How Fast is Hawaii’s Economy Growing?
‘The more-government stuff doesn’t work’
A ‘Capitol Convo’ about Hawaii’s high cost of living
Hawaii VEX IQ Championships qualifies 18 robotics teams for World event in Dallas, TX
How Living Off the Grid in Hawaii Compares to Other States
Get Out, Evil! Stay In, Good Fortune!
Silvert: State Laws Don’t Prohibit Corruption
TGI: … TGI: One thing that stands out to me about the case is that the mailbox frame-up job seems incredibly sloppy. Do you think that that was more of a function of the Kealohas being inept or arrogant?
AS: I’m convinced it was arrogance. But it was arrogance in that, when they understand how the system works, they were banking on it working for them. Katherine knew that the prosecutor’s office would prosecute the case. The Honolulu Police Department was investigating the case. So they could control all aspects. They didn’t think anybody would really investigate it, and they would use the system and the way it works to their benefit.
TGI: After the Kealoha case and the recent bribery scandals at the state Legislature last year, there has been a huge focus on corruption, with the Foley Commission proposing a series of new reforms, some of which are now making their way through the statehouse. What are your thoughts on those proposals?
AS: I think the Foley Commission was a great first step, but it can’t be the end. There are moments in history where change can happen, but they don’t last long. The status quo doesn’t want it and it’s going to fight back….
TGI: Are there particular proposals that you latched on to?
AS: (The Foley Commission) recommended new criminal statutes dealing with fraud and corruption, and I think that’s critically important because the state has a gap.
All these corruption cases we see now are being prosecuted by the feds. There are a lot of institutional reasons why this is happening, and one of the reasons is that there really aren’t equivalent criminal statutes on the state books that allow these kinds of prosecutions….
(TRANSLATION: Corruption is legal here. The crooks in the legislature have been very careful to keep their deeds legal under state law.)
In Hawai‘i, if you’re a whistleblower, you need to leave the state. That means leaving your family, your ‘ohana, everything. It’s very difficult for whistleblowers to come forward and say anything because of our unique situation….
Is corruption worse on the neighbor islands? I think it can be more egregious because it’s local, smaller and less controlled. But is it more prevalent? No, because all the power and money are in O‘ahu….
What they’re saying is that it’s just a few bad apples, we’ve cut them out, and that’s what they always say. That’s why I wrote the book, not just to tell about what happened, but because it’s a textbook example of systemic corruption. There were lots of people and institutions that knew what was happening and didn’t come forward, and that’s systemic corruption….
read … ‘Mailbox Conspiracy’ author Alexander Silvert talks corruption on Kaua‘i visit
Court documents disclose Miske’s alleged “purchase” of stevedore jobs, and ties to a prison guard at OCCC
ILind: … Thomas Otake, who was slated to be the lead attorney during Miske’s trial, making the opening and closing statements, questioning key witnesses, and taking part in jury selections, was terminated late Thursday afternoon by a court order signed by Magistrate Judge Kenneth Mansfield….
Otake is a highly regarded criminal defense attorney with more than 90 jury trials over his career, many in high profile cases. He successfully represented Zackary K. Ah Nee, one of the Honolulu police officers charged in the shooting death of 16-year old Iremamber Sykap following a wild car chase across parts of Honolulu in 2021, and Christopher Deedy, the federal security agent charged for the fatal shooting of a local man after an early morning altercation in a Waikiki McDonald’s back in 2011.
(CLUE: Mafia and police together. Only the mafia stands up for the police after a shooting.)
It’s surprising to me that Otake’s sudden removal from the case was not reported until my latest story was posted …
These reference the case of a former client who had been represented by Otake, identified only as “Client 2.”
According to prosecutors, “Mr. Otake and his co-counsel … should have been aware that Client 2 was substantially linked to Miske’s criminal activities.”
Client 2 was allegedly given one of five stevedore union positions that Miske reportedly purchased. He was favored, in part, “because Client 2 ‘does some of Miske’s dirty work,’” according to the supplementary memo.
Another government report, described in the supplementary memo, was turned over to defense counsel last year. It indicated Client 2 “committed criminal acts on Miske’s behalf, such as violent assaults.” Another report is quoted describing Client 2 as “a fighter” who “collected debts for Miske.” Miske allegedly arranged for Client 2 to be placed in a union job “as a reward for (his) services.”
The alleged purchase of these positions may be related to a murder-for-hire plot targeting an ILWU official described by three defendants who have already pleaded guilty and admitted to participating in Miske’s racketeering conspiracy. Each of these men–Wayne Miller, Norman Akau, and Harry Kauhi–have admitted taking part in the planned “hit”, which apparently stemmed from a dispute somehow involving those jobs the government now alleges were bought and paid for by Miske. Miske’s half-brother, John Stancil, and Miske’s son, Caleb, both got stevedore jobs on the dock in Honolulu, public records show. The identities of Client 2, and names of those who filled the remaining two jobs, have not been disclosed….
The conversation took place at the end of February 2018. Miske told Smith he had just been at the “doctor’s” office, a code word used to refer to his attorney, where he was told that another associate, Lance Bermudez, was switching to a different lawyer which, Miske believed, happened because he was “flipping” and preparing to cooperate with investigators….
read … Court documents disclose Miske’s alleged “purchase” of stevedore jobs, and ties to a prison guard at OCCC
Over the last 45 years, there have been more than 80 unsolved missing persons cases on Kaua‘i
TGI: … Over the last 45 years, there have been more than 80 unsolved missing persons cases on Kaua‘i, including several with ties to the remote Kalalau Valley near the site of the discovery.
Jesse Pinegar, a 22-year-old Utah man, was last seen camping there in 2008. The area was also 24-year-old Daniel Marks’s last reported location before he disappeared in 2005.
A car that may have been rented by 47-year-old Bradford Turek was found parked near Ke‘e Beach in 2004 after he went missing in 2004, and evidence showed that he may have hiked to the Hanakapi‘ai Stream before his disappearance. The body of 43-year-old Sean Michael Rollnick was discovered there in 2016, after he appeared to have fallen off a cliff.
The individuals who discovered the dozen or so teeth, who requested to remain anonymous, showed them to The Garden Island in January. The individual reported there were no other skeletal remains nearby.
The teeth were mostly brown in color. Some were fully intact while others had decomposed and fractured into smaller pieces….
read … Kaua‘i police say teeth found in Kalalau were from a human
Lawmakers Announce Plan to Kill Green tax Cuts, Green Agrees
CB: … The Green administration calculates that House Bill 1049 would reduce state tax collections by $312.7 million in the year ahead by adjusting state income tax rates and more than doubling the standard deduction for income tax purposes for local residents….
(Reality: Public employee unions want that $312M so you ain’t gonna get it.)
HB 1049 is slated to get its first public hearing before the House Education and Economic Development committees at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Apart from the income tax overhaul, the measure also includes a tax credit of up to $500 for public or private school teachers to help cover their out-of-pocket classroom expenses.
The bill would also link state income tax brackets, personal tax exemptions and standard cost-of-living deductions to help offset the rising cost of living.
The same bill would also increase the renters’ state tax credit for the first time in decades, increase the food excise tax credit and upgrade the state earned income tax credit to make it more generous….
House Speaker Scott Saiki was more blunt, saying in an interview Friday that this year the House intends to amend the tax code by passing a more generous earned income tax credit — period.
The EITC exclusively benefits lower-income working families, and Saiki said any tax relief should be directed toward “those who are most in need” including the so-called ALICE families, which stands for asset limited, income constrained, employed.
A report by Aloha United Way in 2018 found that 42% of Hawaii households were below the “ALICE threshold,” or the average income needed to afford the basic cost of living in the state. An update in 2022 found the situation has worsened, with 44% now below that threshold.
Saiki also said any tax changes should be “very simple.” He said he has already met with Green and raised concerns that the 30 pages of tax changes in HB 1049 are too complex, and that Green’s income tax proposal would apply to all taxpayers rather than just the neediest.
“He understands. He sees the value in adjusting the EITC,” Saiki said, adding that will be the House position this year.
(Translation: Green just wanted to make it look like he was trying to cut taxes. He always knew we would kill this for him.)
Green’s income tax proposal has a companion measure in the Senate, but neither the Senate Education Committee nor the Ways and Means Committee has scheduled a hearing on it so far….
