
Anne Gust Brown —Arguably the Most Powerful First Lady in the Country
You probably haven’t read all that much about Anne Gust Brown. As first lady of California, she has been unusually private. She has also been unusually influential — arguably the most powerful first lady in the country. She is the subject of a rare, in-depth profile in the new California Sunday Magazine, by Vauhini Vara, a California-based business correspondent for NewYorker.com and O. Henry–prize winning fiction writer who previously covered California politics for the Wall Street Journal.
From the article:
When discussing herself, Gust Brown has little patience for the Californian self-preoccupation in which her husband is known to indulge. When I asked how she would hope to be remembered, she answered, “Oh, golly, I don’t know, I haven’t thought about that. Have you ever thought about that for yourself?” I said I had. “You have?” she said. “No, it’s funny, I don’t think that way. You know, I certainly would want people to think I was helpful — that I helped Jerry be a good governor — but I don’t actually sit and think, I want to be known for this. Maybe I’m deficient that way.” This could be “a Midwest sort of thing,” she said. “You know, we’re not real navel gazers.” (more…)
Why What CEO’s Think Matters
California is still the worst place to do business according to the 11th annual survey of CEOs conducted by Chief Executive magazine. It is very disappointing, but not a surprise, as we see CEO’s voting against California by dedicating few manufacturing investments to the state. Last year California attracted only two percent of manufacturing investments made in the US. When given a choice, companies are making long term commitments to other states.
California has made great strides to improve the business climate for manufacturing in recent years by providing a sales tax exemption for the purchase of manufacturing equipment and launching the CalCompetes job credit program. We hoped to see better investment numbers in 2014 and an uptick in CEO sentiment this year. California remains a high cost state with plenty of regulatory challenges, so it will take time and effort to market the benefits in California and prove that our state offers tremendous advantages for companies willing to take another look. If we do get their attention again for possible investments, we will need to show that they can count on regulatory certainty, fair taxes, affordable energy, and reasonable labor policies to support their long term success. (more…)
SB 251 Will Reduce ADA Lawsuit Abuse
Slowly, but surely, the California Legislature is making progress tackling the issue of shakedown lawsuits alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We saw the first bit of success in 2008 with SB 1608 and more in 2012 with SB 1186. These bills represented the growing acknowledgement among our state’s elected leaders that these trial lawyer shakedown artists are profiting from the abuse of our legal system, and our state’s small businesses are paying the price. However, because the reforms did not go far enough, the lawsuits have kept coming.
This year, legislators introduced a wide array of bills looking to stop abusive ADA lawsuits, which Senator Tom Berryhill wrote about on this blog. Most of these bills contained a corrective action period for businesses, which allows business who are sued an opportunity to fix the violation named in the lawsuit before it can move forward – and before they are forced to pay enormous legal fees and settlements. If the violation is not fixed in a reasonable time frame, then the lawsuit can move forward as before. Opposition to this common sense solution resulted in the deaths of almost all the ADAlawsuit reform bills during this legislation session. (more…)
Placing Sales Taxes on Services Creates Upward Mobility for Few
Some have called Senate Bill (SB) 8, Senator Robert Hertzberg’s proposal to impose sales taxes on most services in California, needed tax reform. The basic argument made is that while California’s economy has shifted over the past 50 years from being based on agriculture and manufacturing to information and services, the state’s tax policy remains mired in the past. Consequently, a revamped tax system – one that focuses on services rather than personal income, as is the case today – would better reflect this new reality.
Californians can, and should, have an open and honest debate over tax reform. That’s because replacing our current tax system with one focused on services involves real tradeoffs for the state: It would help reduce the volatility of government revenue while at the same time placing a larger burden on low-income families and adding substantial new compliance costs for businesses and taxing agencies. (more…)
Governor’s Budget Is Good News Not Because It’s Bigger—But Because It’s Better
For almost 20 years, California’s state budget has been locked in the same cycle: In bad times, governors divide the pain. When dollars are flowing again, they divide the spoils—often at the cost of the state’s long-term fiscal stability.
As it was, so it shall be, say the cynics. It’s just politics, right?
Maybe not. In a remarkably refreshing budget proposal released last week, Governor Jerry Brown has demonstrated another way to build a state spending plan—using billions of dollars in unexpected revenue this year to make the budget not just bigger, but better. (more…)
“Hose Rage” and Other Odds and Ends
We all know about “Road Rage” but because of California’s dire drought conditions we may need to get ready for “Hose Rage.” This term was used in Australia during long periods of drought when neighbors would turn on neighbors who were using excessive amounts of water to wet lawns. There was even a reported homicide attributed to “hose rage” in Sydney.
Will the “hose rage” psychology hit California?
Speaking of the drought, I heard someone suggest that the dying lawns in California will soon give new meaning to the term “Golden State.” (more…)