Rail Opening Delayed One Year as Budget Busting Bids Tossed Out
Auditor: Water Board Cannot Justify Monthly Billing Charge
Keep the Poor Doped Up: Feds OK EBT Cards at Marijuana Dispensaries
The Abercrombie-Ige Agenda Isn't Working: The Cost Of Living In Hawaii
The Abercrombie-Ige Agenda Isn't Working: Housing Prices Soar, Burdening Family Budgets
It's Official: Faleomavaega in the Race
County of Hawai‘i Faces First Amendment Lawsuit Challenging Panhandling Laws
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard: Unlawful Release of Muslim Terrorist Leaders Could Endanger U.S. National Security
Djou Talks Balanced Budget -- Takai Skips Candidate Forums
$357M Vanishes from HART Contingency Fund?
KITV: The $5.3 billion rail project still has $556 million left in contingency funds, but with contracts for 12 more stations yet to be issued, Grabauskas says that money should be left alone....
Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi, who chairs the Budget Committee, says before Grabauskas took control of HART in April 2012, rail planners repeatedly told her the project's contingency fund was $1 billion. But on Tuesday Grabauskas provided another number to reporters.
"The contingency, as far as I've known it in the time I've been here, has always been at the $643 million level," he said.
However, in a May 2012 letter to Council Chairman Ernie Martin, Grabauskas wrote that the project’s contingency fund stood at $835.9 million after having drawn down $29.7 million. Meanwhile, the project’s environmental impact statement shows the beginning balance of the contingency fund at $998 million.
A spokesperson for HART was unable to provide a clear answer as to the discrepancy of the amounts listed in various documents, other than to say the contingency fund was $643 million when the city signed a full funding grant agreement with the Federal Transit Administration in December 2012. The FFGA is valued at $1.55 billion, or 30 percent of the project cost.
PBN: Chinese Company to buy Ansaldo?
read ... HART cancels bids for first 9 rail stations
Feds: ‘Aggressive Cost Containment’ Needed for Rail Project
CB: Aggressive cost containment is necessary if Honolulu plans to stay within budget on its $5.2 billion rail project, according to a recent report from a federal contractor hired to oversee design and construction progress.
It’s a dire assessment of the fiscal standing of the largest public works project in Hawaii’s history, and one that seems to conflict with what top rail officials have been saying about finishing the project on time and within its budget.
And the report was issued before the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Rapid Transit learned that bids for the construction of nine rail stations came in 60 percent higher than expected, or about $110 million more than what was budgeted.
PDF: Report
read ... Aggressive
OHA Hawaiian Registry = Kanaiolowalu
SA: Sign-ups are expected to continue until a few weeks before the new January 2015 date for the election of delegates to a proposed governance convention.
Trustees said the delay would not only generate more registrations, but allow more time for education about the process.
Over the next three months, the Roll Commission will concentrate on online registrations, while the Hawaiian Registry Program will focus on in-person registrations, officials said.
OHA's Hawaiian Registry Program provides ancestry verification required for applicants of loans, college scholarships and other OHA resources. All names on the registry are allowed by law to be added to the Roll Commission's official roll....
The registry was open for 18 months before closing Jan. 19. After OHA committed to the effort earlier this year, the roll was reopened in April, during which an estimated 10,000 people signed up.
With names added from three OHA registration lists — Kau Inoa, Hawaiian Registry and Operation ʻOhana — there are now more than 125,000 names on the official roll....
Those interested in registering in person with the Hawaiian Registry Program can do so at any of OHA's seven offices....
Background: OHA Finally Gets Around to Announcing Roll Reopening--Takes Aim at Hawaiian Registry Program
read ... Hawaiian Registry = Kaniolowalu?
Governing: Hawaii Governor's Race a Tossup
G: Hawaii: open seat, Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) defeated in primary (Shift from lean Democratic)
Hawaii’s gubernatorial race continues to mystify. In one of America’s bluest states, the incumbent Democrat was soundly defeated in a primary by state Sen. David Ige. Now Ige faces former Republican lieutenant governor James "Duke" Aiona and, running as an Independent, former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hanemann. In one of the nation’s hardest states to poll, the figures are all over the map. Objectively, it’s hard to believe the Democrats would lose this race, but the three-way contest is so unsettled that we’re keeping it in the tossup category for now.
read ... Tossup
Return of the Blue State Republican Governor?
DB: In Illinois, Hawaii, and even true blue Massachusetts, polls are putting Republican candidates for governor ahead of Democrats—reflecting a deep frustration with D.C.-style politics....
