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Thursday, January 27, 2022
January 27, 2022 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 5:51 PM :: 4125 Views

Tasers were made legal in Hawaii on January 1st, and a new law has already been proposed to ban carrying them.

COVID Emergency: Ige Extends Partial Suspension of Sunshine Law

DoE, HPD Sued over Arrest of 10-year-old Girl

Meetings Being Cancelled Due to Improper Notice

How Much Drivers Pay in Taxes at the Pump in Hawaii

Hawaii businesses say proposed minimum wage hike would hurt

Hawaii: State of Tobacco Control

Attorney: Sword wants to Sing Like Canary

SA: … My statement on behalf of my client, Mr. Sword, was factual: He did rely on legal and budget advice from the city, namely the Corporation Counsel and the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services. ….

The suggestion that Sword or other members of the Police Commission should ignore the advice of the city’s legal and budget departments, which are tasked to give advice to the Police Commission, is utterly ludicrous….

(Translation: My client wants to rat out Leong and Amemiya.)

(CLUE: Feds already have Leong and Amemiya.  Who will rat out Caldwell?)

Mr. Sword has had a long and distinguished career in the visitor industry. He has served in volunteer positions his entire life, from AYSO to various church, community, and educational organizations. He has volunteered his service to numerous governmental commissions, such as the Judicial Selection Commission and the Police Commission, whose vetting processes are extremely thorough. Why would he ever knowingly risk jeopardizing a lifetime of good work and stellar reputation when there was absolutely nothing to gain personally for him?…

(Translation: My client wants to avoid prison.  Make a deal and he will sing.)

(CLUE: Feds already have Leong and Amemiya.  Who will rat out Caldwell?)

CB: Leong Attorney Flails Around Looking for a Defense

read … Sword acted appropriately in handling payments to Kealoha

City Council advances short-term rental bill

SA: … More than 100 people testified over alterations to the rules for short-term rentals at the first full City Council meeting of the year on Wednesday.

The most notable change the Council is considering is increasing the minimum stay to three months from 30 days for short-term rentals without a special permit.

Edward Jones was one of those who testified against the measure. He explained that he is a kupuna on a fixed income that rents rooms in his house to supplement funds.

“We’ve been renting for the last 30 years,” he said.

“Others who rent for 30 days have legitimacy. Local residents rent for a month, and then use our good reference to elevate to a long-term lease, whether it be here or elsewhere. So this legislation will actually block affordable housing. That will be an unintended side effect.”

The majority of those who appeared virtually through Zoom or over the phone were testifying against the measure….

The Hawaii Tourism Authority and the Hawaii Lodging &Tourism Association both testified in support of Bill 41….

The way DPP plans to enforce Bill 41 if it becomes a law is to create an enforcement branch within the department of seven full-time positions. To fund that component, the Council also will consider Bill 4, which would bump up property tax classifications for those operating short-term rentals.

read … City Council advances short-term rental bill

SB2021: Lawmakers consider transferring to OHA an estimated $638M of withheld public land trust revenues

HPR: … Hawaiʻi lawmakers are considering a measure that would transfer to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs hundreds of millions of dollars in public land trust revenues – money long withheld from the agency.

Senate Bill 2021 proposes to help resolve the decades-old dispute over how much of the public land trust revenues should be directed toward the betterment of Native Hawaiians….

But any increase in OHA’s share of public land trust revenues concerns other state agencies who receive a slice of the public land trust pie.

"We believe it would have a potentially severe impact on our budget," said Ian Hirokawa with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources while testifying Tuesday in opposition to the bill.

"We are largely funded by our lease revenue and you know they go to fund natural resource management, protection programs, and we feel that if we were to have to pay more to OHA, it could potentially have a severe impact on our budget and our programs," Hirokawa said….

read … Lawmakers consider transferring to OHA an estimated $638M of withheld public land trust revenues

Lawmakers Consider Nine Bills Limiting Executive Emergency Power

CB: … The governor is extending Hawaii’s emergency proclamation as state lawmakers are set to take up bills that seek to limit Ige’s emergency powers.

On Wednesday, the deadline for bills to be introduced, there were nine bills, most of which would curb what a governor could do after issuing an emergency proclamation.

Senate Bill 3285 and House Bill 1416 would, among other things, give the Legislature authority to strike down extensions to emergency orders. Similar measures would also limit emergency periods to 60 days and require that any extension be approved by lawmakers. A bill proposing all those things stalled late in the 2021 legislative session.

Meanwhile, Senate Bill 2916 would prohibit a governor or county mayors from suspending the public records law, as Ige did at the outset of the pandemic….

read … Ige Extends Emergency Proclamation As Lawmakers Consider Limits On Executive Power

Is Kai Kahele planning to run for governor? He won’t rule it out

HNN: … Freshman Congressman Kai Kahele says he’s reassessing his political future after hearing from people who want him to run for governor.

Kahele has recently been critical of Gov. David Ige’s response to COVID and the Red Hill water crisis ― and sought to offer plans of his own.

In an interview with Hawaii News Now this week, Kahele would not rule out a run for governor.

When asked if he plans to join the race, he replied:

“I’m focused on listening to my constituents. I’m here in the district working really hard for them. As I travel throughout the state, I consistently hear from my constituents that they are not happy with the direction that the state is headed in and they are having a difficult time with any of the current candidates that are running for governor.”

(Translation: I will be the replacement for Caldwell.)

He added, “I’m committed to serving my second year in Congress and doing the best job I can. I’ll reassess what my political future looks like.” …

read … Is Kai Kahele planning to run for governor? He won’t rule it out

Big Fat Developer Giveaway: 3,000 luxury homes around Aloha Stadium

SA: … A state agency is close to narrowing a competition among developers to turn land around Aloha Stadium into a mixed-use community including around 3,000 homes, but state lawmakers are being asked to consider reserving the area for a tremendous amount of ‘affordable’ (LOL!) housing instead.

(As a distraction,) bills introduced at the Legislature this year call for building 20,000 to 75,000 homes on some or all of 73 acres around a new planned stadium on 25 acres in Halawa to address Hawaii’s short supply of affordable housing….

DAGS produced a rendering showing 53 towers surrounding the stadium to show what 20,000 homes might look like on 73 acres.

By comparison, the 60-acre Ward Village area in Kakaako is slated for about 4,300 homes in 16 towers, each rising up to 400 feet…. 

read … Lawmakers propose thousands of affordable homes around a new Aloha Stadium

High levels of petroleum found in drinking water sample at Pearl City Peninsula homes

HNN: … The Navy has detected high levels of petroleum in samples taken from drinking water at Pearl City Peninsula homes, officials said on Wednesday.

Officials said the sample found a petroleum compound at 650 parts per billion — exceeding the 200 parts per billion limit set by the state Department of Health for this emergency response.

All residents in the community have been notified.

Navy civil engineers previously said water at Pearl City Peninsula came from the Waiawa shaft, which they said had no detectable levels of fuel or petroleum and was unaffected by the leaks at Red Hill….

SA: Hawaii State Senate committees consider measure pretending to prohibit underground fuel tanks near aquifer

CB: Community Concerned Navy’s Defueling Of Red Hill Isn’t Happening Fast Enough

KHON: One business spends thousands on clean water as Navy’s contamination crisis continues

read … High levels of petroleum found in drinking water sample at Pearl City Peninsula homes

Hawaii Does Not Need a Minimum Wage Increase

CB: … Studies show that wage hikes actually lead to a reduction in worker hours….

GRIH: Hawaii-does-not-need-a-minimum-wage-increase

read … Hawaii Does Not Need a Minimum Wage Increase

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