Hawaiian Electric shares “could go to zero”
Hawaii most expensive state based on average monthly costs
Tulsi Gabbard on Terror Watchlist?
It was 126 years ago today: Hawaii Becomes US Territory
Next Speaker -- Rep Nadine Nakamura?
CB: … Veteran lawmakers said Sunday they have already begun private discussions to select a new speaker….
Likely candidates for speaker mentioned by insiders include Majority Leader Nadine Nakamura; Water and Land Committee Chair Linda Ichiyama, Finance Committee Chair Kyle Yamashita, and Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee Chair David Tarnas.
In general, Nakamura and Ichiyama appear to be the favored candidates… (insert silly PC stuff about ‘first female Speaker’, blabla)…
each of the veteran lawmakers being eyed for speaker are ensconced in the existing House leadership structure, suggesting there may be more of a leadership shuffle than a revolution in the works….
Weeks before Kim Coco Iwamoto unseated House Speaker Scott Saiki in the Democratic primary election Saturday, she (he) described specific plans for (hallucinations about) overhauling both the House leadership and the way it operates.
(REALITY: Mr Kim Coco Iwamoto has a Y chromosome. Follow the science.)
Iwamoto wants to combine forces with 25 other like-minded House lawmakers — a majority — to demand specific reforms, and then offer their support to leaders who pledge to deliver them (flap his wings and fly to the moon) ….
(CLUE: Just because you beat the Speaker does not mean you become the next Speaker. And if Iwamoto had ’25 like minded’—he would be the Speaker, not the deliverer of an opposition bloc. Duh.)
Iwamoto would have to make the case that her (his) narrow victory over Saiki in the district covering Kakaako and Ala Moana is a clear mandate for change. That may be difficult to do after a primary where a historic number of Hawaii adults did not bother to vote.
At the Democratic Party’s traditional post-primary Unity Breakfast on Sunday morning at the Japanese Cultural Center in Honolulu, Saiki sat at the leaders’ table along with Luke and U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz.
Iwamoto was also in attendance.
When Gov. Josh Green honored Saiki from the podium for his “incredible career,” the Democrats packing the room rose to their feet.
Saiki did not speak, letting Nakamura, the majority leader, speak on behalf of the House….
(CLUE: Hint, hint.)
The speaker is traditionally chosen in closed-door meetings of members of the Democratic caucus. The selection process often includes agreements among various House factions that determine which members are elevated to other influential leadership positions and committee chairmanships.
Yamashita and Tarnas are seen as preferring their current chair positions leading the House Finance Committee and the House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee, respectively.
Those committees are the most powerful and influential in the House, and both Tarnas and Yamashita are only in their second year as chairs….
SA: State Rep. Nadine Nakamura (D, Hanalei-Princeville- Kapaa) serves as House majority leader, and told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Sunday that she would be interested in replacing Saiki. “I’m open to that opportunity if the members would like to support me,” Nakamura said.
2016: HGEA endorsed Nadine Nakamura to replace outgoing Rep. Derek Kawakami, who is running for Kauai County Council. She easily defeated Fern Rosenstiel in the District 14 House race.
read … Departure of House Speaker Scott Saiki Will Test Lawmakers' Appetite For Reform
No mandatory recounts
SA: … Gov. Josh Green called Saiki’s loss “somewhat of a shock to the system at the Legislature.” And it comes as several other incumbents unexpectedly lost, or stand to lose after mandatory recounts triggered when the victory margin is within 100 votes.
(UPDATE: No mandatory recounts this cycle.)
As of Sunday afternoon, Cedric Gates held an 84-vote lead over Stacelynn Eli for the Democratic nomination for Waianae’s Senate District 22, the seat vacated in May by Maile Shimabukuro; the winner here will face strong opposition from the GOP winner, Samantha DeCorte. And in House District 30 (Kalihi, Keehi Lagoon), incumbent Sonny Ganaden was losing to challenger Shirley Ann Templo by 46 votes.
Among other changes that will surely add to the shake-up of how the Legislature does business:
>> In House District 29, May Mizuno — appointed last year to replace husband, John, who took a job in the Green administration — lost to her Democratic opponent, Ikaika Hussey; Hussey will face Republican Carole Kaapu in the general.
