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.

Americans’ Family Feud

In this bizarrely politicized environment, even the preservation of the most basic institution of society – the family – is morphing into a divisive partisan issue. Increasingly, the two parties are divided not only along lines of economic and social philosophy, but over the primacy of traditional familialism.

Increasingly, large portions of the progressive community are indifferent or hostile to the idea of the nuclear family, while many on the right argue that it’s key to a Republican revival. Observers such as the Weekly Standard’s Jonathan Last see familialism as key to the demographically challenged GOP. “Start a family, vote Republican,” he suggests. Long-term, Republicans can look forward to the rise of what New York Times columnist David Brooks cleverly calls “red diaper babies.” (more…)

A Difficult 2016

2016 is shaping up to be an unpleasant year to be California’s governor. Or a legislator for that matter. Because the state might have to reckon with its bigger problems that year.

The Democrats’ fondness for temporary policies is at the root of the issue. Prop 30, the tax hike ballot initiative that has saved California (if you believe the national press), is actually based on temporary tax increases on sales and income. The sales tax increase expires that year. Without those revenues, the state budget – which remains stuck at austerity levels even with the Prop 30 increases – will look even worse. And things could look worse at the end of 2018, when the income tax increases expire. (more…)

CEQA’s Union Shop of Horrors

If you operate a business in California, you’ve probably heard of CEQA horror stories – about how it delays construction projects and makes them far more expensive. Heck, you may have passed around a few of those stories, too, since the business sector’s disgust with CEQA has attained an almost mythic status. It’s the state law that businesses love to hate.

But CEQA – the acronym for the California Environmental Quality Act – has an impact that goes beyond the business sector. It hurts workers, too. Mostly union workers. (more…)

Why CA Carbon Auction and Overall AB 32 Approach are Doomed

This month marks the seventh anniversary of Arnold Schwarzenegger signing AB 32 amid an orgy of self-congratulation over this alleged environmental landmark. Ever since then, I’ve written regularly about the basic flaw of AB 32: reducing the emissions believed to cause global warming with a cap-and-trade market of pollution credits only works if most of the world follows the same approach. A single state, even California, can’t change anything on the margins.

This is not right-wing agitprop. This is basic economics. So AB 32 is bad policy because it can’t achieve its main goal, and it looks even worse when you realize that by forcing California to shift to cheaper but costlier energy, it creates an economic disadvantage with rival states and nations that don’t have AB 32-type laws in place. In other words, most of the world. (more…)

Prop 13 Protects Against Yo-Yo Effect

Even for those who aren’t in the market, it’s hard to ignore all the news about rising home prices. According to the California Association of Realtors, median home prices are up nearly 30 percent over just the last year. California has not seen this big of a one year increase since 1977 when it jumped 28.1 percent.

But the huge increase in values in 1977 brought as much anger and fear as anything else because that was just before voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 13 to rein in out of control property taxes. Those taxes were going up as fast as home prices and forcing many from their homes. (more…)

Waiting for Hertzberg?

Speculation by Capitol insiders that Bob Hertzberg, one time Assembly Speaker, now running for a San Fernando Valley state senate seat, is already in the mix to be the next president pro tem of the senate, may intensify given recent political moves.

Hertzberg’s endorsement list is beginning to look like a small telephone book in length, and while there are no absolutes in politics, few would bet against him winning the seat and returning to the legislature after an absence of more than ten years. With his experience and connections he immediately becomes a force to be reckoned with under the dome. (more…)