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.
Keep Off California’s Recovery
But how do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values, which then become subject to unexpected and prolonged contractions as they have in Japan over the past decade? – Alan Greenspan
California has struggled the past six years to recover from the Great Recession. But recent economic statistics suggest that the Golden State is finally regaining its luster.
A few examples:
- The Economic Development Department (EDD) reports that California added 39,800 nonfarm payroll jobs in March, dropping the state’s unemployment rate to 6.5 percent. The unemployment rate is down from 6.7 percent the previous month and 7.9 percent a year ago.
How Sodomite Suppression Act Exposes the Failure of SB 1253
SB 1253, which became law last year, continues to be sold as initiative reform, even though it was, at best, initiative tweaking. It made a series of changes – on signature time, on disclosure, on the legislature – that are too small to make any difference. And unfortunately, because the state’s Goo Goo Dolls have sold it as initiative reform, it’s taken real changes to the process off the table.
True initiative reform requires integrating the initiative process with the rest of the governing system. Initiatives need to live under the rules of the budget. They shouldn’t blatantly violate the constitution. They shouldn’t grant unchecked powers to their sponsors. They need to be considered and scheduled in a way that is integrated with the legislative process. And they need to be able to reach the ballot based on the merit of their ideas and drafting, not on the money that’s behind them. (more…)
Crocodile ‘Tiers’ Over Water Rate Ruling
Last week the California Court of Appeal issued an important ruling interpreting Proposition 218, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association sponsored initiative approved by voters in 1996. Proposition 218 is entitled “The Taxpayers Right to Vote Act” for a very good reason. It reflects the policy that those who pay the bills for public expenditures – taxpayers – should have the final say over how much is taken out of their wallets and pocketbooks.It subjects virtually all local taxes and fees, especially those related to property, to voter or ratepayer control.
Proposition 218 was necessary because the legislature and the courts had created loopholes in Proposition 13, the iconic California initiative that started the modern American tax revolt in 1978. While Proposition 13 was focused on property taxes, Proposition 218 was drafted to limit the explosion in other types of government exactions burdening homeowners including so-called “benefit assessments,” fees, charges and other sorts of property related levies. (more…)
The Valley And The Upstarts: The Cities Creating The Most Tech Jobs
No industry generates more hype, and hope, than technology. From 2004 to 2014, the number of tech-related jobs in the United States expanded 31%, faster than other high-growth sectors like health care and business services. In the wider category of STEM-related jobs (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), employment grew 11.4% over the same period, compared to 4.5% for other jobs. The Commerce Department projects that growth in STEM employment will continue to outpace the rest of the economy through 2018.
But all the new tech jobs have not been evenly distributed across the country. To determine which areas are benefiting the most from the current tech boom, Mark Schill, research director at Praxis Strategy Group, analyzed employment data from the nation’s 52 largest metropolitan statistical areas from 2004 to 2014. He looked at the change in employment over that timespan in companies in industries we associate with technology, such as software, engineering and computer programming services. (more…)
Acting Out the Minimum Wage Drama
“All the world’s a stage,” wrote William Shakespeare, and political theater on the hot topic of the minimum wage is playing out in smaller Los Angeles theaters. We’re not talking about minimum wage as the topic of a play, but minimum wage as the subject of who goes on stage.
When the leadership of Actors Equity, the stage actors union, decided to push for a minimum wage for Los Angeles actors who work in 99-seat theaters and smaller, they got pushback from many of the union’s members. The actors feared that forcing the theaters to pay the actors more might force some of the hanging-on-by-their-fingertips theaters to close down.
The debate over raising the minimum wage for the small theaters mirrors the larger debate on minimum wage that is occurring in the country. (more…)
Good Bills Are Focus of CalChamber Job Creator List
Since 2008, CalChamber has been identifying bills that will improve the state’s job climate and stimulate our economy. We put them on our annual “Job Creator” list hoping to put a spotlight on proposals that will encourage investment in our economy.
Last week, we released the 2015 “Job Creator” list. This year’s list includes 11 bills that will improve our legal climate, lower costs for employers, spur tourism, and create construction jobs. The list follows recommendations made in our annual business issues guide, called “Foundation for a Better California.”
Each year we hope to have as many job creator bills on our list as we do on our job killer list. Let’s hope our policy makers make that possible in the years to come! (more…)