“Everything has to go well, and even if it does, it’s going to be really close,” said Mike Duhaime, an adviser to the Republican Governors Association. “In order to win in these kinds of states where you are so outnumbered, you need to win independents overwhelmingly, bring out your base, and get a good chunk of conservative to moderate Democrats.”
read ... Return
Politico: Hanabusa, Abercrombie Biggest Losers in USA
P: Hawaii Rep. Colleen Hanabusa thought she’d get appointed to fill Daniel Inouye’s seat when he died in 2012. But after Gov. Neil Abercrombie passed her over for his lieutenant governor, Brian Schatz, she challenged Schatz for the unexpired term — losing narrowly.
Neil Abercrombie: Hawaii state Sen. David Ige had about one-tenth as much cash as Gov. Neil Abercrombie, but he won more than twice as many votes in last month’s primary.
Abercrombie became the first Democratic governor to lose a primary since 1994, and he did so in spectacular fashion. Abercrombie won only 31 percent of the vote, despite Barack Obama, a Hawaii native and family friend, cutting a radio ad for him.
Read ... Politico
Will Kauai Property Taxes be Cut Back?
KGI: The Kauai County Council will consider five measures today that seek to provide relief for residents who, in some cases, saw their real property tax bills increase over the last two months by hundreds of dollars, if not thousands.
“I believe that all the proposals are serious and we need to have an open discussion to determine what is the best path forward,” Councilman Tim Bynum said. “For each tax proposal, my focus is on three main areas: Are they balanced, where is the relief targeted and where is the money coming from to pay for it?”
Still, some county officials say the mixed proposals point to a larger problem that will not be solved quickly.
“The answer isn’t to piecemeal it, because on the surface there’s this problem and that problem,” Council Chair Jay Furfaro said. “I'm suggesting that we do it for a fixed period with the assumptions being terminated at a certain date when a tax task force is prepared to make a full recommendation.”
At issue, however, is how to bring targeted real property tax relief to residents in a way that is fair and equitable, some county officials say. Here’s what’s being considered beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Historic County Building Council Chambers.
KE: Musings: Death and Taxes
read ... Political Shell Game
A year after molasses spill, damage estimates are still secret
HNN: "No molasses has moved in or out of the harbor in the last year,” said Gary Gill, deputy state health director of environmental health. “However there is still molasses stored in the tanks there and in the pipes. So that is yet to be resolved."
The state Attorney General's office said it has made "significant progress" after hiring private attorneys for a lengthy legal claims process with Matson to pay for the spill early this year. But dollar and damage estimates have remained secret as both sides try to settle the claims without costly and time-consuming litigation.
Both sides have exchanged thousands of pages of documents and evidence while studies and analysis are currently ongoing, a statement by the AG's office said.“Matson continues to cooperate with the state and has been forthcoming in producing information requested by the state,” the AG statement said.
Environmental groups are not happy."We're disappointed that we've taken so long and we really don't know anything,” said Anthony Aalto, Oahu group chair of the Sierra Club. “We're still in the dark. We don't even know the extent of the damage."In a statement, the state Department of Transportation said its Harbor's Division "continues to work with its sister agencies, harbor tenants, and stakeholders to first prevent spills and second, to quickly identify and stop any future pipeline leaks into the harbor."
Since the spill a year ago, the state says its harbor tenants have been required to provide certification that their pipelines are inspected and maintained properly and all of them have since complied, the state DOT said.
read ... Still Secret
Accusations of abuse, negligence, poor conditions against state animal quarantine
KITV: "We're lucky our dog is alive. Luckily, (my husband) stopped by, otherwise she would be dead," said Boggus.
She said Lola's sensitive to the heat and gave special instructions to caregivers to have their dog cooled off.
But as the weeks went on, she told KITV4, the couple saw sores forming on Lola's body, at one point, bloodied and oozing.
They also later noticed a mysterious mass under her arm.
Then on Aug. 2, during a random visit by her husband, she said he found Lola panting heavily, unresponsive, leaning against the kennel and drooling.
"She was in very apparent distress. The head caregiver told my husband she'd been like that all morning," said Boggus.
"We're lucky our dog is alive. Luckily, (my husband) stopped by, otherwise she would be dead," said Boggus.
The governor's staff told KITV4 on Tuesday that more than 100 people have contacted the office in the past two weeks, supporting an investigation.
read ... Abuse
Debate starts over ballot initiative supporting funds for private preschools
KHON: Youngsters were enjoying the great outdoors Tuesday morning, but they will move back indoors for their early childhood education. These kids, however, represent less than half of those who have that opportunity.
“We have been fighting for so long to make sure that more than the current 43 percent are able to attend preschool,” said Liz Chun, who supports the ballot measure.
Chun and others, including Good Beginnings Alliance, are fighting for November’s passage of Ballot Measure 4 which would allow the state to provide funding for private non-profits to offer pre-kindergarten schooling.
“Public-private partnerships are the way to go,” said Sherry Menor-McNamara of the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce. “There will be regulations, any type of administrative rules to ensure that the funds are used properly, and the kids are taken care of.” ...
