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.
Should It Really Be Easier to Remove Local Officials?
The LA Times’ George Skelton argues in a recent column that the case of San Diego Mayor Bob Filner is evidence that California local governments need more tools for removing officeholders. Filner, in his view, was too hard to remove from office, given the expense and difficulty of recalling mayors in San Diego. Skelton wants an impeachment process that would allow city councils, perhaps via unanimous vote, to remove mayors.
That sounds reasonable in the narrow context of Filner. But it looks counterproductive when you look more broadly at local elections in California. (more…)
With Filner Reportedly Out What’s Next for San Diego?
Let’s review the special election calendar in San Diego’s city charter (Article XV, Section 265(e)).
Upon the creation of a vacancy, the council will call a special election within 90 days. If a candidate does not receive a majority (50%+1) of votes in that election, the special runoff election will be within 49 days of the special election. Thus, if the council meets the first two weeks of September to declare a victory, we’re likely looking at an early December election with a late January runoff.
Paul Mitchell looks at the possible election dates. (more…)
California Business Roundtable Launches the Center for Jobs and the Economy
The California Business Roundtable announced today the launch of the California Center for Jobs and the Economy. The Center will provide a comprehensive view of California’s employment picture by region as well as by demographics and industry sectors. The website provides a new data tool that allows users to visually see what is occurring in the state with respect to employment, wages, and other economic data across the regions, by county and by State Senate and Assembly districts.
As Tom Conley, our Chairman of the California Business Roundtable, stated regarding the website, “California businesses, residents and elected officials are going to greatly benefit from the creation of the Center for Jobs and the Economy. Our Board wanted the Center to fill a gap on factual data that will give California the tools to assess key aspects of the jobs environment and the economy, ultimately allowing for further understanding of California’s business climate.” (more…)
Elon Musk’s Hyperloop, Part 3, Newsom or a GOP initiative?
In Part 1, I compared Hyperloop to other ETT (evacuated tube transport) systems and note that in 2011 a Chinese prototype achieved a 700 MPH model speed, proof of concept. In Part 2, I considered Musk’s crowdsourcing strategy, his stick in the eye of CAHSRA and the tech geek kids who are already building the vision on www.reddit.com boards. I said— The Kids Love It—and that means there is a market.
But markets require entrepreneurs to shape the raw needs and wants and create a product that satisfies them and turns a profit. What Elon Musk may not fully comprehend is that if Hyperloop it to replace CAHSRA, it will take political entrepreneurs shaping the context one level up from skunk works corporations. Who are the politicos that might have a chance succeeding? Well, for one… Gavin Newsom.
Gavin Newsom: The Pied Piper of Hyperloop? (more…)
Litigation is Destructive in Communities’ Attempts to Solve Wastewater Dispute
Litigation between neighboring communities is a lose-lose for all parties. Public officials are tasked with working together, not against one another, for the benefit of their communities. The city of Riverside, unfortunately, seems to have forgotten this.
We at the Jurupa Community Services District (JCSD) have had a longstanding, mutually beneficial relationship with the city revolving around the use of its wastewater treatment plant. Regrettably, the city recently jeopardized this relationship when it blindsided JCSD with a costly and unfounded lawsuit. (more…)
Monterey Shale and the Future of California
As the debate over the practice of hydraulic fracturing to reach deeply embedded oil heats up, listening to a discussion on the topic sponsored by Los Angeles’ BizFed Institute last week, I have the feeling we will see it happen. Or should I say continue to happen since fracking, as it is called, has been going on in California for 60 years.
What has pushed the debate to the forefront is the recent estimate that California’s Monterey Shale formation could be home to 15 billion barrels of crude, about two-thirds of all the shale oil in the United States.
To allow the process to be used effectively, the legislature has struggled to find middle ground between oil producers and environmentalists. The debate has joined around Senator Fran Pavley’s SB 4. (more…)