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Monday, December 9, 2013
December 8, 2013 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 2:37 PM :: 3392 Views

Honolulu Rail Exec Had Been VP at Firm That Just Won New Rail Contract

CB: The man who is second in command of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation was until earlier this year a vice president with CH2M Hill, the company that recently edged out other bidders for a $46.1 million engineering contract for the Honolulu rail project that HART is overseeing.

But HART officials say Deputy Executive Director Brennon Morioka had no involvement with the agency's decision to award the contract to his former employer.

Morioka was previously vice president of CH2M Hill’s operations in Honolulu, and had signed a $3 million hazardous materials consulting contract in 2012 to work on the rail project, according to HART contract documents.

But Morioka left CH2M Hill in February for a job with HART. Morioka, who was former Gov. Linda Lingle's transportation department director, is now second in command at HART behind Executive Director and CEO Dan Grabauskas

read ... Honolulu Rail Exec Had Been VP at Firm That Just Won New Rail Contract

Hawaiian Roll Commission 'Latest Face Plant'

CB: ...many of the recent efforts to move towards self-determination have contributed more to Hawaiian miseducation than education.

Since Act 195 was first passed and signed into law in 2011 by the Hawaii State Legislature, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) has spent close to $4 million on the Hawaiian Roll Commission, commonly known as Kana‘iolowalu. Despite this extraordinary expenditure, less than 19,000 individuals voluntarily registered by August 2013, which amounts to less than 4 percent of the global Native Hawaiian population. A second bill was passed to bolster the effort, Act 77 (2012) added OHA’s former efforts at a Native Hawaiian registry to the Roll, pushing the current roll’s numbers over 75,000.

It is unlikely that the initial efforts actually resulted in many individuals who had not signed onto the previous efforts (including Kau Inoa, Hawaiian Registry Program and Operation ‘Ohana). At this point, one must ask why OHA spent close to $4 million in trust funds when the majority of the registry was created through legislation that cost beneficiaries nothing?

Kana‘iolowalu is sadly only the latest registry effort to face-plant out of the gate. There have been four separate registry programs spanning about a decade of work; millions of beneficiary dollars have been spent. Yet, less than 20 percent of Hawaiians are registered among the four programs.

Related: End of the Akaka Tribe? OHA Trustees Shut Down Hawaiian Roll Commission

read ... Latest Face Plant

Financial Disclosure: Check Out The Latest Filings From City Officials

CB: Caldwell earns nearly $130,000 a year as mayor, but also gets paid between $200,000 and $299,999 thousand as a director of Territorial Savings Bank. He also has between $400,000 and $499,999 worth of stock in the company.

The mayor also gets a pension from the state of Hawaii, earning between $10,000 and $24,999 a year.

His wife, Donna Tanoue, has a large salary herself, earning between $700,000 and $799,999 as Vice Chair of Bank of Hawaii.

Caldwell and other city officials, including City Council members, must file financial disclosure forms each year with the Clerk’s Office and the Ethics Commission

read ... Financial Disclosure: Check Out The Latest Filings From City Officials

Payment on pensions benefits state

SA: "Hawaii has done a lot over the last three years to help shore up and improve its financial condition," Young said, referring to reforms designed to tackle the unfunded liabilities of the pension and health care funds. "Investors like that. It resonates with them," he said.

The most recent action taken by the state was the Legislature's approval of a bill that commits the state and counties to a payment schedule to fund future public worker retiree health benefits. The Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund needs an estimated $16 billion to meet its future obligations.

The Employees' Retirement System, the state's largest public pension fund, is underfunded by $8.4 billion. Steps taken in the past two years by the pension plan's trustees, Gov. Neil Abercrombie and the Legislature are projected to rectify the unfunded liability in 30 years if certain assumptions are met.

The issue of unfunded liabilities nationwide has "really become a cornerstone for investors scrutinizing credit," Young said. "A lot of states have really not done a significant amount of legwork to move the needle. Hawaii has," he said.

Both Standard and Poor's and Moody's Investor Service acknowledged the progress Hawaii has made when they issued their credit ratings for the bond issue. Both agencies rated the bonds three notches below AAA, which is the highest rating.

"We have previously cited the state's large unfunded liabilities as a limiting rating factor. But now the state has turned to tackling its pension and other post employment benefit (OPEB) liabilities as well," S&P analyst Gabriel Petek wrote in a research report.

"Estimates of the state's long-term liabilities are likely to improve only gradually. But once the improving trajectory is established, assuming the state follows through on implementing the reforms, its credit quality could strengthen prior to the charges being fully reflected in the state's various liability ratios," according to the report.

