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.
Responsible Budget Would Eliminate Fire Fee
In the middle of California’s driest winter on record and following an active fire season, our state must provide the firefighting services Californians need and expect.
That’s why I recently sent a letter to Governor Brown urging him to eliminate the controversial (and probably illegal) Fire Prevention Fee. I also asked him to restore full funding to CAL-FIRE in the revised version of his 2014-15 budget proposal. In this time of drought, CAL-FIRE must have the reliable funding it needs to fulfill a mission that benefits all Californians.
Remember, the fire fee doesn’t pay one cent toward fighting fires, but rather backfills budget cuts made to CAL-FIRE years ago. The third set of bills is currently scheduled to go out in early March.
Possible Sign of Trouble for Los Angeles
A quarter century ago, the Los Angeles-Orange County area seemed on the verge of joining the first tier of global cities. As late as 2009, the veteran journalist James Flanigan could pen a quasiserious book, “Smile Southern California: You’re the Center of the Universe,” which maintained that L.A.’s port, diversity and creativity made it the natural center of the 21st century.
A very different impression comes from a newer report, The Los Angeles 2020 Commission, which points out that, in reality, the region “is barely treading water while the rest of the world is moving forward.” The report, which focuses on the city of Los Angeles, points to many of the problems – growing poverty, a shrinking middle class, an unbalanced city budget, an underachieving economic and educational system – that have been building for decades.
Faulconer Election Won’t Stop ‘Los Angelization’ of San Diego Politics
On Tuesday, San Diego voters will decide between two City Council members in a special election to fill the remaining 33 months of the mayoral term of disgraced, resigned Bob Filner.
The early conventional wisdom was that the clear favorite was Republican Kevin Faulconer, 47, the longest-serving council member and a community figure since his election as president of San Diego State University’s student body a quarter-century ago. Not only was Faulconer like the congenial moderate Republicans who have led San Diego for much of the last four decades, his opponent was a neophyte.
Democratic Councilman David Alvarez, 33, only became a public figure in 2010 when he beat out scions of two local political dynasties to win a seat representing a largely Latino district south of Interstate 8 — the dividing line in city politics between blue-collar communities nearer the Mexican border and the affluent neighborhoods from La Jolla to inland Rancho Bernardo.
Walmart Supercenters are a Win for California Communities
Walmart has a good story to tell and my economic impact study that was recently released by the company is a chapter in that chronicle. I started my research in 2008 analyzing the impact of Walmart Supercenters on California communities. Each time I’ve conducted these studies, I’ve utilized the retail taxable sales and retail business permits data as reported by California communities to the California Board of Equalization (BOE). And each time the facts point to the same conclusion – Walmart Supercenters support new job creation, small business growth and increased sales tax revenues.
Interestingly, I added an element to my 2014 study by looking at communities without Walmart Supercenters and comparing the results to similar-sized communities with Supercenters. On average, communities with Walmart Supercenters experience positive gains in taxable retail sales and an increase in the average number of retail business permits. What’s more, similar-sized communities in both northern and southern California without Walmart Supercenters either experienced a decline in average taxable retails sales or fell short when compared to a similar-sized community with a Walmart Supercenter. And in some cases, both occurred.
No Republican Candidates for AG?
One of the oddest stories about the forthcoming elections so far is that no credible Republican candidate has yet emerged to run for Attorney General. Sure, there are other statewide races in which a Republican has yet to step forward, and yes, Kamala Harris, the current AG is a Democratic incumbent in a heavily Democratic state, but if any statewide office might lean Republican in the public’s mind it would be the office of Attorney General.
As the chief law enforcement officer of the state, the Attorney General is all about law and order, typically a strong Republican issue. Harris has been attacked in the past on some of her positions dealing with law and order, especially her record as District Attorney of San Francisco.
A California Victory Over Texas Worth Celebrating
For all the big Texas talk about the lures of the Lone Star state, even Texans know the advantages of California. One testament to our virtues came recently from an unlikely source: the mayor of Houston.
The leader of the largest city in Texas came to Palm Springs, Calif., for the biggest day of her life: her marriage.
Why would a Texas politician confirm the biggest personal and financial decision of anyone’s life in California?
Because Mayor Annise Parker and her longtime partner Kathy Hubbard couldn’t get married legally in Texas.