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.
CalChamber poll (Part 2): Voters crave sensible policies, no new taxes
Yesterday we reported that Californians are taking the Covid-19 pandemic seriously, and expect their elected leaders to do the same.
But the pandemic isn’t the only issue troubling Californians. The cost of living remains a profound concern.
When asked if their family would have a better future if they left California, a stunning 54 percent agreed – 27% strongly. Of those agreeing with this statement, two-thirds cited “cost of living” or “cost of housing” as the main reason, while another three in ten cited, “California values are not my values.”
Demographically, voters who are most strongly agree that their future would be better if they left the state are middle-aged residents, Republicans and families with children living at home. (more…)
Talking Turkey about So-called Lawsuit Abuse
Around the Capitol and throughout California, people always ask us, “Exactly what is Thanksgiving dinner like for the Kabateck family?” The answer to that question may lie in a closer look of the article published in this publication on Nov. 11 by my brother, John, entitled “In 2020, California lawmakers failed to protect Californians against lawsuit abuse.”
“Lawsuit Abuse” is a tired catch phrase used by the far right to define corporate protectionism.
So most holiday gatherings, we enjoy robust discussions around our family about whether or not there really is such a thing as “lawsuit abuse.” I’m a trial lawyer, so I’m betting you can guess where I come down on the debate.
I am sure anyone who ever gets sued thinks they are the victim of “lawsuit abuse.” First, we can all concede that there are “frivolous lawsuits.” It’s not just individuals who file “frivolous lawsuits.” Big corporations love to play. Look no farther than Frito-Lay, which sued a smaller chip maker is 2013 saying it ripped off the shape of its Tostitos Scoops! tortilla chips. Frito’s lawsuit got crunched in federal courts in Texas. Back in 1998, Kellogg sued Exxon over the gas station giant’s whimsical tiger logo, saying it could be confused with Tony the Tiger. Tony and Kellogg lost as a federal court tossed their suit. (more…)
From Wildfires to Drought to Floods, Californians Seek Relief from Weather Whiplash – Farmers Can Help
Californians rightfully feel they are living at the epicenter of the globe’s changing weather patterns. Following a crushing 5-year drought, 2017 and 2019 brought torrential rain and flooding. And 2020 is already on record as the worst fire season in recorded California history.
The good news is that California farmers lead the nation in innovative, smart stewardship practices as well as new, science-backed solutions that will better protect our people and our environment. Assisting in these efforts, farmers and other water users have spent over $800 million on scientific studies over the past decade, defining ways to adapt to our changing climate.
Expedite Voter-Approved Water Storage to Help Even Out Boom & Bust Water Cycles (more…)
Business and Jobs Task Force Quits Ahead of Likely Additional Business and Job Closures
It is more than ironic that the governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery closed down just as businesses and workers face the prospect of more restrictions and closures with a surge of the coronavirus. The task force was introduced with great fanfare in April but ended with a press release on Friday, the typical news release day for government agencies that want to bury troubling news.
What did the task force, co-chaired by the governor’s chief-of-staff Ann O’Leary and billionaire Tom Steyer, do to help business and jobs recover from the pandemic? Read the co-chairs final 27-page report and they take credit for a number of conversations, thinking about problems and advocating plans that were in the works but no major initiatives to help bring jobs and the economy back. There was a lot of cheerleading for approaches already being pursued independent of the task force such as advocating for mask wearing or working with federal leaders to pursue relief in the form of stimulus funding.
Ask shuttered businesses, unemployed workers if the task force led to an economic recovery and they would likely respond in the negative. (more…)
CalChamber poll (Part 1): Voters serious about addressing pandemic consequences
Californians are taking the Covid-19 pandemic seriously, and expect their elected leaders to do the same.
The sixth annual CalChamber poll, The People’s Voice, 2020, found that voters are keenly aware of the widespread effects of the pandemic. Nearly half of all voters have suffered an economic impact: reduced work hours, lost job, pay cut, or unpaid leave. More than six months after California first began shutting down its economy, nearly half of voters report their workplace is still not operating normally; instead, employers have reduced services, closed temporarily or permanently, or are operating online only.
This perception extends to their communities. Nearly half of voters report “a lot of businesses” shut down in their communities, and nearly six in ten report “a lot of jobs lost.” (more…)
Enough Dead to Fill Forest Lawn
If you’re having a hard time processing the scale of death produced by the COVID-19 pandemic, here’s a California alternative for wrapping your mind around the carnage:
Visit the largest, prettiest cemetery you can find. I recommend the original Forest Lawn, in Glendale, the most Californian of cemeteries.
I recently walked the 290 acres of this memorial park, the first of six Forest Lawn parks in Southern California, and found that it clarified my thinking and improved my mood.
The place also helped me to put in perspective the full human toll of COVID-19. Since Forest Lawn opened here 114 years ago, in 1906, it has interred 340,000 souls on this property. Under current projections, the U.S. will reach 340,000 COVID deaths in January. (more…)