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.
Lawsuit Abuse Wastes Tax Dollars
As president of the Robla School District Board of Trustees, I take my duty to spend taxpayer dollars as effectively as possible very seriously.
That’s what makes it so frustrating when abusive lawsuits are filed against the district in search of a quick payday – something that happens with alarming frequency. With each lawsuit, the district has to use taxpayer dollars in its defense. When those dollars are diverted to courtrooms instead of classrooms, the only winners are the personal injury lawyers and those trying to cash in at the expense of California’s children.
Governor Gives New Life to Once-Vetoed Bills
If at first you don’t succeed, be glad Jerry Brown is governor.
In at least five cases this year, Brown has given legislators a mulligan, signing versions of bills he either vetoed or dissed in the past.
In four cases, it was government working the way it’s supposed to, with legislators getting together with the governor to craft a compromise bill everyone could live with.
One of the reasons that governors have the veto power is so they can tamp down the, ah, enthusiasms of the Legislature, including – and especially – lawmakers of his own party.
Knowing that your bill is never going to see the light of the day unless you’re willing to play nice with the governor does a remarkable job of focusing a legislator on the essentials of his measure.
Lawsuit Abuse is Hurting Minority Communities
There are certain truisms about living and working in California. One is that the sunsets are gorgeous and the surfing is pretty good. Another is that if you are a minority small business or property owner, you will most likely – at some point – be hit by a frivolous lawsuit.
The devastating effect of lawsuit abuse on California’s small business is well-documented. I’ve heard story after story from small business owners about shakedown lawsuits in which lawyers sue for any reason they can find and walk away with thousands of dollars in settlement money.
What’s often overlooked in these shakedown lawsuits is the disproportionate effect it has on minority small business owners. Predatory lawyers target these ethnic communities due to language, educational or cultural barriers they believe increase their prospects for an easy settlement without a fight.
Poll Shows CA GOP Congressmen in for a Re-Elect Fight
If you were near the Interwebs this weekend, you undoubtedly saw that left-leaning Public Policy Polling firm conducted a survey for MoveOn.org that found 17 vulnerable Republicans–enough for Democrats to take back the House in 2014–and four more that might be vulnerable if the voters were deciding next November on the basis of the shutdown. In each of 24 races (600-700 “voters per district”), the incumbent Republican was tested against a generic ballot Democrat. The poll was telephonic.
In California, the firm tested three candidates before and after a series of questions pinning the government shutdown blame on the Republican:
- CD10: Jeff Denham 44% v. Generic Democrat 44% | after questions: Jeff Denham 44% v. Generic Democrat 48% [results]
- CD21: David Valadao 50% v. Generic Democrat 39% | after questions: David Valadao 50% v. Generic Democrat 40% [results]
- CD31: Gary Miller 39% v. Generic Democrat 51% | after questions: Gary Miller 39% v. Generic Democrat 48% [results]
California’s New Feudalism Benefits a Few at the Expense of the Multitude
California has been the source of much innovation, from agribusiness and oil to fashion and the digital world. Historically much richer than the rest of the country, it was also the birthplace, along with Levittown, of the mass-produced suburb, freeways, much of our modern entrepreneurial culture, and of course mass entertainment. For most of a century, for both better and worse, California has defined progress, not only for America but for the world.
As late as the 80s, California was democratic in a fundamental sense, a place for outsiders and, increasingly, immigrants—roughly 60 percent of the population was considered middle class. Now, instead of a land of opportunity, California has become increasingly feudal. According to recent census estimates, the state suffers some of the highest levels of inequality in the country. By some estimates, the state’s level of inequality compares with that of such global models as the Dominican Republic, Gambia, and the Republic of the Congo.
Who Best Knows Our California Job Markets
Wherever you go in California, there are two entities that best understand the local labor market. One is the private sector staffing firms. The other is the local Workforce Investment Board. (WIB).
Ms. Martha Amram, a Milken Institute Fellow and CEO of the energy management firm WattzOn, discovered this. She recently met with Sacramento WIB staff to discuss Prop. 39 funding. She came away stunned by how much they knew in real time about which energy firms were hiring, what occupations they were hiring for, what the jobs paid.
Similarly, in a recent presentation in Contra Costa, WIB director Stephen Baiter could reel off the hiring by Contra Costa health care employers and IT employers. In nearby Richmond, WIB director Sal Vaca can tell you exactly who’s hiring and who’s not among the local construction firms. Over in Fresno, Blake Konczal carefully tracks the job seekers coming into the One Stops as well as the daily hiring. The 49 local WIBs in California close to their customers: businesses and job seekers.