$3.6M for ‘Consortium’ Seeking Takeover of OHA’s Fake Tribe
Hawaii Churches Join Pulpit Freedom Sunday
What Will It Take to Grow Hawaii's GDP?
Will Religious Voters Counterbalance Unions?
SA: ...Hawaii Republicans have long wanted to cultivate religious conservatives as a reliable voting bloc, much like Democrats have with labor unions, but have had some difficulty. A concerted GOP outreach campaign to the faith-based community four years ago on behalf of Aiona failed to make him more politically competitive and may have hurt him, since Aiona had to disavow links to the more extreme voices of the religious right.
The recipe looked more promising this year.
The special session on marriage equality energized religious conservatives, including many who were not politically active or even registered to vote. The explicit nature of the pilot Pono Choices sex education curriculum in public middle schools also outraged many evangelicals.
More than a dozen Republican state House and Senate candidates said they were motivated to run for the first time by their disappointment over the special session, so religious conservatives have plenty of candidates statewide who reflect their values.
Hawaii Republicans and several pastors vowed to help increase voter registration, but initial figures indicate there has not been a meaningful surge in new voters. There has also not been an influx of money for super PACs or other interest groups that could help drive voter turnout in the faith-based community through statewide advertising and direct mail.
While the ingredients still exist to turn a backlash over gay marriage into a Republican advantage, the gains may be smaller in scale than many Republicans had hoped after the special session and the cry to "Remember in November," and may depend on grassroots organizing through churches or an awakening by infrequent voters inspired to cast ballots this year....
read ... More Promising?
Aiona: Cut taxes to make Hawaii more affordable
WHT: Aiona, running for governor on the Republican ticket, says high taxes and high prices for housing, food and energy are among the factors leading to a Hawaii that’s too pricey for all but the wealthy. He believes the state can lower costs and improve quality of life without raising taxes....
He advocates increasing the standard deduction for state income-tax filers. Raising the deduction would lower taxes for those who don’t itemize their returns. Hawaii’s standard deduction is currently $2,200, compared to $6,100 for federal taxes.
Aiona wants to increase affordable housing opportunities as a way to reduce homelessness and also make housing more affordable for working families.
He proposes dedicating a full 25 percent of corporate tax income revenues to the Rental Housing Trust fund. This would enable those who can’t afford home ownership to at least have a place to live. He would use existing state lands and innovative modular building materials to stretch that money further.
“Within seven years, an estimated 19,500 people will have stable, affordable housing, even when they are not able to buy a home,” he said.
He also would create a “homeless court” — modeled after the state’s successful drug court — that would allow homeless people facing criminal charges and their family members to petition for entry into the program in order to get them off the streets and closer to services that can help them.
Aiona said he would eliminate sales taxes on food and medicine.
Another way to improve the quality of life is what’s known as Early College, targeting lower-income high school students for mentorship programs with businesses,
read ... Affordable
Takai Flip Flop on Military Spending
SA: ...the National Republican Congressional Committee took note of a comment Takai made in response to a question on whether he would be willing to cut military spending.
"Absolutely not," Takai said. "We're not going to cut military spending. I want to represent Hawaii, and the military is still an important part. It's our No. 2 economy in Hawaii and it's very important. I'm going to support the military in Congress."
The NRCC, which works to elect Republicans to Congress, said Takai flip-flopped, noting his website states that "responsible, reasonable cuts to defense spending" must take place.
"Mark Takai will mislead voters and say anything to get elected," Tyler Q. Houlton, a spokesman for the NRCC, said Friday in an email. "Hawaii's military men and women deserve a congressman who has their best interests in mind at all times, and that's not Mark Takai."...
The two will have another chance to outline their positions to a statewide audience Sunday night, in a debate televised by Hawaii News Now. Their fourth face-to-face public forum is also sponsored by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser....
read ... Flip Flop
Abercrombie's UH Regent Nominees May be Withdrawn by New Governor
Borreca: Earlier this month, Abercrombie made four nominations to the University of Hawaii Board of Regents.
On July 11, he named three to the Board of Land and Natural Resources.
And in June, Abercrombie put interim appointees on the BLNR and the board of directors of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
Those are all big, shiny, important boards with a lot of power.
But, without Abercrombie as the incumbent, they exist in office only if the new governor so wishes.
If the Legislature were in session, the interim appointees would get a hearing and the state Senate would vote for or against confirmation.
