Star-Adv: Djou in the Majority a Plus for Hawaii
High Cost of Big Labor: Hawaii Pension Debt
Spotlight on 2014 Hawaii laws
If You Want a Glimpse of the Future Food Wars, Look to Hawaii
KIDS COUNT: High housing cost burdens Hawaii children
Secularists: Time to Suppress the Christian Vote (again)
CB: Denby Fawcett: Church and State Aren’t Supposed to Mix in Hawaii. Yes, its election time and the usual suspects have a message for you Christians. Sit down and shut up.
Who will be fooled this year?
2009: Star-Bulletin comes out against Church-based voter registration drive
2010: Denby Fawcett helps foist Neil Abercrombie on Hawaii
Meanwhile, the State religion flourishes: Crichton: Environmentalism is a religion
read ... The Usual Election time voter Suppression Effort
State officials: 75K in Hawaii have no health coverage
AP: As of July 12, nearly 44,000 people signed up for health insurance through the Hawaii Health Connector and Medicaid, Matsuda said....
About half the uninsured people in Hawaii are expected to qualify for Medicaid, while the other half qualify for insurance through the online marketplace, state officials said.
LINK: Connector Updates for July 12, 2014 10,647 got insurance via connector, therefore approx 33,000 got Medicaid
LINK: Act 233 Amends Hawaii Health Connector
read ... Obamacare Fail
Aiona: OIP Should have real teeth
CB: Aiona, who was lieutenant governor during Linda Lingle’s administration, said it makes a difference if the governor speaks to departments and lets them know they need to cooperate and comply with open records laws.
Like Ige and Abercrombie, Aiona supports putting as much information online as possible — and promptly.
The issue of public records has to be made a priority, Aiona said.
“Let’s be honest, when you come in and make a request for documents, you’re wasting our time and we’re wasting your time,” he said.
Putting the information online saves time for both sides, Aiona said.
“It’s not only that it’s a waste of time, but it also creates the impression that government is trying to hide something and we don’t need that, “ he added.
As governor, Aiona said his office would help OIP any way it could, but said it’s really at the “end of the food chain” when it comes to budget priorities.
Instead of fighting an uphill battle to fund more attorneys for OIP, Aiona said he would advocate for laws that give OIP more teeth so people don’t have to go to court if an agency ignores a ruling on the release of records.
read ... Aiona
Nightmare: Hee as Governor
Borreca: The reason the LG is kept around is to serve as the breeding ground for gubernatorial candidates.
The only rationale for being lieutenant governor is because you want to be governor.
In our state's short history, just 12 have held the office. Of those, eight ran for governor and three won. The outlier would be Brian Schatz, who was elected LG and then appointed to the U.S. Senate upon the death of U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye.
The two major candidates for LG in the upcoming Democratic primary are current Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui and veteran legislator state Sen. Clayton Hee.
read ... Nightmare Goes Away August 9
Partners in Crime: Abercrombie wins Caldwell’s backing
SA: Caldwell and Abercrombie symbolically met and shook hands in the crosswalk of Punchbowl Street between the state Capitol and City Hall. “For the past 40 years, since some of you, before you were born, governors and mayors have fought, constantly and forever,” Caldwell said at a news conference announcing the endorsement. “And as a result, the work of the City and County of Honolulu isn’t done as easily, as quickly, as efficiently and sometimes not done at all.
“And in the year and a half that I’ve been mayor, I have formed a very strong, close working relationship with Gov. Abercrombie that has produced tangible results.”
Caldwell cited working with the state on the city’s rail project, a conservation easement at Turtle Bay Resort, homelessness, bicycle sharing and a greater city share of the hotel room tax.
“Our styles are very different....” Caldwell said.
read ... Abercrombie wins Caldwell’s backing
Hanabusa: Abandon US Embassy in Iraq
CB: In a recent interview with Civil Beat, she explained that she wants a detailed explanation from the president as to why the U.S. is again getting involved in Iraq.
Until that happens, she said the U.S. has no business sending more troops into the country, even if it is to protect the embassy.
read ... Surrender Monkey
Star-Adv Endorses Iwasa for Council
SA: In the race to replace District 4 City Council member Stanley Chang, who is giving up his Hawaii Kai-Kaimuki-Waikiki seat to run for the U.S. House, our endorsement goes to long-time Hawaii Kai resident Natalie Iwasa, aka the "Bike Mom," for promoting bicycle-friendly streets and bicycle-safety laws.
