Max Fowler HD27--One of 14 to Watch in '14
HTA: Tourism Data Faked Since 2013?
Hawaii Politicians’ anti-GMO campaigns support ‘trendy activism’
Dear Politicians: Why You Should Take That Evil Corporate Money
State Department documents rise in human trafficking
Abercrombie Appoints Three to BLNR
Abercrombie Appoints Two to Ethics Commission
Abercrombie's claims state's "in the black" as tax revenues are declining
HNN: While Gov. Neil Abercrombie has repeatedly said Hawaii’s economy is “back” and “in the black,” the panel of economic experts that advises top state officials has expressed concern about the state’s economy that saw tax revenue decline in the first 11 months of the fiscal year.
During Hawaii News Now's governor's debate on Thursday night, Abercrombie repeatedly said Hawaii's economy is doing very well.
"This state is back, it is in the black and I'm very pleased to say it's going to stay there," Abercrombie said.
But his Democratic Primary opponent, State Senator David Ige, had a more lukewarm assessment.
"The economy is flattening. We're still in good shape but the revenues have dropped. That is a fact," Ige said.
The Council on Revenues ... wrote the governor a letter last month that said, "The Council was concerned that the cumulative general fund tax revenue collections so far this fiscal year were lower than expected."
Hawaii tax revenues actually declined by .8 percent for the first 11 months of last fiscal year.
"For the immediate past fiscal year ended June 30, 2014, we actually had negative growth," said Maui CPA and attorney Marilyn Niwao, who is the vice chair of the state's Council on Revenues and wrote the June 2 letter to the governor with the panel’s latest findings.
‘It’s not good that we’re ending slightly negative,” said lawyer and accountant Kurt Kawafuchi, the chairman of the Council on Revenues and former state tax director....
Economist Leroy Laney, a professor at HPU and former chairman of the Council on Revenues, said, “It’s hard to say how much of it (Hawaii’s economy) is due to political leadership and how much of it would have happened anyway.”
IM: Abercrombie Appointees resign en masse
read ... Delusional
Larry Ellison Buys Lawn Gnome for $174K
HNN: In May, billionaire Larry Ellison co-hosted two fundraisers in San Francisco, which collected more than $174,000 in political cash, state Campaign Spending Commission records show.
That's about 20 percent of the $885,000 that the Abercrombie camp raised during the first half this year.
Activist said the money will help open doors for Ellison's growing interests in Hawaii, which include hotels, an airline and developments on the island of Lanai.
read ... Buy High, Sell Low
WaPo: Hawaii Governor, Senate Among Top 10 Primary Races
WaPo: 8. Hawaii Democratic governor primary (Aug. 9): Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) is a familiar name to folks in D.C., having represented the Aloha State in Congress. Now he's an unpopular governor facing a tough reelection bid -- both in the primary and the general election. A recent poll, in fact, showed state Sen. David Ige with a double-digit lead over Abercrombie in the primary, 48 percent to 37 percent. Polling in Hawaii is notoriously difficult, but it's clear Abercrombie's in trouble. The good news for him: He's outraising Ige more than 10-to-1.
3. Hawaii Democratic Senate primary (Aug. 9): This is the most contentious and personal Democratic primary of 2014. A year and a half after Abercrombie appointed Brian Schatz to the Senate over the deathbed wishes of longtime Sen. Daniel Inouye, the deeply personal element of this contest remains the dominant theme. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa is running as the natural successor to Inouye, her mentor. Schatz is arguing he has used his year and a half in the Senate to build relationships with party leaders and get results for Hawaii. The question of seniority, raised by Abercrombie, also looms large. Schatz is 41, while Hanabusa is 63. For his part, Schatz says age should not be an issue. Schatz has been the better fundraiser and also has the support of President Obama -- huge in the state where the president grew up -- and remains very popular. In their first statewide television debate this week, Hanabusa was quite critical of Schatz. Underdogs tend to take more aggressive postures in debates.
read ... Top 10
Loan Shark Hanabusa Makes $117,000 loan to her campaign
SA: U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, scrambling to stay competitive with U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz in fundraising in the Democratic primary for Senate, loaned her campaign $117,000 in June.