>> In House District 50 (Kailua, Kaneohe Bay), incumbent Natalia Hussey-Burdick lost to fellow Democrat Mike Lee; Lee faces GOP candidate Timothy Connelly in the general.
>> In House District 20 (east Honolulu), a no-incumbent seat, Democrat winner Tina Grandinetti will face GOP candidate Corinne Solomon.
>> Ikaika Olds, prevailing over three other Democrats on Saturday and with no further rivals, is the new representative for House District 23 (Moiliili, McCully).
>> In House District 45 (West Oahu), the open seat vacated by Gates will see Democrat Desire DeSoto going against GOP businessman Chris Muraoka.
SA: Voters also showed little aloha for Democratic candidates with well-known names, voting against Clayton Hee, a former member of the state Senate, House and Office of Hawaiian Affairs to represent Kaneohe, Laie and Mokuleia in the Senate; Ken Inouye, son of legendary U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, who made his first run at political office to represent Waipio- Mililani in the House; and Rep. May Mizuno, who also was making her first campaign after Gov. Josh Green appointed Mizuno to replace her husband, John Mizuno, to represent Kamehameha Heights and Kalihi Valley after Green appointed John Mizuno as the state’s homeless coordinator.
CB: The Sunshine Blog: Primary Saw Some Tight Races, But No Recounts Coming
SA -- UPDATE: New law prevented recounts in 2 tight races | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
read … Editorial: Close races reveal every vote counts
Hawaii Saw The Worst Voter Turnout Saturday Of Any Primary Since Statehood
CB: … The 2024 Hawaii primary election has been widely panned as unexciting due to a lack of marquee races and fewer candidates to choose from.
Voters apparently agreed, if the turnout numbers for Saturday are any indication.
Just 269,912 of the 839,618 people registered statewide filled out a ballot. That works out to 32.1%.
It’s a significant drop from the 39.8% turnout for the 2022 primary and an even more dramatic decline from the 51.2% in 2020. The latter election was the first for the state to use an all mail-in balloting system, though voters can still cast ballots in person at select locations on each island.
According to final results released by the Hawaii Office of Elections on Sunday morning, the 2024 primary numbers represent the lowest turnout in the history of Hawaii as a state.
Thirty years ago the 1994 primary turnout was 65.7% — double the current figure….
Hawaii County had the best turnout Saturday among the four counties at 34.2%. The Big Island had competitive contests this year for mayor and the County Council.
But the lackluster interest from the electorate was clear in Maui County (22%), Kauai County (25.2%) and the City and County of Honolulu (29.2%)….
SA: Those who bothered to vote did so overwhelmingly by mail-in ballots: 264,929, compared with just 4,983 people who voted in person.
read … Hawaii Saw The Worst Voter Turnout Saturday Of Any Primary Since Statehood
Lahaina: Makai of Highway Housing Rebuild Needs Variance
SA: … At least nine or so property owners on Komo Mai Street in a mauka section of Lahaina are in some stage of rebuilding — from ground compacting to framing.
Kim Ball, who along with the Alexanders was among about 60 property owners on Komo Mai Street whose homes burned down on Aug. 8, 2023, had his concrete foundation poured two weeks ago….
Komo Mai Street property owners had an advantage because their subdivision, largely built by developers, is only several years old. So resubmitting previous building plans for permits saved time.
Overall, rebuilding in Lahaina is being challenged in many cases by daunting forces that include financial constraints of property owners and regulations governing special areas such as the town’s historic district and nearshore parcels.
By some estimates it could take five years or longer for some displaced homeowners to rebuild….
Maui County officials said last week that 14 homes in Lahaina are under construction, along with two in Kula where an Upcountry fire destroyed 19 homes on the same day as the Lahaina fire.
The county also had issued building permits for 50 homes and was reviewing another 111 residential construction permit applications under an expedited process for fire survivors….
At that time, 63% of Lahaina’s sewer system had been made operational….
Of roughly 4,500 households displaced by the Lahaina fire, almost 90%, or about 3,900 households, were renters, according to Maui County. When they may be able to return to rebuilt homes is out of their control.
(TRANSLATION: The few homeowners may rebuild if mauka of highway. Everybody else is screwed.)
