Requirement calling for triple pay on state holidays removed from Senate Bill
Full Text: 2015 State of the City Address
Marijuana for the Children
PBN: How would your rate Hawaii Gov. David Ige’s first three months in office? --70% 'Needs Improvement'
City Cuts CIP to Pay for Pensions
KITV: ...Where the city achieves the greatest savings is in capital improvement expenditures, or the CIP budget. The mayor wants to spend $494.4 million, which is a 30 percent decrease compared to the $708.8 million set aside for the current fiscal year. The drastic cut is due in part to a looming debt-service spike.
“Up through 2015 our debt-service, or the amount we pay for our bond debt, was below $200 million,” said Amemiya. “If we continue to issue debt at the rate we’ve been issuing, you can see our debt service climbs over $300 million by the year 2020.”
To keep the debt spike from increasing any further, the city will purchase $24 million worth of equipment with money from the city’s general fund, instead of floating new bonds. In addition, the administration will begin repaying both principle and interest on future debt right away. Previously, the city paid only interest in the first five years of a typical 25-year bond float.
A large portion of the CIP savings contained in the mayor’s budget will be used toward health care and pension costs for former and current city workers. The administration hopes to set aside $117 million toward unfunded liabilities in fiscal year 2016, but that is still $35 million less than the funding state lawmakers called for just three years ago through Act 268.
"By the time that we need to, I think which is 2019, we'll fund the full amount,” said City Budget Director Nelson Koyanagi. “But, between now and then, we'll do what we can."
Currently, Honolulu’s unfunded liability for health and pension benefits is estimated at $1.7 billion, which is the main reason the administration decided to keep a carryover balance of $141 million from the current fiscal year instead of trying to lower property tax rates....
Meanwhile, the mayor wants to continue padding the city’s rainy day fund with a $30 million infusion. Known officially as the fiscal stability fund, the deposit will take the fund above $100 million for the first time since it was created in 2007.
SA: Fiscal Fitness Touted
read ... Paying For Act 268
NextEra: 'Not Going to Rule Out' Lanai Cable
IM: The House Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce and the House Committee on Judiciary held a joint hearing yesterday on HB 1468 which would remove “the authorization granted to the public utilities commission to establish a regulatory structure for the installation and implementation of an interisland high-voltage electric transmission cable system.”
The committees passed the bill. Following one more floor vote the bill will head to the Senate....
The Public Utilities Commission, Consumer Advocate and DBEDT all filed written testimony against the bill. Blue Planet Foundation testified against the bill in a previous hearing but not at this hearing. Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) has stayed silent on the bill this legislative session. Life of the Land and a number of individuals testified in favor of the bill....
Representative Thielen: “The language on page one of the bill. What it is saying is that it’s premature at this point. Why does NextEra feel that it’s not it’s premature.”
NextEra President Eric Gleason: “There have been four or five studies that have been done of the cable, and whether it could eventually be in the public interest, the Consumer Advocate’s done one. DBEDT or the Commission studies, GE has done some work, we’ve done some work and Hawaiian Electric’s done some work. Four out of five of those have said that they believe it’s is in the public interest, based on the information available to them....
Representative Cynthia Thielen: “Is Lanai on the table as well?”
Eric Gleason: “Our position on that, and we are on the record, is we think a two-way cable to Maui could make sense. The analysis that we’ve done suggests that it does make sense. It makes a lot more sense than a cable to Lanai. We’ve said that we are not pursuing a cable to Lanai. If we were a utility and if NextEra were a utility in the State and the Commission asked us to do a cable to Lanai. I’m not going to rule out that that could never happen but that’s not something we’re pursuing.”...
Borreca: HECO wants greenbacks more than green energy
read ... Big Cable, Big Wind
Investment Advisor Admits UH 'Carbon Divestment' is Part of Money Making Scheme
CB: I am one of the approximately 500 people who sent in testimony or spoke in support of divesting from fossil fuels at recent meetings with the University of Hawaii Board of Regents. Divestment is a growing movement, and some have raised questions about its negative impact on investment risk and returns.
Some of this questioning springs from valid concerns, but a great deal of it has been clouded by biased analysis and prejudice against screening rather than rigorous investment mathematics.
At Aperio Group we attempt to cut through the intentional obfuscation by quantifying the impact of social or environmental screening on portfolio risk and return, an area where we can bring particular expertise and experience (if you hire us, hint, hint)....
read ... Money Making Scheme
More Anti-GMO Hypocrisy: Pesticide Disclosure--But only for Farms
KGI: “Full disclosure (but only for farms) is an essential element for regulating restricted use pesticides,” said Kauai County Councilman Gary Hooser, a supporter of the proposed law. “The public is not able to avoid the areas being treated (become hysterical) and they do not know when to shut their windows (pretend to get sick).”
The proposal, Senate Bill 1037, which was co-introduced by Sen. Josh Green, D, Kona Kau, would require that “all persons or entities that cultivate crops on 200 or more acres (but not golf courses, resorts, or government agencies) within a single county in any calendar year shall disclose the use of all pesticides” beginning on July 1, 2016....