Because the Legislature is not in session and because much of the Senate actively campaigned against Abercrombie in the primary, the lawmakers are unlikely to help the governor out and call themselves back into session or agree to a session before noon on Dec. 1 to vote for Abercrombie nominees.
So the new governor -- Republican James "Duke" Aiona, Democrat David Ige or Independent Mufi Hannemann -- will decide what to do with those interim appointees.
According to Senate advisers and those with legal experience in state government, the new governor can easily withdraw the Abercrombie appointments and substitute his own nominees.
Some other boards are further complicated because many have board members who are also members of the Cabinet. For instance, the Hawaii Community Development Authority will have two members of the new governor's Cabinet plus two other picks by the new governor on its nine-member board.
read ... Toast
Average Age of Hawaii Politicians Drops by 25 Years
SA: ...before the 2012 election the average age of Hawaii's top five office holders -- governor and the four congressional delegates -- was 74.8.
However 2014 turns out, the average age for those same positions -- with U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, 66, and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, 33, included -- will be under 50, a significant generational shift.
There's grousing that the younger candidates aren't necessarily the best and brightest of their generations....
read ... Shapiro
Waikiki Homeless Drops 60% after Sit-Lie Ban Imposed
SA: Since police started enforcing a ban on lying and sitting on Waikiki's public sidewalks, the estimated number of homeless individuals in the area has dropped, marking a noticeable change in what had become an unwelcome part of the fabric of the state's largest tourist district.
A key police official estimates that the overall number of people lying or sitting on public sidewalks in Waikiki has dropped about 50 percent to 60 percent.
But where those people have gone, and whether the "sit-lie" ban should apply elsewhere on the island, remain hot topics of discussion at Honolulu Hale and throughout Oahu.
...there does not appear to be a noticeable increase of homeless people congregating along the outskirts of Waikiki in places such as Kapiolani Park or the Paki Avenue area. "We have always had people on the outskirts," she said. "There does not appear to be an increase."
Mann said in an email that 15 citations and 277 warnings were issued for violations of the Waikiki sit-lie ordinance from Sept. 26 to Oct. 8. Caldwell signed the bill Sept. 16, and officers spent the first 10 days educating the public, Mann said.
Earlier this year, city officials estimated that of about 560 chronically homeless living on Oahu, about 30 percent were in Waikiki. Some said they chose Waikiki because that's where there is the most foot traffic, allowing for better panhandling opportunities.
read ... Less Homelessness in Waikiki
Anti-GMO Nonsense Would Destroy Maui's Largest Agricultural Activity
MN: * The seed industry is Hawaii's largest single agricultural activity, making up one-third of the statewide total. In Maui County, it equates to as much as one-fourth of all agricultural activity. It is the most significant private industry source of external receipts besides tourism in the county.
* Seed farming is Maui's second-largest agricultural activity after sugar cane and is the largest activity on Molokai.
* There are 770 jobs directly and indirectly associated with the seed industry that would be impacted by the ban, and the number jumps to more than 950 jobs with multiplier effects. At a time when we want to see jobs that increase wages, why ban an industry that pays 45 percent higher average annual earnings compared to the average annual earnings of all workers in Maui County?
* $84.2 million in total Maui County economic output would be in jeopardy with a ban.
* Roughly $4 million in state taxes, plus additional county real property taxes, could be lost.
read ... Price of Ignorance
Anti-GMO Activists Pleased With Their Disruption of Maui County Fair
MN: "It's brutal, no rest," Grimes said earlier this week....
Chumbley mentioned "squabbling on both sides" with some taunting, which prompted calls to police on some occasions, and fair banners and signs tagged with bumper stickers.
"I spent the majority of my time dealing with both groups," he said earlier this week.
The SHAKA Movement, which led the effort to put the measure on the ballot, said in a statement that it set up "a nonpolitical purely educational booth in accordance to fair rules.... We feel it worked out excellent for SHAKA...."
HFD: SHAKA Movement’s Maximal Mis-informational Minute and More
read ... Anti-GMO Activists Pleased
Maui United Way Demands Anti-GMO Activists 'Cease and Desist'
MN: An advocacy group known as "Maui United" began its marketing campaign Oct. 3 in support of the ballot measure "Voter Initiative: Genetically Engineered Organisms." Consequently, within the first few hours of the ads running, MUW received numerous inquiries from both sides of this controversial issue, including those wanting to give to this initiative as well as people wishing to withdraw their support for MUW because of the perceived affiliation.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, MUW has a responsibility to our community to remain nonpartisan, with no affiliation to or with any political issue, movement or party. I realize and appreciate that support for Maui United Way comes from people of all different walks of life, all political stripes, and sometimes on opposing sides of myriad issues.
