DHHL Summary of 2022 Legislative Session
News That Criminals Can Use: Girls Used to Commit Crimes will not be Jailed
Honolulu police arrest Ewa Rep. Matthew LoPresti on DUI charge (again)
SA: …LoPresti, 48, was arrested at around 11:45 p.m. near the intersection of Fort Weaver and Geiger roads, according to Honolulu Police Department records, after responding police detected “a strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath.”
An incident report released by HPD and submitted by Sgt. Steven Chun also said that LoPresti’s eyes were “red, watery, and glassy” while interacting with police.….
The report said LoPresti’s vehicle had started to “roll forward” as if LoPresti had removed his foot from his car’s brake pedal, during which Chun instructed LoPresti to stop. While parking his own vehicle, Chun said, LoPresti’s began rolling away for a second time.
“I placed my subsidized motor vehicle in the park position and noticed that the Chevy was again rolling forward,” Chun said in his report. He then reportedly shouted “Police” at LoPresti and told him to “stay right there while simultaneously activating my blue and white strobe lights.” After repositioning his vehicle and while walking toward LoPresti’s, Chun reported, the brake lights on LoPresti’s vehicle became illuminated….
The woman in LoPresti’s vehicle was taken home by one of the responding officers, according to Chun’s report, suggesting that she had been drinking as well. Police moved the vehicle to the parking lot in the Ewa Town Center.
LoPresti had to surrender his driver’s license, although he was given a temporary permit…..
Hawaii court records show that LoPresti was arrested and convicted in 2001 for a drunk driving charge.
Lo Presti, a Democrat, represents District 41 including Ewa Villages, Ocean Pointe and Ewa Beach. He is running unopposed in the Aug. 13 primary election, and in November will face either David A. Alcos III or Daniel P. Wade, who are competing for the Republican nomination….
SA Off the News: More troubles for LoPresti
KITV: LoPresti narrowly defeated Alcos in 2020 by 1.6% (203 votes.)
CB: LoPresti had been involved in an argument with a female passenger of the vehicle….He was reelected to his current position in 2020. Since then, he’s led the House’s new Progressive Caucus.
HNN: Police: Hawaii lawmaker declined field sobriety test in DUI arrest
Years of Alcoholic Rage:
read … Honolulu police arrest state Rep. Matthew LoPresti on DUI charge
Contractor’s report: It’s not safe to drain Red Hill fuel tanks due to pipeline, valve damage
SA: … A top Navy official said it is expected to take months to repair the pipeline system at Red Hill before millions of gallons of fuel stored in the underground tanks can be safely drained and the facility shut down.
Navy Rear Adm. Dean VanderLey, commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Pacific, declined to be more specific about a timeline during an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” livestream. He said the focus is on preventing another accident once the defueling begins….
VanderLey said there’s no indication that there are problems with the tanks, but that the distribution system, including the pipelines and valves, is in need of repairs….
read … Contractor’s report: It’s not safe to drain Red Hill fuel tanks due to pipeline, valve damage
New HPD chief reacts to indictment of ex-city prosecutor, ongoing corruption probe
HNN: … “My first goal in the department is to earn the trust and confidence of the members of the Honolulu police department,” said Logan.
With 300 vacancies to fill, HPD is holding smaller recruit classes with mentoring and beefing up recruitment. Logan is looking at moving officers from special assignments to patrolling the streets….
He also talked about the two SHOPO leaders on desk duty after criminal extortion allegations.
“I’m not saying they did something wrong, but we are looking into the allegation so right now we are taking the appropriate action to be transparent,” said Logan….
Logan insists his 36-year-old son Zane Logan who’s facing burglary and assault charges is not getting special treatment and he’s learning about the case through the news….
He says his son has battled addiction and went through rehab, but Logan broke off contact when he relapsed….
read … New HPD chief reacts to indictment of ex-city prosecutor, ongoing corruption probe
Bill aims to help severely disabled veterans with property taxes
MN: … Maui County Bill 110 will allow those with a 70 percent or higher disability rating by the U.S. Veterans Administration to qualify for an annual real property tax bill of only $150, said Council Member Mike Molina, who holds the Makawao-Haiku-Paia residency seat and introduced the bill.
This change will ensure severely disabled veterans and their surviving spouses have additional support as rapidly increasing housing costs have placed a greater financial burden on Maui County taxpayers, said Molina, who noted the current standard to get the lower tax bill requires 100 percent disability….
The bill is on the Maui County Council’s agenda for its 9 a.m. meeting on Tuesday, where it would normally be referred to a committee….
read … Bill aims to help severely disabled veterans with property taxes
Sen. Brian Schatz proposes higher budget to raise office staffers wages by 20%
SA: … The Hawaii Democrat, who has championed the cause in the past, sent a letter to Senate Legislative Branch appropriators pushing for a 20% bump to the allowance that senators use to pay their staffers.
It could be a long shot, since Republicans seem reluctant to hike office budgets again after providing a modest increase in 2021 of 5%….
read … Sen. Brian Schatz proposes higher budget to raise office staffers wages
Solar is the Only ‘Plan’ to Stop Rolling Blackouts and DPP is slow-walking Permits
SA: … DPP Director Dean Uchida said the state’s decision to close the AES Hawaii coal power plant in West Oahu has led to an increase in the number of large projects requiring permits, and the permitting process for large projects is more complicated than for single residences.
“This need to permit the large-scale solar facilities came out of the blue. There was no coordination or communication with us at all,” Uchida told the Honolulu City Council Zoning and Planning Committee on Thursday.
(IQ Test; Are you laughing?)
Another factor that Uchida said is contributing to the delay in processing of permits is the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission’s decision to approve a “battery bonus program,” which allows Hawaiian Electric Co. customers to be paid when they add their stored solar power to the grid. The move was meant to boost the amount of clean energy to prepare for the closure of the coal plant by September.
“We’re trying to clear them (permit applications) out as best we can, but … these decisions are being made that drive up demand without involving us,” Uchida said. “Unfortunately, we take the brunt of the criticisms for why the permits aren’t being processed fast enough, but we had no ability to prepare for the push for the large-scale solar or the battery bonus program.” ….
(So DPP ‘leadership’ is not responsible for paying attention to developments in development? Pathetic..)
read … Department of Planning and Permitting hopes to address delays for Oahu solar permits
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