Aside from being on the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board, Iwasa, 52, is involved with a variety of civic or environmental groups, and has served on the Honolulu Real Property Tax Advisory Commission and on the state's advisory committee for the Statewide Long-Range Land Transportation Plan. Moreover, she has attended almost all of the Council's full sessions for the past four years. As a certified public accountant, her testimony is constructive — in 2009 she analyzed plans for new lighting along Lunalilo Home Road and persuaded the Council to revamp the project, saving the city money upfront and through the years via lower electricity costs. Others in this race are Trevor Ozawa, Carl Strouble and Tommy Waters.
read ... Iwasa for Council
Farms Challenge Kauai Anti-GMO Law in Federal Court
SA: A hearing will be held in U.S. District Court Wednesday in connection with a lawsuit against Kauai County filed by four seed companies seeking to block implementation of a new pesticides and GMO law.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren will hear summary judgement oral arguments at the 2 p.m. hearing on the complaint concerning Bill 2491 (now Ordinance 960). The new law, set to take effect on Oct. 1, requires large agricultural operations to disclose the type of pesticides sprayed in fields and growth of genetically engineered crops. Companies must also establish buffer zones near schools, medical facilities, dwellings, parks, public roadways, shorelines and waterways.
read ... Agribusinesses to challenge Kauai's GMO law in federal court hearing
Kauai Anti-GMO Ordinance--Another Money Pit
KE: Getting back to the Kauai Rising craziness, big expenses are guaranteed if that measure moves forward, whether it's staff time wasted verifying the signatures, printing costs for an 18-page ballot measure, legal costs associated with seeking a court determination on what the hell it is and — if the voters ultimately pass it — triple digit special counsel fees to defend it against the lawsuit the chem companies have vowed to file.
But before it gets that far, why not take a tip from claim 11 in the chem companies' lawsuit over 2491/960, the one on how "an ordinance may embrace but one subject"? It's already clear the Kauai Rising measure is not a charter amendment, nor is it a proper ordinance, since it deals with a number of subjects.
In short, it's got lawsuit and big legal fees written all over it. So why has it even gotten this far?
Oh, yeah, it's an election year, and certain people are afraid to alienate a movement that they still believe has way more power than it actually does. But maybe, just maybe, a Council majority will put a stop to the expensive silliness.
Or to paraphrase the Kauai Rising slogan: Wake Up, Face Up, Buck Up.
read ... Musings: Money Pits
Crowley in talks to buy Horizon Lines’ P.R. trade--Hawaii, Alaska May be Up for Grabs
CB: Crowley Maritime Corp. is in talks to acquire Horizon Lines Inc.'s facilities at the San Juan port, as well as the latter's ships and routes to and from Puerto Rico, for about $80 million, industry sources told CARIBBEAN BUSINESS.
The talks for the San Juan port facilities and lines are part of Horizon's plans to sell all three of its Jones Act routes—San Juan, Alaska and Hawaii—to different buyers for each of these markets. Horizon, a publicly traded company, is looking to sell these routes to stem its losses. Last year, Horizon chalked up more than $100 million in losses and the company has $700 million in debt, the company reported to the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC).
read ... Hawaii and Alaska Too
Task force contemplates tax relief for Hawaii Island homeowners
HTH: Wille, at a meeting Monday of the Real Property Tax Stakeholder’s Task Force, said she wanted to increase the base amount exempt from property taxes from $40,000 to $60,000. That, she said, could make changes the task force is contemplating to close loopholes “more politically acceptable” to fellow County Council members and the public.
That would cut another $123 from the annual tax bill of the 17,400 homeowners claiming the base exemption, but cost the county about $2.2 million more in lost taxes. It would affect only homeowners who are younger than 60 years old who do not claim higher deductions of which the elders are entitled.
Wille said the county will save much more than that by closing loopholes, and it is appropriate to share those savings with the homeowners.
Another part of the package would require people to file Hawaii income tax returns with the state Department of Taxation in order to qualify. The county Real Property Tax Division wouldn’t get copies of the tax returns, or information about what is on the forms. Instead, the fact that a form was filed with the state Tax Office would serve as proof that the property owner is indeed a state resident and qualifies for the property tax break.
read ... Tax Cut Coming?
Abercrombie Viciously Slashes UH Budget--Students, Teachers Suffer
KL: Those who oversee graduate students, lecturers and others who teach undergraduate courses say Chancellor Tom Apple’s plan to close a $10 million budget gap may harm students, despite the Chancellor’s insistence that the cuts will create a more “student-centric campus.”
“Our largest concern at the moment is that departments will not be able to hire TAs (Research Assistants, or RAs, are usually on research grants and are thus not affected by these measures) and lecturers,” Graduate Student Organization President Michelle Tigchelaar said, adding that several departments have yet to finalize their teacher assistant positions for the upcoming semester. “If these would not be filled this would negatively impact both graduate students dependent on this income, and undergraduate students who need to take these classes.”