The loan came as Hanabusa had her best fundraising quarter since she announced her campaign in May 2013. The congresswoman, according to her campaign, raised about $702,480 from April through June, for $2.7 million overall. Her tally would have stood as her best quarter even without the loan.
Schatz raised about $822,000 during the past quarter, his best mark in a year, and has brought in $4.8 million in total.
CREW: “With the interest rates Rep. Hanabusa is charging for loaning her own campaign money, she could be confused for a loan shark.”
read ... Another 'Loan'
Californians, Realtors Max Donors to Kauai Anti-GMO Thug
KGI: In his first run for public office, Barca managed to bring in $48,499. He spent $35,623 and has $12,876 cash on hand....
Barca received a $4,000 contribution from Equinox gym co-founder and Hanalei resident Donato Errico, and another $4,000 from his wife, Vera. He also took large donations from a number of California residents, including $4,000 from Jess Bianchi, $2,000 each from Jesse Moya, Michael Schwab and Helen Schwab, (Believers in the eco-religion.) and $1,000 from singer-songwriter Graham Nash, of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (Writes and sings the liturgical music of the eco-religion.).
California-based Generator Skateboard Distribution donated $4,000 in T-shirts, while Expressive Designs of Haleiwa donated $2,000 worth of stickers. Tamba Surf Co. of Kapaa donated $2,000 in prizes and Hanalei Surf Company gave $1,000 in prizes.
Winston Welborn, Kahealani Zietz, JoAnna Zietz, Justin Britt, Matt Beall, Karen Marie Bellavita — all of Hawaii Life Real Estate — combined for $5,300 in donations. (They sell overpriced paradise to the Believers. The more they Believe, the more they will pay.)
read ... Its a Religion
Corruption, Fraud, Nepotism: State rejects grant to Rep. Cabanilla's nonprofit
HNN: Matt LoPresti, who is challenging Cabanilla in next month's primary, said many Ewa Beach residents are relieved Cabanilla's group isn't getting the money.
"They are so outraged at the blatant corruption she has shown by getting this $100,000 or trying to get this $100,000 for what amounts to be a fake nonprofit," he said.
"It's pretty clear what the intent was, it was fraud."
We reached out to Cabanilla, who said she was disappointed that the much-needed money wouldn't be released.
House leadership also released a May 20 ruling by the state Ethics Commission, dropping its own investigation into the controversial grant.
But the letter, by the commission's Executive Director Les Kondo, doesn't say whether or not Cabanilla violated state ethical laws.
Instead, it said the commission is closing its investigation because legislators are generally exempt from the state's ethics laws while conducting their official duties.
"There's no mystery to it we keep giving people more and more money and we don't have oversight and it's not our money at the legislature, which makes it so easy," said Slom (R-Hawaii Kai).
"(It's) a phony charitable organization with plenty of nepotism and other questionable things."
read ... State rejects grant to Rep. Cabanilla's nonprofit
Judge orders Rep. Say to prove he lives in his district--One day before Primary
SA: The former House speaker has insisted that a 10th Avenue home in Palolo is his residence even through he also spends time at a Pauoa Valley home for family reasons.
But six voters in Say's House district have challenged his residency, and Judge Karen Nakasone, after reviewing the complaint, has placed the burden on Say to answer in a court hearing on Aug. 8, one day before the Aug. 9 primary election.
The Intermediate Court of Appeals ruled in April that the Circuit Court has the jurisdiction to determine whether lawmakers are qualified voters of the districts they want to represent....
read ... Prove It
Challenge to Defend State Religion Against 'Deniers'
SA: It was encouraging to see Hawaii's top leadership gathered at the state Capitol auditorium this week to support the Aloha+ Challenge initiative, a set of ambitious goals to make life in Hawaii more sustainable.