To process building permits faster for destroyed properties, the county on April 29 opened a “recovery permit” office in Kahului run by contractor 4Leaf Inc.
County officials said permit review time would average 15 days for properties outside areas with special development rules.
Ball said he rejoiced upon hearing that his permit got issued May 22 after about 15 days….
Many Lahaina property owners, however, face more difficulty with permitting.
For owners of property in the town’s historic district spanning several blocks, an environmental assessment is required if interior space of a home or homes on a parcel exceeds 3,500 square feet….
Owners of property in a much bigger area generally makai of Honoapiilani Highway, which is part of the state special management area under Hawaii coastal zoning law, could be subject to a more rigorous permitting process that can require a public hearing and Maui Planning Commission approval. However, exemptions are available for single-family homes under 7,500 square feet.
There is also a shoreline setback area where property owners must have the current shoreline certified and then follow the special management area process if the value of their project is over $500,000. Single-family homes used to be exempt from this regulation, but state lawmakers changed that in 2020.
To build in the shoreline setback area, which was recently updated to include 3.2 feet of potential future sea level rise, a property owner would need to obtain a variance from the Planning Commission.
Such obstacles, along with longer initial expectations for when rebuilding could begin, have contributed to some Lahaina property owners deciding not to return.
“We thought that this was going to be a three- to five-year process,” said Laurie Lei DeGama, who like Ball is a member of the county’s community advisory committee and lost her home in the fire. “That’s why people left…
(TRANSLATION: The system is working exactly as intended.)
Several historical buildings in Lahaina that weren’t totally destroyed are destined for restoration by the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, including the Baldwin Home Museum and possibly the Spring House, which date to when the town was the capital of the Hawaiian kingdom from 1820 to 1845. Other properties to be restored include the Old Lahaina Courthouse, Hale Aloha, U.S. Seamen’s Hospital and Old Lahaina Prison, according to the foundation.
(TRANSLATION: These buildings fit in with the tourist-oriented remake of Lahaina as ‘the Venice of the Pacific’)
read … Process of rebuilding begins in Lahaina
DPP Bribery: Crime Might Pay After All
CB: … Another convicted briber has been released from prison after a little more than six months, which doesn’t seem like very much time in the slammer for a crime of corruption. Maybe the cost-benefit analysis really does work for these guys.
An astute observer called The Sunshine Blog with a sighting of Bill Wong, who bribed people at the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting. Wong was walking around his yard last weekend which caused the astute observer to slam on their brakes.
Convicted of giving cash to DPP workers to prioritize his clients’ permits ahead of the department’s notorious backlog, Wong was sentenced last summer to a year and a day in prison ….
He reported to the facility on Jan. 17, meaning that a full sentence would have kept him in until Jan. 18, 2025. But the math didn’t quite work out that way, thanks to changes to federal sentencing guidelines, and his sentence was reduced to nine months, Wong’s attorney Bill Harrison said.
In addition, Wong’s original sentence allowed him to be released up to 54 days early for good behavior, and he received more days of credit for early release for work he performed in prison, Harrison said.
Harrison confirmed that Wong was released from prison on Aug. 1. Wong now begins a three-year probation period, and his architecture license has been revoked….
read … The Sunshine Blog: The Blog Is Beginning To Think That Crime Might Pay After All
Hawaii’s Teacher Shortage Is Finally Improving
CB: … The Hawaii Department of Education has the lowest number of teacher vacancies the state has seen since 2019, but schools may experience a surge in retirements in the coming years….
read … Hawaii’s Teacher Shortage Is Finally Improving
City delays removal of Haiku Stairs segments
SA: … the court’s July 3 ruling allowed the city to remove stairs that its contractor, The Nakoa Cos., had detached on both sides of the Koolau range.
“The city may remove the approximately 60 stair modules of Moanalua Saddle Stairs and approximately 10 to 15 stair modules of the Haiku Stairs that were detached by the city’s contractor prior to the entry of this court’s June 20, 2024 order for temporary injunction,” the ruling states.
That order, according to court documents, was not followed in Haiku Valley, however….
read … City delays removal of Haiku Stairs segments
Election News:
Lahaina Fire News:
QUICK HITS: