Where to Vote: Tuesday March 8 Hawaii Republican Presidential Caucus
Former Bush Supporter Barbara Marumoto Endorses Rubio
Former Carson Supporter Sen Sam Slom Endorses Ted Cruz for President
Sen Sam Slom Hospitalized
Who’s Running: Candidates Pulling Papers as of March 4, 2016
Renewable Energy: How the 100% Mandate Hurts Hawaii
Hawaii Drone Bill Would Hinder Federal Surveillance Program
Hawaii Bill to Reject Some FDA Restrictions on Terminal Patients Clears Final House Committee
HPD: Surfing on Duty? Beat your Wife? -- Get Promoted to Captain
SA: …On Friday, Espero (D, Ewa Beach-Iroquois Point), who serves as vice chairman of the Public Safety Committee and vice president of the Senate, forwarded to Mayor Kirk Caldwell and each member of the City Council a copy of an anonymous letter questioning the past promotions of an HPD lieutenant who was arrested for assaulting his wife in 2010, and another lieutenant who was promoted despite being previously disciplined in 2014 for surfing while on duty.
Espero said the anonymous letter was sent to him from the same address — 801 S. Beretania St. — as the HPD headquarters on Beretania Street.
In his accompanying message, Espero stated: “I would like to request that you look into the promotion process and procedures of HPD. To be promoted within two years of a crime and conviction certainly raises questions.”
In a statement released Friday afternoon, HPD Deputy Chief Marie McCauley said Espero’s summation of the cases was inaccurate.
“This afternoon Sen. Will Espero circulated an anonymous letter containing information about two HPD officers,” McCauley said. “In his accompanying email, Sen. Espero incorrectly stated that two officers had been convicted of crimes. This is untrue.”
The letter, signed “Disgruntled, Confused & Bewildered,” cited the 2010 case of a police lieutenant who was arrested and charged with abuse of a family or household member.
According to McCauley, the abuse case was “reviewed by the prosecutor’s office and declined; the accusations in the administrative investigation were not sustained.”
The officer was promoted to captain in 2012.
McCauley said the second case cited in the letter, involving an officer who was found to be surfing at Ala Moana Beach Park while on duty, did not involve criminal conduct. An investigation into the matter resulted in a one-day suspension for the officer. That officer was also promoted to captain early this year….
read … Ride the Wave
Obamacare: HMSA Refuses to Pay for Medical Tests, Patient Suffers Stroke While Waiting
HNN: …Lawmakers heard from doctors and patients Friday who say a new HMSA policy that requires all advanced x-ray procedures to get pre-approval is putting people's health at risk.
The policy went into effect in December, and is now the focus of legislation that would prohibit health insurers to put in place preauthorizations that cause undue delays in medical treatment.
Under the policy, doctors who need advanced x-ray procedures (like MRIs or CT scans) in order to make a diagnosis or determine care must seek preauthorization from a third-party agency, the Arizona-based National Imaging Associates….
Dr. Kevin Christensen, an orthopedic surgeon with 34 years of experience, said some preauthorizations take a few hours but others take several days. He said he's heard other physicians who have waited for approval even longer.
"It's dynamically changed our ability to care by delaying information," he told lawmakers.
Lawmakers say House Bill 2740 is aimed addressing the situation, by putting the onus on health insurers to ensure care isn't being delayed. Testimony on the measure before the House Judiciary committee Friday was emotional and heated.
At one point, the husband of a patient addressed lawmakers. Holding back tears, he said his wife was denied an MRI and he couldn't understand why.
"She's at home suffering severe pain while she waits," he said.
A number of doctors also testified about the impact the new practice has had. "Every single MRI I have submitted has been denied," said Dr. Linda Rasmussen, an orthopedic surgeon at Castle Hospital.
Another physician raised issue with the fact HMSA is relying on a mainland company to make critical decisions for Hawaii patients. "Do you want those decisions to be made by off-shore non-experts?" the doctor asked….
"There really is no patient safety argument to be made with respect to this because it doesn't apply to emergent or urgent circumstances," Diesman said.
Doctors say that's not the case. One doctor said a 32-year-old woman recently had a stroke while waiting two weeks for an MRI.
The bill has passed through two committees and now heads to the full House for a vote….
read … Lawmakers grill HMSA over policy critics say delays care
78% Support Term Limits for Hawaii Legislators
SA: Would you support term limits for state legislators, maxed at 12 consecutive years? 78% say “Yes, Definitely, turnover needed”
read … Big Q
Kauai Council Considers Stupendous Gas Tax Hike
KGI: The Kauai County Council on Wednesday will consider a proposal to increase the gas tax by 15 cents per gallon beginning Jan. 15.
The proposal, being introduced by Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura, would also call for an increase in bio-diesel fuel by 10 cents per gallon….
Yukimura’s proposal is an option to raising the general excise tax by a half percent, to 4.5 percent, to fund public transportation projects, which the county is also considering.
The proposed half percent GET increase is expected to generate about $250 million over a 10-year period.