Aloha+ Challenge, outlined in a non-binding resolution adopted by the Legislature this year, is the latest step in the long and arduous task of bending public policy toward sustainability -- that catch-all phrase to define more thoughtful long-term planning for an isolated archipelago. For those familiar with the Hawaii Climate Change Action Plan, the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan, the Hawaii Green Growth initiative and other projects, Aloha+ Challenge may sound like more of the same. But these efforts have not been futile. They have embedded the overarching goals of sustainability into public policy and law.
Now it's hoped that the Aloha+ Challenge action plan, signed with great flourish and ceremony by the governor, the four county mayors and the executive director of the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs, will lead to ground-level decisions that advance the plan's goals by its 2030 deadline.
Reality: Crichton: Environmentalism is a religion
read ... About the State Religion
Maui hospitals in 'preliminary' talks with HPH
SA: Wesley Lo, chief executive officer of the Maui region of Hawaii Health Systems Corp., told staff Friday the region — which includes Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital — is entering into "preliminary discussions" with HPH, which operates Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, Pali Momi Medical Center, Straub Clinic & Hospital and Wilcox Memorial Hospital on Kauai.
HHSC is hoping to negotiate a deal to rescue the state's troubled public hospital system, which is facing a massive deficit after the state Legislature cut the hospitals' $150 million budget request to $102 million for the fiscal year that began July 1. The budget shortfall is projected to grow to around $70 million the following year.
The Legislature would have to change the rules governing the state-financed hospitals before HPH could purchase Maui Memorial, Kula and Lanai hospitals.
"Hawai‘i Pacific Health has publicly been in support of statewide legislation that would allow HHSC to privatize or form some type of public-private partnership," Ray Vara, HPH president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. "In the absence of such legislation, our discussions have continued and are intending to be ongoing. The talks are very preliminary and exploratory. They are conducted in the spirit of ensuring that all people of Hawaii have continued access to high quality, local care."
Earlier this year lawmakers explored legislation that would have paved the way for either a public-private partnership or the sale of some HHSC facilities to the private sector, but the bill stalled was killed on orders from HGEA/UPW in the closing days of the session.
Reality: Legislative Report: Convert HHSC to non-profit, dump civil service (full text)
read ... Private-Public Partnership
Hanabusa Uses Road Projects to Push Massive Tax Hike
HTH: Hawaii’s federal legislators have called for a solution as lawmakers in Washington are seeking to hash out a short-term $11 billion solution to the funding crisis that could affect transportation projects and jobs across the nation. Two different House and Senate versions of the rescue would provide funds until May but lack long-term solutions. The trust fund is financed by an 18.4 cent gasoline tax that has not been raised since 1993.
Richard Rapoza, spokesman for Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, said the congresswoman has signed onto a bill that would generate long-term revenue by closing loopholes in the corporate tax system.
“Funding of the federal Highway Trust Fund is a serious concern for Hawaii, particularly as ongoing construction projects help our state rebuild its economy,” Rapoza said in an email. “Congresswoman Hanabusa is also committed to working with her colleagues to find a regular sources of revenues … instead of jumping from crisis to crisis.”
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz in a statement to West Hawaii Today said Congress has a responsibility to come together and find a plan.
“Projects across Hawaii could potentially be impacted if we don’t find workable solutions,” Schatz said.
read ... Funding uncertain for state road projects
City Hauls Away 3 Tons of Garbage from Homeless Camps Weekly
HNN: The City and County of Honolulu has spent more than $1.9 million dollars since last January enforcing its sidewalk nuisance and stored property ordinances.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell has described an increase in enforcement of these existing laws as a necessary first step in the city's two-part initiative to end homelessness. Part two is the establishment of additional housing to cater to those in the most need....
