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.
Here’s How Gavin Could Make His Big Four Appointments
The much-discussed contest over who Gov. Newsom names to fill Kamala Harris’ Senate seat—a contest in which I remain the best choice—is about far more than one appointment.
In fact, it’s starting to look like the governor will get to make a Big 4 of appointments to elected office. And on top of those, he’s likely to be able to remake much of his senior staff, as some aides are likely to head to Washington.
Who are the Big 4? Let’s offer a fearless set of predictions.
He starts by picking Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill the Harris seat. Padilla is the favorite and would make a good senator. That’s big pick #1. That would open up Padilla’s job, for which there are many great candidates across the state. My best guess is that the job goes to Jay Nath, the former chief innovation officer for San Francisco, and now the co-CEO of a non-profit that helps government be more effective. If not Nath, look for Jen Pahlka, the Code for America founder, or a top legislator like Toni Atkins to get the gig. That’s big pick #2. (more…)
Pension Obligation Bonds Are Not the Answer to Pension Crisis
Pension Obligation Bonds (POBs) do NOT reduce pension obligations. They increase pension assets, which produces an accounting benefit (more assets — the same liabilities = a lower unfunded liability).
Economically, a POB is just a “carry trade,” which is a borrowing at a low rate to bet on hopefully-higher-yielding products. Not surprisingly, Wall Street also sells those products (e.g., stocks, private equity. hedge funds, etc.).
When the smoke clears after issuance of a POB, the issuer has (i) the same pension obligations it had before, (ii) more debt, (iii) paid fees to bankers, and (iv) gambled the proceeds on products that beget more fees for bankers.
POBs are meritless products deliberately misnamed by bankers in search of fees. Just say no.
The Myth of the Latino Monolith
Along with our guest, journalist Pilar Marrero, we discuss the Latino vote in the 2020 election nationally and in California, Arizona and other states. And we explore the impact of Latinos on American politics and policy in the future.
Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside Golden State Politics.
Is It Too Early to Talk About the 2022 Governor’s Race?
With the 2020 election now ended already the 2022 California election is getting attention so I may as well jump in and take a look at the governor’s race. Conjecturing about a political campaign so far in the future and basing some of the thinking on current circumstances is not political science. But as long time Democratic political consultant, the late Joe Cerrell used to say, it would be better to call the study of politics political arts. So, let’s be creative.
One would not think that discussing the re-election prospect of a Democratic incumbent in a solid blue state who has scored around a 50% approval rating and higher in recent polls is worth pondering. But unexpected political turns because of the coronavirus, the governor’s actions as an individual at the French Laundry restaurant, and government’s response overall has clouded the picture. (more…)
Waiting for Chad Mayes
We completely screwed up California’s election system, and all we got was one lousy independent.
After a decade of the miserable election experiment known as the top-two, the election to the state assembly of Chad Mayes, a former Republican turned independent, is the only consolation prize.
That ought to embarrass backers of the top-two system. After all, changing our elections to a two-round contest—with all the candidates on the ballot in the first round, and a run-off between the top-two in November—was supposed to advance moderation and independent candidates.
But Mayes, in winning election as an independent to a seat he had previously won as a Republican, is the only independent to win a state election in California in the first decade of top two. Indeed, Mayes made history not just in our state. He’s the only person who is not a Democrat and not a Republican to win a state election in any top-two state. (more…)
Today’s Education Battles: Lessons From A Campaign That Saved JROTC In The Public Schools
(Latest in a series since March on the pandemic’s employment impacts, and rebuilding America’s job base. The previous ones are here.)
Over the past eighteen months, the San Francisco Unified School District Board has decided that famed murals by Victor Arnautoff contain racist themes and need to be removed, that the names of public schools (Washington, Lincoln, Feinstein) need to be scrutinized and probably replaced, and, last month, that admission to Lowell High, the city’s renowned academic high school be based not on grades and test scores but on a lottery.
What unites all of these measures, of course, is they have nothing to do with education or the big education issues facing the district; they have been decided without true community input and with public testimony only for show; and they have been driven by the ideology of Board members, rather than needs for change expressed by numbers of teachers, administrators, parents or students. In the case of the Lowell decision, the great majority of alumni, parents and students who have weighed in the past month have been against the decision. (more…)