(Translation: The Senate is going to kill anything that makes it thru the House--excerpt the $500 for teachers.)
read … Is Hawaii Ready For The Governor’s Tax Cut Plan? Lawmakers Aren’t So Sure
Self-interested state legislators duck term limits once again
Shapiro: … Predictably, state House members put on their dancing shoes and moonwalked around the call of their government reform panel for term limits on state legislators.
The Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct was appointed by House Speaker Scott Saiki after two lawmakers were convicted of bribery.
The panel, headed by retired Judge Daniel Foley, voted 4-3 to recommend 16-year term limits for House members and senators — double what governors, mayors and City Council members are subject to.
Despite the generously long terms, House Judiciary Chairman David Tarnas jettisoned the measure, saying it would “prevent good legislators from being able to serve as long as the voters support them.”
“During the last 10 years, 56% of senators and 65% of state representatives were replaced through elections,” Tarnas said. “Voters have already succeeded in limiting the terms of most legislators.”…
(Translation: Legislators who weren’t making the most of their financial opportunity were ousted by more corrupt candidates.)
read … Self-interested state legislators duck term limits once again
HB89: Ban all elected officials from soliciting and accepting any campaign donations while the Legislature is in session
CB: … the House did the right thing last week in fast-tracking House Bill 89, which would ban all elected officials from soliciting and accepting any campaign donations while the Legislature is in session. The bill was proposed by the Foley commission in its final report on Dec. 1 — the report that warned, rightly, that trust in Hawaii government is in a state of “deep moral crisis.”
Another fast-tracked measure from the commission, House Bill 90, would require candidates and political action groups to file public notices for fundraising events no matter the amount of donations being requested. That’s a good idea, too.
Both bills now await a public hearing in Sen. Karl Rhoads’ Judiciary Committee, the only committee the bills need to pass. If the Senate follows the House’s lead, where HB 89 and HB 90 were passed unopposed and un-amended, the measures could be on Gov. Josh Green’s desk in a matter of a few short weeks — and before Cullen’s sentencing….
read … Legislature Finally Seems To Get It On Session Fundraising
Saiki, Morikawa: Give More Money to Stop OHA Whining About Kakaako Makai settlement
SA Column: … The lands were conveyed subject to future zoning approvals by the Hawaii Community Development Authority. OHA testified in support of this deal, without reservation. All of this took place in 2012, which was six years after the Legislature prohibited residential development on all Kakaako Makai lands, in response to several years of public opposition to high-rise residential proposals.
Whatever plans OHA trustees at the time had for commercial development on those parcels apparently is not enough for the current trustees. Instead, OHA seeks to repeal the state law ban on residential development. But their proposal goes beyond just undoing the prohibition to residential development.
OHA wants specific parcels to go up to 400 feet, which would be a series of 40-story buildings. Setting aside whether that’s a good idea from a land-use perspective, this would mean the Legislature would be doing spot zoning, and would open the doors for any landowner from anywhere in Hawaii, to come to the Legislature for the same treatment, whether it makes sense or whether there is neighborhood opposition. It would be a very bad precedent.
OHA wants to build “affordable” housing to house its Hawaiian beneficiaries. But there is no guarantee that the housing in this development will be affordable. And federal housing laws do not allow OHA to limit the housing units to only Hawaiian persons.
All of these Kakaako Makai challenges apply to any developer, not just OHA. We support OHA and our collective mission to advance the Hawaiian community. This is why, just nine months ago, we approved more public land trust payments to OHA ($64 million for back pay and an annual payment of $21.5 million), funded the Kalima class-action lawsuit ($328 million) and approved a mutual stewardship governance model for Mauna Kea.
But the Legislature’s work is not over. We want to work with OHA to resolve this matter in a reasonable and practical way. One option is to reopen the settlement agreement and negotiate in good faith a new package comprised of funds and an exchange of conducive developable land that will put OHA on a faster track to reach its fiduciary, housing and other goals for their beneficiaries….
HPR: "I've always felt that Kakaʻako Makai is one of the last remaining parcels of land that can be used as open space, as park space, that can provide ocean access for all residents on our island, not just those who live in Kakaʻako. And so that's why it's been an important issue for me," Saiki told The Conversation.