"It's approximately $15,000 per day. It includes payroll for the staff and the costs of operating the vehicles that are used to transport the staff and all of the materials that we pick up," said Ross Sasamura, the Director and Chief Engineer of the Department of Facility Maintenance.
Sasamura says crews go out three to five times per week, including Friday morning when they were sent to the canal off Dillingham Boulevard and Kohou Street....
Anything that's not cleared gets confiscated and stored by the city. Owners have 30 days to claim items or they're thrown out. Anything with value is auctioned off, but officials say most of it is trash. Approximately three tons of garbage is picked up every week.
($15,000/6,000lbs= $2.50 lb)
read ... City of Honolulu spends nearly $2M enforcing sidewalk ordinances
Mainland Homosexuals Swap Out Hawaii Boss
PBN: Simmons comes to the organization with communications experience from six universities, including Hawaii Pacific University. He has also served on other boards in the past such as Basic Rights Oregon, the Human Rights Task Force of Florida and Equality Hawaii....
Simmons is succeeding Donald Bentz, who helped launch and run various parts of the organization since 2007. Bentz is relocating to the Mainland for family and health issues.
read ... Todd Simmons named executive director
$225K Salary: UH System Creates New VP for Admiration or Something
SA: The University of Hawaii system is reviving the position of vice president for administration and has named Jan Gouveia to the post with a proposed $225,000 salary.
Gouveia's appointment is expected to be approved by the Board of Regents at its July 17 meeting and would be effective Aug. 15.
UH said in a statement that Gouveia would be responsible for overseeing and managing systemwide programs in procurement, real property and risk management, capital improvements, human resources, and internal and external communications.
read ... Ca-Ching!
Salary hikes finalized for Big Island mayor, council
WHT: J Yoshimoto, as Hawaii County Council chairman, is getting an 11.5 percent raise, bringing his annual salary to $58,008. Other council members will get 8.3 percent raises, bringing their salaries to $52,008. A $22,848 raise is coming to Mayor Billy Kenoi, a 20.9 percent increase that brings his salary to $132,000.
read ... Salary hikes finalized
Rate Hike Coming: South Kohala wind farm to Vacuum Up $0.24 per kwh
WHT: Antonio estimated Lalamilo would be paid 24 cents per kilowatt hour. (A wholesale price which is double the retail price on the mainland.) The power purchase agreement with the company is for 20 years. The estimated useful lifespan of the turbines is more than 40 years (Nope its 20 years).
read ... About Your Next Rate Hike
Hawaiian Electric Still gets 86% of energy from oil and coal
PBN: While the talk about energy in Hawaii has mostly focused on renewables such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biofuels, the state’s largest electric utility still gets the majority of its energy from non-renewable sources such as oil and coal, to the tune of about 86 percent, according to 2013 figures released by the company.
The Hawaiian Electric Cos., which consist of Hawaiian Electric on Oahu, Hawaii Light Electric Co. on the Big Island and Maui Electric Co., got about 13.7 percent of its electricity from renewable sources with wind leading the way at about 5.3 percent.
Solid waste, mostly from Honolulu's H-Power plant, accounted for about 4 percent and geothermal on the Big Island accounted for about 3 percent.
Solar, biofuel, biomass, hydro and solar amounted to less than a half percent of the total.
read ... Hawaiian Electric gets 86% of energy from oil and coal
State looks for developer to transform Mayor Wright Homes
KHON: The state says a redevelopment project would cost more than half a billion dollars, which would come from public and private funds.
The governor says it would remake Palama and attract more people to the area. “This ghetto idea is going to disappear. This is an exciting, urban experience that people are going to want to participate in, we’re certain,” he said.
Mayor Wright Housing was built in 1953 and modernized in 1984.
Current residents would be relocated during the redevelopment and have the right to return.
PDF: Request For Qualifications, RFQ OED-2014-33, Master Developer for the Mixed Income Transit Oriented Development Redevelopment of Mayor Wright Homes
read ... TOD Coming
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