(Better Option: Don’t raise either tax. Let the people keep their $250M.)
read … $0.15 per Gallon
After $10K and 2.5 Months, Builder Finally Allowed to Apply for ADU Permit
KITV: One frustrated homeowner who actually builds homes for a living, gave up and fired a letter off to the mayor.
"I think the process is horribly flawed. I think the concept is fantastic. I just wish they figure out how to execute the process better," said Greg Thielen, Kailua resident.
Theilen threw in the towel after figuring out the city sewer and water fees could go as high as ten thousand dollars. He felt it was too much money and too long to wait.
"The pre-approval process is a form you take to five or six agencies to find out if you qualify for a permit. That process took me two and a half months and then I was told you can apply for a permit," said Thielen….
read … Not Worth It
How Caldwell Wants To Spend $61.7 Million On Housing
CB: Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell has a plan for spending $61.7 million of the $64 million in bond financing that the City Council approved for housing and homelessness initiatives in fiscal years 2015-2016.
Just $22,246,616 is spoken for so far — and the vast majority of that has been dedicated to acquiring four properties, including a former school in Makiki on Hassinger Street and a modular housing site on Farrington Highway in Waianae. He expects to spend an additional $21 million on property acquisition.
About $9.4 million would be spent on capital improvement projects with $1.5 million already dedicated to repair Winston Hale, a 52-year-old city affordable housing complex in Chinatown.
Another $2.9 million is budgeted for equipment purchases like container housing, and $2.9 million is budgeted for engineering, construction, appraisal and architect services. Nearly $1.5 million of the funding budgeted for equipment and services is already obligated….
read … Spend
Windward Residents Continue to Suffer Bus Cuts to Pay for Rail
SA: Community leaders on the rural Windward Oahu coast say residents there have reported losing jobs, missing college classes and facing other hardships because that isolated stretch of the island remains underserved by TheBus.
“To be straight up with you, this side does feel discriminated against,” Koolauloa Neighborhood Board Chairwoman Verla Moore told city transit officials at a board meeting in August. “We don’t get the bus services we’ve been begging for the last three to four years, ever since you folks cut the services out here.”
In the months since then, challenges with Route 55 — one of 101 bus routes across Oahu but the only one that runs all the way up the Windward side — continue to be “a big problem,” said Dotty Kelly-Paddock, vice president of the Hauula Community Association. The route is vital because residents without a car in that rural area have few other transit options, Kelly-Paddock and other area residents said this week.
The bus woes date back to 2011, when city transportation officials lengthened the average wait time between Route 55 buses to 40 minutes from 32 minutes and then made the wait a full hour as part of islandwide bus cuts in 2012. In 2013, Mayor Kirk Caldwell restored much of the cuts after pledging to do so in his campaign. Route 55 was only partially restored, however. It now runs every 45 minutes or so, riders say.
read … Pay for Rail
ACLU Desperately Trying to Keep the Homeless, Homeless: Urine is a Constitutional Right
MN: …The ACLU particularly was opposed to the bills prohibiting sitting and lying on public sidewalks and urinating or defecating on public streets, sidewalks or locations owned or maintained by a government agency. The bathroom bill has exceptions for medical conditions verified by a licensed physician.
The sit/lie bill has exceptions for anyone with a medical condition or emergency and anyone engaged in "expressive conduct not otherwise disallowed." A sit/lie ban was enacted by the City and County of Honolulu in 2014.
"Specifically, we strongly oppose both the sit/lie ban and the proposal regarding bathroom use," said Gluck. "These measures criminalize the status of being homeless - that is, these measures make it a crime to be poor - violating both the Hawaii Constitution and the United States Constitution." ….
The other three measures, presented to the County Council on Nov. 25, prohibit drinking in public areas, stealing shopping carts and aggressive begging.
The package of bills "are intended to help protect and preserve the public health, safety and welfare," Arakawa said in a letter to council Chairman Mike White in November.
The mayor recently has been critical of the council for not taking action on his bills.
read … Homelessness
Hawaii lawmakers push to ban professors sex with students
AP: …Hawaii lawmakers are pushing a bill to ban romantic relationships between University of Hawaii professors and students. The bill would also make rules to prevent sexual assault on campus, for example, by educating professors and students on sexual assault and domestic violence….
Right now, the University of Hawaii says it's planning to implement a new policy to prohibit faculty and students from dating. Most of the faculty and staff are unionized, so the university is in the midst of discussing the policy with unions, said Dan Meisenzahl, a spokesman for the university….
"It's a problem that we've known about for decades," said Meda Chesney-Lind, a women's study professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. "The problem with the policy is that says, 'it's not a good idea.' It may sound strong, but you can drive a truck through that loophole."
Chesney-Lind, who sat on a committee to draft new rules for consensual relationships, said romantic relationships between students are professors do happen, and they're a "big problem" at the flagship Manoa campus.
"It just creates and odd environment that certainly isn't conducive towards the learning environment," she said, adding that student-professor relationships may start out consensually, but can lead to sexual harassment when students feel pressured to keep grades up.
Women's groups supported the bill, but the University of Hawaii opposed it….
read … Loss of Key Perk
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