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.
California Job Search: Doing Everything Right, But…
In these times of job scarcity, a job seeker in California can do everything right and still be unable to find a job. So too, a local Workforce Investment Board (WIB) can do everything right in a job placement or replacement program, and not be able to place participants. These truths come through in two fine articles on job placement that have appeared in recent days.
The first of these two articles, “A brutal Labor Day for some ex-Nummi workers”, by San Francisco Chronicle business columnist Andrew S. Ross, profiled former workers at the NUMMI plant in Fremont. The NUMMI plant closed in March 2011, laying off 4700 workers. Ross found that within 2 years less than half of the NUMMI workers reported being in a new job. Tesla had taken over the NUMMI plant, but its hiring of former NUMMI workers amounted to fewer than 50 by the end of 2012. (more…)
Will City Hall Torpedo the Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles is a major economic component of the Southern California economy, responsible, along with Port of Long Beach, for economic activity that supports over 900,000 jobs. However, the Port has run into strong headwinds as the volume of imported containers has slipped 6% over the last twelve months.
Even exports of loaded containers are down 12% this year after almost doubling over the last ten years.
These lower volumes, both of which are about 10% below their peak volumes, should serve as a wakeup call to the management of the Port, its Board of politically appointed commissioners, Mayor Eric Garcetti, and the City Council, especially as the competitive environment for international waterborne trade is increasing, eating into the Port’s market share and revenues and the incomes of Southern Californians. (more…)
We Will Never Forget – 9/11/2001
Look Behind the Curtain on Certain Bills
Despite rhetoric on policy, there is often a more strident, hidden agenda behind a number of bills that are vying for passage the last week of the session. Take two examples: AB 484 to change school testing and AB 711, a statewide ban on lead bullets.
The school bill would eliminate the test used to measure student achievement that has been in place for almost fifteen years and move toward a test based on a Common Core of learning. During the transition period from one set of tests to a new method, there will be no measuring stick applied to students at all.
While supporters of the change say the lack of testing is temporary, others suspect there is more at work here. In his column, Dan Walters wrote that it is widely believed that the goal of the teachers’ union, which is behind the bill, is to see that testing is “quietly killed.” (more…)
What Should We Name That Bridge?
Controversy swirls about the possibility of naming the western span of the new Bay Bridge for former San Francisco Mayor and Assembly Speaker Willie Brown. As an admirer of Brown and his political skills, I understand why his fans want it – but wonder if they shouldn’t be wary. Given all the cost overruns and safety issues, having one’s name on that bridge seems like a somewhat dubious honor.
But if the opposition of Gov. Jerry Brown and others keeps Brown’s name off the bridge, the Bay Area – and indeed the state – confront a question. What to name that bridge? To help out our friends to the north, this Southern Californian would like to offer some suggestions: (more…)
State’s Leaders Facing Problems, Not Kicking the Can
The Amazing Carnac he isn’t.
When trying to forecast the state’s fiscal situation in 2016 in a recent Fox&Hounds column, Joe Mathews made one prediction we can all agree on: the taxes raised from Proposition 30 fade away in 2016. But his “the sky is falling” projections about what will happen with the state’s economy and budget that year don’t add up.
Without question, the Federal Court order hanging over the head of the state is forcing the spending of hundreds of millions of dollars and is another pressure. It is unfortunate at a few prison inmate lawyers and judges are forcing this spending in this area of the budget. That being said, a renewed commitment to long term solutions – while they may have costs – will also help bring expensive prison spending down. (more…)