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.
Budget Negotiators Should Recognize Higher Education Needs
It’s that time of year again in Sacramento as the temperature begins to heat up along with the business of putting together the 2015-16 State Budget. This week, Governor Brown will lay out his revised Budget blueprint based on up-dated revenue results and projections. That’s when the real deliberations can begin.
The Budget plan unveiled by the Governor in January, in accordance with legal requirements, is something of a straw man. As usual with Jerry Brown, revenue estimates in the January plan were conservative, to say the least. The Governor is generally not a big spender and does everything he can to keep money off the table and expectations low , as interest groups and constituencies line up to plead for their share of General Fund dollars. (more…)
California Is Not Disneyland
At the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA), we have seen Proposition 13 blamed for just about everything. A national publication blamed the tax limiting measure for the not guilty verdict in the O.J. Simpson murder trial, while a high school physical education coach wrote in a community paper that the loss of shots by his track and field team was due to the lack of money to cut the grass, and this, of course, was due to Proposition 13.
Now we’re seeing attacks on HJTA sponsored Proposition 218, the Right to Vote on Taxes Act, which makes the taxing process more democratic by allowing voters to decide on local tax increases and to assure property owners that they would have a meaningful say on new assessments, fees and charges. One such attack was a recent opinion piece, calling for the repeal of Proposition 218, because it robs voters of their “democratic power.” (more…)
This Is A Boom, And It Should Be Treated As A Boom
Editor’s Note: Part 2 of the ‘Boom, Bust, Repeat?’ Series, which explores how the state can smartly manage recent revenue gains to strengthen public programs for the long-term.
A few weeks after Tax Day—and only a week before the governor releases his revised May budget—California finds itself in an enviable position.
After years of cuts and fiscal strain during the Great Recession, the recovery is finally at hand: In March, California employers were responsible for one out of every three new jobs in the country and with tech and other industries expanding, revenues are climbing as much as $4 billion more than expected. (more…)
The Best Revenge Is Giving the Press Your Calendars
Many in the press and the government accountability world see the right to read politicians’ calendars as an example of democracy and free information.
I see it as punishment.
While covering Governor Schwarzenegger (and writing a book about him), one of my tasks was to read and make copies of his calendars, which were public as part of Prop 59. To do this, I walked across the Capitol grounds from the LA Times bureau to the governor’s Office of Planning and Research. (more…)
It’s Not About Fairness, It’s About More Tax Money
The campaign to change Proposition 13 by the self-styled “Make it Fair” coalition is not about fairness, it is all about more tax money.
The coalition claims business gets tax breaks under the current property tax system. Their favorite example to point to was a deal over a Santa Monica hotel purchase that was engineered in such a way that a property tax increase was avoided when the property was sold. But when a fix to the problem supported by the business community was introduced in the legislature the plan was spiked by pressure from the influential public employee unions because they didn’t want a fix, they wanted a campaign issue to undo Prop 13. (more…)
Revenues May Be Rolling In—For Now—But State Budget Must Heed Lessons Of Past
Editor’s Note: Part 1 of the ‘Boom, Bust, Repeat?’ Series, which explores how the state can smartly manage recent revenue gains to strengthen public programs for the long-term.
Those experienced in California’s boom and bust budget cycles are getting dizzy.
As the Governor prepares an updated budget proposal, the expanding recovery is pushing state revenues ever higher—perhaps $4 billion over this year’s budget. For many, this inspires euphoric speculation about how the money could be spent. But if history is any guide—and it is—the endorphins won’t last. (more…)