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.
Sizing Up the Landscape for Initiatives in 2014
Even though the 2014 general election is 15 months away there are already rumors about what might appear on the ballot through the initiative process. In attempting to read the early tea leaves on initiative measures, especially ones that are related to the business community, I turned to Rick Claussen, long time ballot initiative maven running the newly named firm, Redwood Pacific.
The first thing Claussen did was to caution me that it is still early; that measures with strong financial backing could be filed in early 2014 and still qualify for the next general election ballot.
Already qualified for the ballot is the Health Insurance Rate Regulation measure, which would give power to the insurance commissioner to approve health insurance rates. (more…)
Fewer Elected Officials Could Cost Taxpayers More
In a recent piece, Joel Fox reminds us of the 1996 Constitutional Revision Commission, on which he served.
He recalls the Commission’s recommendation to eliminate a number of California’s elected offices, including the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Insurance Commissioner, the Treasurer and the State Board of Equalization. In the Commission’s plan, most of these positions would still exist, but the Governor rather than voters would choose who serves in them.
One might assume fewer elected officials would translated into significant savings for taxpayers. In some instances that may be the case. (more…)
Riding Herd on Coastal Act Violators
The August 7 article, “Unbridled,” contained some factual errors and misleading statements regarding the Coastal Commission’s enforcement authority generally, and the Commission’s specific actions on a series of Coastal Act violations at Malibu Valley Farms (MVF).
The article cites the MVF enforcement case as an example of how the Coastal Commission might misuse administrative penalty authority, should AB 976 become law. While it is true that the Commission issued an Enforcement Order to MVF to address a number of Coastal Act violations on the property, at no point did the Commission seek to impose penalties for these violations, which included the unpermitted construction of barns, corrals, and horse breeding facilities directly within and adjacent to a coastal stream and sensitive habitat. (more…)
Why Bankers and Public Sector Unions are Allies, not Enemies
Earlier this week former state senator Gloria Romero published a lengthy article in the San Diego Union-Tribune entitled “Fixing California: The union chokehold.” Reprinted with permission onUnionWatch, it describes how public sector unions, virtually unopposed, have undermined the effectiveness and overpriced the costs of government at all levels in California.
Romero, a liberal Democrat who served for seven years as senate majority leader in California’s state legislature, knows what she’s talking about. Her focus is on education, where the teachers unions have blocked meaningful reforms for years; protecting bad teachers from being terminated, promoting based on seniority instead of merit, taking over local school boards with hand-picked, union-financed candidates, attacking charter schools, prioritizing teacher compensation and job security over student achievement, and pushing a social agenda in front of academic fundamentals. (more…)
Will the Hyperloop Outrace the Bullet Train?
Let’s admit right up top that an intriguing proposal is difficult to stack up against a plan that is already in place, but yesterday’s news must have churned some stomachs at California’s High Speed Rail Authority. One report stated that the bullet train is facing new delays before it gets started and that those delays very likely could add to the rail’s cost. Another report talked about a futuristic competitor to high speed rail that would transport passengers between San Francisco and Los Angeles in one-fifth the time and at one-tenth the cost of the high speed rail.
As the Bloomberg Businessweek news report asserted, the proposed Hyperloop transport made up of aluminum pods enclosed in steel tubes “immediately poses a challenge to the status quo—in this case, California’s $70 billion high-speed train.” (more…)
Welcome Texans!
This is an open letter to Texas Gov. Rick Perry and his Economic Development team visiting California this week. Their goal is to interest businesses in relocating to their state or at least selecting Texas as the place in which to expand.
Dear Governor Perry and Delegates:
As you’re fix’in to come out here, I’m going to be presumptuous and give you some advice.
First, we all know that “jingoism” is a term used for people who fervently believe their nation is superior to others, people who will demean other countries.
California’s jingoists believe the state is superior to Texas – so much so they get hotter than a jalapeño and look for ways to insult you and all states they consider “secondary.” (more…)