Recognizing the confusion in our community and the potential harm to the Maui United Way brand, MUW sought pro bono legal counsel. As a result of this counsel, we first reached out to the advocacy group via phone. Unfortunately, Maui United was not initially favorable in changing its name. As a next step, our legal counsel recommended we send Autumn Ness of Maui United a "cease and desist letter." Several media outlets were also copied on this communication to assist in alleviating confusion....
read ... Cease and Desist
Dope Priest: My Ego Too Big
HTH: “Pride went before my fall,” he said. “I could see that I got a little bit cocky; my ego got too big and I was patting myself on the back a little bit too much, there on the oceanfront on beautiful Hilo Bay, you know, with a unique and special license from the state of Hawaii to marry people as a cannabis sacrament minister. I thought I had it made for many years.”
Christie, whose THC Ministry website once proclaimed church members were immune from prosecution on marijuana charges, said he takes “full responsibility” for the arrests and prosecutions of his co-defendants, some of whom, he noted, forfeited their homes to the government — as did Christie and his wife. He added he and Share Christie offered to plead guilty if charges were dropped against the others, but prosecutors refused the offer.
Prior to a March 2010 raid and his subsequent arrest, Christie said local, state and federal authorities treated him with respect and allowed him to operate the ministry prosecutors described as a front for drug distribution “for 12 happy years.”
“So what went wrong?” he mused. “I went wrong and caused this situation to happen. Yes, other people were involved, and I seek to prove that.”...
“I’m not a medical marijuana patient and I don’t want to be one...,” Christie said.
read ... Arrogant Dope
‘Seized Assets’ Prove Lucrative for Hawaii Cops
CB: The WaPo story published Saturday includes a state-by-state breakdown of how much money has been spent by local police agencies under the program.
In Hawaii, that totals more than $4.5 million in the past six years with the biggest chunk — more than $2 million — spent by the Honolulu Police Department, the newspaper reports.
The paper doesn’t give details on Hawaii beyond general categories, but the breakdown shows HPD spent $1.4 million on communications and computers and $266,000 on community programs.
All together, police agencies throughout the state spent more than $250,000 for weapons and more than $80,000 for electronic surveillance.
Check out the full report here.
read ... Lucrative
Assault victim's parents balk at prosecuting school janitor
SA: City prosecutors are seeking dismissal of a charge that a 53-year-old substitute custodian sexually assaulted a 5-year-old boy at a Waipio school, according to the prosecutor's office.
The reason for the dismissal is because the parents of the victim do not want to pursue the case, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office said Friday. The motion was filed in Honolulu District Court on Thursday and needs to be approved by a judge.
Bakke said the 5-year-old victim was "not a credible witness," having gotten only a glimpse of a man who "poked him in the back" and ran out the door.
"He didn't even get a look at the guy," except to say that he "‘had lotion on his hand. He was bigger and older than my dad and was wearing a cowboy hat,'" Bakke said.
read ... Alleged Homosexual Child Molestation
Bad episode can result in better HPD
SA: ...Whatever the outcome of HPD's investigations into Cachola and the responding officers, public disclosure is needed about the discipline taken in this high-profile case. As the law stands, HPD is shielded from any meaningful disclosure; the public has a right to know if an armed officer -- let alone a sergeant -- has serious violence issues and is getting help. State lawmakers need to change the law for fuller disclosure of details when it comes to disciplinary actions.
As for training, HPD recruits receive three hours of domestic violence-related training, then one hour annually on this subject. That is woefully inadequate, especially considering that HPD claims to have a zero-tolerance policy toward domestic violence. Further, studies indicate that domestic violence is two to four times more common among police families than U.S. families in general. Training must be tightened to ensure that HPD officers adhere to policies, such as that "cases of domestic violence, including those involving officers as suspects, must be reported."
This whole episode has damaged the credibility of HPD, and legitimate questions linger about above-board handling involving one of its own. HPD is assuring lawmakers and advocates that it will improve its response to domestic violence. That's got to happen. If anything, efforts must be redoubled to make meaningful reforms in procedures that take seriously the plight of victims and the necessary vigilance to prosecute abusers....
SA: Grand Jury Decision Didn't Vindicate HPD
read ... Bad episode can result in better HPD
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