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.
Brown Saying “No” More Than Twice As Much as He Used To
Of the 896 bills lawmakers approved in 2013, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed 96 of them – just under 11 percent – the lowest percentage of his current term, according to How Often Do Governors Say No?, an annual tabulation by the Senate Committee on Governance & Finance.
In 2012, the Democratic governor was sent 996 bills of which he vetoed 120.
Of the 870 bills sent to him in 2011, he vetoed 125 — a 14.4 percent veto rate.
During his first two terms as governor, from 1975 through 1982, Brown’s veto rate was 4.4 percent compared to 12.4 percent for the last three years.
A Victory for Non Citizens
I do not understand the reaction to Gov. Jerry Brown’s veto of a measure to permit non-citizens to serve on juries.
For that matter, I do not understand the purpose of the legislation.
The legislature determined that non-citizens should have the right to serve on juries, as though that were some great privilege of citizenship. And Brown’s veto said that they don’t deserve that privilege.
Huh? What privilege?
This fails to pass the Golden Rule test. If I were a non citizen, and someone wanted to make me eligible for jury duty, I’d say: Do you have something against me, bro?
Tea Party Members and Energy Needed by Republican Party
Yesterday Tony Quinn published an article in Fox & Hounds that sounded like an eviction notice to Tea Party members and supporters, evicting them from the Republican Party.
Pundits like Tony Quinn believe these folks should not be involved in the Republican Party, nor should they, by extension work, vote or donate to Republicans candidates. If you are banned from the Party, why support it?
Tony Quinn wrote, “It is time for California Republicans to confront the real enemies who are dragging them from defeat to defeat, and this means dealing with the Tea Party extremists in their own ranks. Until the state GOP faces up to this it cannot be rebuilt, and 2014 is exactly the time to start.”
Study Finds Tripling Tobacco Tax Would Ignite Smuggling
One out of five cigarettes puffed in California is smuggled. Yet a proposed $2 tax increase on every pack of cigarettes, which would increase the price to $9 per pack, would ignite cigarette smuggling, a new study by the California Foundation for Commerce and Education found.
Senate Bill 768 by Sen. Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles, proposes to triple California’s cigarette excise tax from $0.87 to $2.87. The tax would also extend to cigars.
De León was unable get SB768 passed during the 2012-2013 legislative session. While it sits on the shelf in the Senate Appropriations Committee, there is already talk of bringing it back to life, as well as initiating another statewide cigarette and tobacco tax ballot initiative.
Cashing in on So Cal Culture
Southern California has always been an invented place. Without a major river, a natural port or even remotely adequate water, the region has always thrived on reinventing itself – from cow town to agricultural hub to oil city, Tinsel Town and the “Arsenal of Democracy.”
Today, the need for the region to reinvent itself yet again has never been greater. Due in large part to regulatory pressures, as well as competitive forces both global and national, many industries that have driven the Southland economy – notably, aerospace, garments and oil – are under assault. A high cost of living, particularly for housing, stymies potential in-migration and motivates industries to look elsewhere to locate or expand.
As a result, virtually every key Southern California industry has been either stagnating or losing ground to competitors. More important, the area in the past decade has lost much of its appeal as a destination for both immigrants and young people, drying up a huge source of potential innovation.
A Pension Initiative Could Affect Other Election Issues
Few would disagree with public employee union leaders when they declare their coalition would be out in force to defeat the new pension reform initiative filed by San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and others. The question is how such an organized effort to defeat this one measure will play with other candidate and ballot issues in the same election?
Warning: Mayor conjecturing ahead with inevitable twists and turns on the political trail that could disrupt this current view.
This speculation assumes the pension plan makes the ballot. That is not a sure thing. Many dollars would be needed to qualify the measure, let alone run a difficult statewide campaign, and there is little indication that the needed revenue is available at this point.