SA Editorial: Weigh options for Kakaako Makai
Borreca: Let good public planning for Kakaako waterfront prevail
read … Renegotiate new Kakaako Makai settlement agreement for OHA
Not on Board with Aloha Stadium Boondoggle: Key state senators call for University of Hawaii President Lassner to resign
SA: … Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, chair of the Senate Ways and Means committee, and Sens. Donna Mercado Kim and Michelle Kidani, who are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Senate Higher Education Committee, said in separate Honolulu Star-Advertiser interviews that there has not been one particular trigger that has led them to feel Lassner should resign, but a pattern they perceive of too-slow progress by the university to meet the needs of students and the state.
(FUN FACT: Kim’s son, Micah Po'okela Kim Aiu, finally did go to UH Law school a year after lying to his mommy about it. Then he became general counsel for Nan, Inc. Now he ‘represents’ HD32 encompassing Aloha Stadium. Do the math.)
However, Lassner over the weekend gave no indication that he plans to step away in the near future. And expressions of support for Lassner and/or the university also have emerged in response from diverse sectors, including all four members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation, the executive director of the UH faculty union and the head of the state House Higher Education and Technology Committee….
The three state senators expressed frustration over a lengthy list of concerns, also including numerous complaints they say they received in confidence about UH and Lassner from students, parents and university employees; persistent disagreements over whether all professors are teaching enough classroom hours to fulfill their contractual obligations; uneven faculty morale, student enrollment and facilities use; and objections to the way UH carried out the expansion of the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex to meet NCAA requirements.
The senators and Lassner also have had showdowns in the past over spending, construction and other issues, including former UH head football coach Todd Graham. A tense Senate hearing Opens in a new tab led by Kim and Dela Cruz in January 2022, where accusations flew about Graham’s treatment of players, led Lassner to say testimony was “cherry picked” and positive testimony was unfairly disallowed.
State Sen. Kurt Fevella at the time called for a petition to have Lassner, Graham and athletic director David Matlin removed. Graham resigned a few days later. Matlin last month announced his intention to retire in June….
(Translation: This is all about Aloha Stadium. Under Lassner UH is shifting to TC Ching. The scamsters want a president who will commit to play UH sports in their new Aloha Stadium. They don't care what happens to the rest of the University. I hear Dobelle is available for the job.)
SA Editorial: Unclear, unwise attack on Lassner
read … Key state senators call for University of Hawaii President Lassner to resign
Births decline: Several factors contribute to drop in Hawaii-born babies
HTH: … Birth rates have declined in Hawaii by 14% since 2016, the sixth largest drop of any state in the nation.
While 18,059 births were reported in 2016, just 15,565 were reported in 2021 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Vital Statistics System….
As a result, fertility rates — or the number of births per 1,000 women aged 15-44 — also dropped in Hawaii.
In 2010, the state averaged 72 births for every 1,000 women in that age group. But in 2021, that number fell to 61.1. That was still higher than the national average in 2020 of 56 births per 1,000 women, which was the lowest rate on record.
Despite the statewide decline, births at Hilo Medical Center have remained stable in recent years, with 919 births recorded in 2019, 952 in 2020, 933 in 2021 and 932 in 2022.
“I’ve been at the hospital for 16 and a half years, and back then, we used to have just about 100 births a month,” said HMC spokesperson Elena Cabatu. “So, there has been a decline, but it has been over many years, and in recent years, it’s been flat.”…
From July 2020 to July 2021, Hawaii reported the fourth-largest population decrease among all U.S. states, losing a total of 10,358 residents. The state’s population has declined each year since 2017.
One report from the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism found that of all Hawaii-born residents moving to the mainland, nearly two-thirds were 24 or younger.
“We are not just looking at decreased birth rates, but more locals leaving for career and job opportunities as the housing market is pricing them out,” Okinaka said. “Jobs are not paying enough to afford housing.”…
Hawaii’s population also is getting older. In 2010, those 65 and older made up 14% of the population, but in 2020, those 65 and older account for closer to 20%….
read … Births decline: Several factors contribute to drop in Hawaii-born babies
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