Apple’s plan includes a hiring freeze, a freeze on any mechanisms for increasing salaries that require state funding to do so, budget controls and the creation of a campus-wide budget committee. In a memo he sent out July 15 detailing his plan, the chancellor also asked departments to examine their graduate programs, looking at size and use of waivers to maximize tuition revenue and minimize salary expenditures on programs that may not give good returns on investments.
“A lot of questions still remain regarding the effect of the Chancellor’s new budget policies,” Tigchelaar said.
She said she is also concerned about the freeze negatively impacting course offerings and research activities.
read ... About Abercrombie
Congress Takes Action On Opposing Internet Bills
RSO: With the long-time moratorium on Internet access tax set to expire in November, the U.S. Senate and the House recently took action on bills to extend it. The Senate attached its bill to controversial separate legislation requiring more online retailers to collect sales tax, however.
While both Republicans and Democrats in Congress support the extension of the ban on Internet access tax, a more controversial proposal that would let states force more online retailers to collect sales on e-commerce transactions has become intertwined in the extension of the Internet access tax moratorium.
On July 15, the Republican-dominated House passed with bipartisan support on July 15 the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act, which would permanently extend the ban on taxes applied against the fees Internet service providers charge. The ban applies to 43 of the 50 states, excluding Hawaii, Ohio, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin, which have had Internet access tax laws since before the Internet Tax Freedom Act was passed in 1998.
Also on July 15, a bipartisan group of members of the Democratic-led Senate, introduced the Marketplace and Internet Tax Fairness Act, designed to extend the ban on Internet access tax for 10 years, until November 2024. However, the new Senate bill combines that extension with the provisions of the Senate-passed Marketplace Fairness Act, which would grant states the power to force online and catalog retailers with at least $1 million in sales outside their home states to collect sales tax from online shoppers nationwide.
The access tax bill doesn’t affect sales tax, but key senators say they will try to attach sales tax legislation to it before sending it back to the House as the deadline approaches.
read ... Congress Takes Action On Opposing Internet Bills
City suspends routine flight operations for police and fire helicopters
KHON: HFD and HPD helicopters remained on the ground on Monday with both departments suspending routine flight operations. Thankfully there were no situations which they needed to respond to with their helicopters on Monday.
The city made the drastic move after learning the company that’s been maintaining the police and fire helicopters is filing for bankruptcy, and is no longer insured.
The Honolulu Fire Department uses its helicopter to bring hikers down from the mountain, to help with searches, and to help put out brush fires.
The Honolulu Police Department uses its helicopter as an extra set of eyes up in the sky, like it did last week, when officers were looking for a burglary suspect thought to be hiding in the brush.
read ... City suspends routine flight operations for police and fire helicopters
Aerial advertising pilot arrested at Dillingham Airfield
SA: Honolulu police arrested the pilot who flew an aerial banner over Oahu on Monday afternoon.
The plane flew a banner that read, "Advertising Isn't Just For Politicians," said Michael J. McAllister, an attorney for Aerial Banners North....
Asked why the pilot was arrested on Monday rather than issued a citation, HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu said: "The law allows for citation or arrest. In this instance, the same individual had been cited for the same infraction earlier."
McAllister said Aerial Banners North will pay for the pilot's defense.
The company continues to maintain that municipalities cannot regulate airspace.....
read ... Aerial advertising pilot arrested at Dillingham Airfield
Suit filed against PUC Chair Morita, Kauai county
KGI: Hanalei resident Michael Sheehan is suing Hawaii Public Utilities Commission Chair Hermina Morita and her husband for damaging his property and polluting the Hanalei River, as well as the County of Kauai for conspiring to cover up the couple’s illegal activity.
“There’s just been a plethora of ridiculous un-enforced violations of law and I’m tired of it,” Sheehan said.
The nine-page civil complaint was filed July 15 in 5th Circuit Court by Sheehan’s Honolulu-based attorney Richard E. Wilson. It includes multiple counts, including nuisance, negligence, gross negligence, violations of Hawaii Revised Statutes and civil conspiracy.
The suit is the latest is a controversy surrounding Morita’s now-vacant Taro Patch Hale bed and breakfast, located on a 3.18-acre parcel within the State Land Use Conservation District Protective Subzone, at the end of Ohiki Road, on Kauai’s North Shore.
In May, the Department of Land and Natural Resources fined Morita and her husband Lance Laney $31,000 for building and operating the Hanalei getaway on protected lands without permission or proper permits, and ordered them to tear down existing structures.
In his complaint, Sheehan alleges that the couple’s building activities — clearing vegetation, grubbing and modifying the flow of the river — have adversely affected his property about five miles downriver of Morita’s, causing it to flood periodically.
read ... Yep, this is Kauai
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