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.

Add Your Voice to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan Today

Last month we celebrated the 100 year anniversary of the L.A. Aqueduct — a historic project constructed by William Mulholland to bring water to L.A. and transform our region into an economic powerhouse for our state and nation.

Today we find ourselves at another “Mulholland” moment in California’s history with the release of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). This 33,000 page, 50-year planning document released by State and Federal agencies last week articulates the necessity of a $25 billion upgrade of our state’s water conveyance system combined with the restoration of more than 150,000 acres of habitat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The plan to stabilize the Delta will assure the reliability of California’s water supply for 25 million residents and the hundreds of thousands of businesses that depend on it.

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A Bay Delta Conservation Plan Christmas Story

Twas the night before Christmas at BDCP,
But their eggnogs were downed amidst much misery.
Their heads were hung low, their brows were all sweated,
‘Cause it looked like their EIR wouldn’t be vetted.

Six years or more they had worked through the night,
To make us believe the twin tunnels were right.
When pressed to explain things, they just hemmed and hawed,
Cause they knew all along what they planned was a fraud.

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Black Bart Award Nominee: Darrell Steinberg

Senate president pro tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Perez came into their last two years as legislative leaders with a full head of steam behind a supermajority control of the legislature and new revenues because of the success of Prop 30. Managing these new found riches in both party votes and taxpayer gold placed both leaders in a unique and high profile position. They were the center of attention for much of the year in the California political world and both deserve consideration as Black Bart Award nominees for 2013.

Part of the trick for this leadership duo was to balance the pent up spending demand from fellow Democrats with the concern of spending sprees that could repeat mistakes of the past which helped plunge the state into fiscal chaos.  Governor Brown was looking over their shoulders, but they had the votes to override any veto (that is, before legislators started playing musical chairs with other political offices.)

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California Office Pool 2014

This marks the fifth annual version of the California Office Pool. It was inspired by the late, great New York Times columnist William Safire, who made a habit of writing a year-end column he called Office Pool. In it, Safire offered, multiple-choice style, a series of possible news events that could take place in the year ahead. At the column’s end, he let you know which ones he thought would occur.

Safire’s focus was Washington; ours is California. My picks are at the end.

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Tell Us Something We Don’t Know – California Is Still a Judicial Hellhole

If you’re wondering what that smell is, it’s not chestnuts roasting on an open fire. It’s fire and brimstone, because California has been named the nation’s worst judicial hellhole in the nation for the second consecutive year. In the annual edition of its Judicial Hellholes Report, the American Tort Reform Association ranked California number one, followed by Louisiana, New York City, West Virginia, Madison County, Illinois and southern Florida.

The report cites what those of us who have watched California’s legal system for years already know: the absurd lawsuits, pervasive shakedowns, and other abuses of California’s judicial system hurt the economy and cost our state jobs. And businesses and jobs aren’t the only victims. In fact, according to the report, “California’s addiction to lawsuits claims average residents as victims, too. The litigation system effectively imposed a $33.5 billion hidden tax, or $883 per resident, just for the costs of lawsuits settled thus far in 2013.” $883 would be pretty nice to have around the holiday season, don’t you think?

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Poll: Reed’s Pension Measure Unpopular With Voters

For all the political chatter about pensions, California voters remain strongly opposed to gutting the retirement benefits of teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public employees.

According to a new statewide poll conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based GarinHartYoung Research Group, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed’s proposed ballot measure that gives cities the ability to slash the retirement benefits of existing public employees has the support of only 36 percent of California voters.

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