Corporation Counsel statement on ACLU Suit

Honolulu Corporation Counsel Donna Leong issued the following statement on Tuesday, September 22, 2015.

“We are pleased with today’s decision and the Department of the Corporation Counsel will continue to defend the city. Honolulu’s Stored Property and Sidewalk Nuisance ordinances have withstood challenges in federal court before and we believe they will survive the current challenge. In the meantime, the city will continue to enforce the Stored Property and Sidewalk Nuisance ordinances in accordance with their provisions. The ordinances support the safety, health, and welfare of all residents of the City and County of Honolulu.”

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Update on Kaka‘ako enforcement actions

News Release from City and County of Honolulu September 22, 2015

Kaka‘ako - Department of Facility Maintenance Director and Chief Engineer Ross Sasamura announced that phase IV of sidewalk nuisance and stored property ordinance enforcement in Kaka‘ako Makai was successfully completed. He noted that over a hundred hypodermic needles were removed during the Tuesday, September 22 enforcement action and released the following enforcement data:

Phase I enforcement, September 8, 2015 (Ohe Street, Cooke Street, Ilalo Street, Ala Moana Blvd.):

• 3 Summary Removal Notices (SNO);
• 3 bins of stored property (one bin per notice);
• 1.56 tons of trash;
• 8.6 cubic yards of metals;
• No shopping carts.

• No items stored;
• 3.17 tons of trash;
• 2.5 cubic yards of metals;
• 3 shopping carts.

• 1 Summary Removal Notice (SNO);
• 1 bin of stored property;
• 7.26 tons of trash;
• 13 cubic yards of metals;
• 8 shopping carts;
• 126 needles

Phase IV enforcement was completed on September 22 at Coral Street, Cooke Street, Ilalo Street and Ala Moana Blvd. and data will be released when it is available.

Enforcements will continue take place in a phased approach on the remaining blocks of Kaka‘ako Makai in subsequent weeks.  Notices have been posted and handed out throughout Kaka‘ako Makai in Chuukese, English, Marshallese, and Samoan.

“I want to thank our enforcement crew for the hard work they do every day to keep our sidewalks and public spaces open and clean for everyone to use, removing everything from rotting food to toilet buckets to hypodermic needles,” said Mayor Kirk Caldwell. “They remove between 4-6 tons of unwanted garbage from the streets of O‘ahu every week. They do so with compassion and empathy and they follow the law. This island is a safer and more livable place thanks to their hard work. Mahalo to them for what they do for all of us.”

Meanwhile, the Stored Property / Sidewalk Nuisance Enforcement Crew continues to enforce the ordinances at other locations across O‘ahu where they receive complaints. This month, they have enforced in ‘Aiea, Waikīkī, Ala Moana Park, Mother Waldron Park, A‘ala Park, and Chinatown. They also enforced twice along the Kapalama Canal where they issued 39 stored property notices and in addition removed nearly 7.5 tons of unwanted garbage and 18 cubic yards of metals.

In total, from September 1 to September 18 not including Kaka‘ako Makai enforcement, they’ve removed 14.25 tons of unwanted garbage, 36 cubic yards of medals, and 31 shopping carts, while issuing 42 SPO notices and 5 SNO notices and storing 11 bins. In the month of August, they removed 16 tons of unwanted garbage, 29 cubic yards of metals, and 84 shopping carts, while issuing 50 SPO notices and 5 SNO notices and storing 18 bins. In July, they removed 19.6 tons of unwanted garbage, 32.75 cubic yards of metals, and 101 shopping carts, while issuing 100 SPO notices and 3 SNO notices and storing 11 bins.

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