“We’re not taking jobs away from them by creating this public subsidy, for the time being,” said DeeJay Mailer of Kamehameha Schools. “In fact, they would need to create members in order to take on new preschools.” ...
But the Hawaii State Teachers Association has some misgivings about Ballot Measure 4....
HNN: Should public funding go to private preschools?
read ... Debate starts over ballot initiative supporting funds for private preschools
DoE's Billion Dollar Solar Scheme Begins Construction
PBN: Opterra Energy Services, the former Chevron Energy Solutions, and the Hawaii Department of Education, plan to break ground late this year, or early next year, on a major energy initiative to help the state's 255 public schools reduce energy consumption and costs, the head of Opterra’s Hawaii operation told PBN.
“We are in the engineering stage right now,” said Brian Kealoha, regional manager of Opterra Hawaii, which recently acquired Chevron’s renewable energy and energy efficiency arm.
He told PBN that the first phase of the “Ka Hei” program includes installing solar energy systems at up to 60 schools where Hawaiian Electric Co. circuits are open, as well as looking at fast-action energy efficiency measures at those schools.
read ... Major energy initiative at Hawaii's public schools to start late this year
Pesticide Facts and Fears
KE: Though Kauai's Big 5 ag companies have been disclosing their use of restricted use pesticides since December 2013, Councilman Gary Hooser and his supporters curiously continue their cry for disclosure.
Last Saturday, The Garden Island published a letter to the editor from Rob Brower, whose daughter, Andrea, helped pass Ordinance 960, the pesticide/GMO regulatory bill recently struck down by a federal judge. While claiming no one is “anti-ag,” he wrote:
Ever since the agrochemical industry has come under scrutiny, it has chosen to duck and weave rather than go eye to eye with their host community. Cooperate with disclosure and buffer zone regulations and ante up a few more tax dollars? No, easier to cozy up to the Farm Bureau so they can say, “we’re just a bunch of good ol’ farmers doing good ol’ farming just like your grandpappies did.”
Yet a review of the Kauai Agricultural Good Neighbor website shows that Syngenta, Dow, BASF, Pioneer and Kauai Coffee have disclosed eight months' use of restricted pesticides. And if I'm reading it right — and it ain't that easy to parse the report — it's a helluva lot.
A tally of the figures show the five ag operations used about 760 pounds and 1,145 gallons (9,160 pounds) of restricted use pesticides (RUP) between January and June 2014. That's a total of 9,920 pounds, or 4.96 tons. Of that, 810.5 pounds were active ingredients like atrazine, paraquat, chlorpyrifos, alachlor and permethrin.
So now that we have solid data on pesticide use, why aren't Gary and his supporters referencing it, instead of continuing to falsely claim that “all they want is disclosure?” Perhaps because the figures show that annual RUP use is closer to 10 tons, rather than the 18 tons Gary continues to assert, or the 17 tons referenced under “let's remember the facts” in Marghee Maupin's guest editorial yesterday.
read ... Musings: Facts and Fears
UH Students Reject Administration Advice: Sustainability Does Not Equal 300% Tax Increase
KL: The fee was originally $5, Shin said, but after receiving advice from campus administrators and staff over the summer, the group decided to increase it to $15 to have a larger impact.
But because they wanted support from ASUH – an optional step of the approval process – the group collaborated with the undergraduate student government and brought the fee down to $4.
read ... Sustainability
Marijuana facilities would be magnets for crime
CB: Task force member Ted Sakai, the director of the state Department of Public Safety, said law enforcement’s concerns center on two “clusters” — access in terms of who can obtain the drug, and security of facilities that house it.
Sakai, who administers the state’s prison system, said large amounts of cash and pot would be “a magnet” for potential criminal activity.
Other concerns include whether patients who grow their own but also access dispensaries might exceed their allocated supply, how food or other products (“edibles” and “topicals”) containing marijuana’s active ingredients are manufactured and regulated, how to monitor sales in a business with mostly cash transactions rather than credit card sales, the potential for price gouging and whether unannounced audits and inspections would be required.
Alan Shinn of the Coalition for a Drug Free Hawaii said he wants policies to ensure that youths would not have access to 'medical' marijuana. Shinn, a task force member, said states that allow 'medical' marijuana have higher use of recreational pot, and that there are reports that one-fourth of youths got their pot by using someone’s 'medical' marijuana card.
read ... Surprise, surprise
HPD Debunks Medical Marijuana Claims
HR: "HPD is opposed to the establishment of marijuana dispensaries," HPD spokesman Teresa Bell said. " The synthetic form of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, is already available in pill form (Marinol) and a spray form (Sativex) is pending FDA approval. In its smoked form, marijuana potency and dosage cannot be controlled."
read ... Feeling Medicated Yet?
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