(Translation: Pay down pension debt instead of burning money on Abercrombie's pre-school scheme.)

read ... A message to the Legislature

Maui Tomorrow:  anti-GMO Bill Part of Effort to Ban Cane Burning

SA: Maui County Farm Bureau Executive Director Warren Wata­nabe, whose group opposes the bill, said there are already regulations in place on the Valley Isle to control the use of pesticides.

Watanabe said farmers undergo training and have to be certified to use pesticides.

"We're not using pesticides indiscriminately," he said. "We follow the label. We are trained."

He said Maui Mayor Alan Ara­kawa entered into a memorandum of understanding in November with Monsanto involving the use of pesticides.

In Maui County, Monsanto has farms on Molokai and Maui.

Farmers point out the state Health and Agriculture departments are already responsible for enforcing federal and state laws related to pesticide use.

Irene Bowie, executive director of Maui Tomorrow, said her group backs the bill because of dust problems from large-scale agriculture.... Bowie said her group wants to reduce the amount of dust and smoke from agriculture. "I think this movement is not going to go away."

read ... Latest Anti-GMO Bill

Pono Choices: 'Bill and James are Starting a Relationship'

.CB: It has to do with the "healthy relationships" section referenced by Hayashida. This teaching module on communication depicts three teen couples, including two boys, facing dilemmas:

Bill and James are just starting a relationship. On Thursday night at Bill's house, they kiss for the first time. The next day they go to a party together. About an hour after they get there, Bill goes to kiss James. James moves away a bit. Their kiss was in private. James isn't sure he wants to "go public" with the relationship yet. Bill asks James if he still feels uncomfortable, and James says yes. Bill asks James if he wants to leave the party, and James suggests they stay but maybe just have fun with their friends. They go and join a group playing pool.

The relationship is deemed "healthy" in Pono Choices.

Related: Hawaii: More than 70% of new HIV Cases tied to Gay Sex

read ... About the Gay Agenda for your sons

Star-Adv: Internet sales should be taxed

SA:  On Dec. 2, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a petition by Internet giants Amazon.com and Overstock.com to block a New York law that requires them to collect sales taxes for online purchases in New York.

The court's action is not the last word. But it gives an opening to Congress and the states to help level the playing field for brick-and-mortar retailers, who face a competitive disadvantage because the price of their products includes local taxes that online retailers have fought vigorously, and often successfully, to avoid.  (And turn the thumbscrews on consumers.)

read ... Internet sales should be taxed

KOS: Hanabusa Chummy with Conservatives

KOS: By most objective measures, these folks would be considered fringe elements. Yet they’ve benefited from a strange and long-standing association with Democratic Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa, who’s now running for U.S. Senate.

Hanabusa’s campaign directs traffic to the right wing Hawaii Reporter blog and she frequently speaks before Slom’s organization. Check out this photo with Slom at a Smart Business Hawaii function.

Hanabusa touts her regular appearances on Hamada's show on Twitter.  Understandably, Hanabusa is deemed a “friend of the show”.

The proudly right-wing Slom has been enthusing about Hanabusa for years.

read ... Why is a Democratic Congresswoman so chummy with Hawaii’s right-wing movement?

Riviere's Protesters rally against Fale's barriers at Laniakea Beach while Media Thumps Tub

KITV: "This summer it was almost unbearable. It was an hour and a half drive to get from Haleiwa to here," said Mike Biechler, representing the nonprofit group End Turtle Traffic.

The problem is that too many people park across from the beach and walk across the highway, many of them to see turtles. Some protesters are calling out the state's decision.

"Putting these barriers here is ludicrous to me," said Larry Mcelheny, a Pupukea resident.

Opponents say the state didn't listen to the community. Residents took an informal vote on the barriers back in September, with a majority against the plan.

"The task force spoke clearly against the barriers and the department said it doesn't matter, we're doing it anyway," said Gil Riviere, a former task force member for the community.

Still, some of the community sides with the state, saying any action is better than no action.

(Why are there four stories on this today?  Simple: It is an opportunity to knock another Republican out of the House.  Duh.)

read ... Demanding more Traffic Jams

Landowners Who Cooperate With Enviros Can Get Away With Dumping

SA: "All safeguards are thrown out the window if a soil and water conservation cooperator is involved," Grande said in an interview.

City records show the Department of Planning and Permitting in November 1999 cited Grande's neighbor for grading without a permit and for exceeding the 50-cubic-yard limit of fill that can be used without a permit. The city estimated the site contained nearly 6,000 cubic yards, according to its violation notice.

The mound, now covered with vegetation, is on a 14-acre agriculture parcel next to Grande's and below a state reservoir that holds up to 60 million gallons of water.

Less than two months after issuing the citation, the records show, the city rescinded it, saying the violation had been corrected. In explaining the correction, the city referred to a January 2000 cooperator agreement that the lessee, Michael Rami­rez, signed with the Windward Oahu Soil and Water Conservation District.

read ... Land 'cooperators' can skirt rules

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