HFD: Pants on Fire: “It Won’t Affect Small Farms!”
read ... Hypocrisy Gets A Hearing Mar 3
Syngenta lays off 23 workers on Kauai
KGI: “The layoffs were literally across the board, from top management downward,” said Syngenta Hawaii spokesman Mark Phillipson.
The layoffs, which are considered permanent, did not just affect only new employees, he said. Some of them had tenure and worked for Syngenta for a number of years....
District 16 State Rep. Dee Morikawa said she learned the layoffs were coming early last week. She understood the layoffs were related to discontinuing a program....
For Kauai, it means that operations will shift and Syngenta just won’t be doing as many projects as in the past, Phillipson added....
MN: HC&S loses $11.8M in 2014
read ... Thank a Protester
How Much Farmland is Left on Oahu?
CB: ...In 2011, the city paid about $45,000 for a study that concluded there are tens of thousands of acres of high-quality farmland outside the urban growth boundary (Hoopili is inside) — more than enough land for the island to grow 100 percent of its produce demand.
But the study didn’t take into account how much of that Oahu land — although it may be zoned for agriculture — is being used for other purposes, such as luxury housing or solar farms. It also relied on outdated farmland ratings and didn’t specifically evaluate key characteristics such as the availability of water and the slope of land....
The state Office of Planning estimated this year that there are about 67,000 acres of agricultural land left on Oahu with a slope of 20 percent or less. That’s about 17.5 percent of the island.
Yet the state’s analysis was similarly missing data on how much of that land may have already been taken out of farming while retainings its “agriculture” classification. The agency is in the process of figuring that out....
read ... 67,000 acres?
SB1210: Loosens Sunshine Law for Boards, Commissions, County Councils
SA: Elected officials from Maui County are urging the Legislature to relax the state's open-meetings law in a way that would allow several County Council members to attend community or private meetings and discuss Council business during those meetings.
Senate Bill 1210 potentially would also apply to an array of other state and county governing boards and commissions that are subject to the open-meetings law, including agencies such as the county planning commissions, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources, and the University of Hawaii Board of Regents.
Currently, the state's "Sunshine Law" prohibits unofficial or private meetings where more than two members of a government panel attend and discuss official business.
The Senate bill would loosen the law to allow more than two members of city, state or county governing boards to meet in private or in community settings to discuss official business. The bill would permit those meetings as long as no commitments are made on how the panel members will vote, and provided that a quorum of the Council or board members is not present.
The bill is co-sponsored by Maui Sens. Gilbert Keith-Agaran (D, Waihee-Wailuku-Kahului), Rosalyn Baker (D, West Maui-South Maui) and J. Kalani English (East Maui-Upcountry-Molokai-Lanai), and is scheduled for a hearing Tuesday in the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee.
read ... No Sunshine
Star-Adv Backs Mayoral Control over Police Chiefs
SA: The state Senate may have struck on the most reasonable reform to give them that voice, through an elected official accountable to constituents. This measure should advance for further refinement and deliberation.
Senate Bill 677 proposes to amend the law governing county police chiefs to make it clear that each mayor has the power to fire the chief "for good and just cause, upon approval by the police commission." What's needed now is a fuller definition of what constitutes such a cause for action.
The Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, chaired by state Sen. Will Espero, has passed the bill, asserting in its committee report that it "will encourage greater accountability within each of the county police departments and strengthen the public's trust in law enforcement."
The bill had its genesis in the conflict on Kauai between Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. and Police Chief Darryl Perry, although the more-recent uproar over behavior in the Honolulu Police Department bolsters the arguments for SB 677....
However, SB 677 at least would add the mayor's voice to any discussion about the mismanagement of the police department, so would represent a step in the right direction. The committee added the requirement that any decision to fire the police would need confirmation by the commission, which would still be the one to hire the chief.
That layer of collaboration helps to moderate the injection of politics into the process.
Kauai Police Chief: "SB677 a Recipe for Cronyism and Corruption"
read ... Accountability or Politics?
Hawaii County PD Weekend: One Dead, One Injured
In Honolulu PD Custody: One Dead, One Injured
Some Hawaii Electric Co. customers wait more than a year to connect rooftop solar to the grid
PBN: Approximately 1,515 rooftop solar customers have been waiting at least a year to have their systems approved by Hawaiian Electric Co., according to a letter the Honolulu-based utility sent to state regulators late last week.
The letter was in response to requests for information by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission on the utility's progress in integrating rooftop solar energy into its grid. It said 1,490 customers have been waiting between 365 and 540 days, and another 24 customers have been waiting longer than that.
It said 1,771 customers have been waiting between 180 and 364 days, 1,183 customers have been waiting between 90 and 179 days, and 599 customers have been waiting between a month and 89 days.
Another 324 customers have been waiting fewer than 30 days.
Hawaiian Electric Co. said it has approved 548 applications on Oahu, lowering its total to 2,193 applications as of Feb. 23.
read ... Waiting List
Electric Vehicle Sale Mirror Solar Installations
PBN: Last year 876 new electric vehicles were registered in Hawaii. That was 102 more than were sold in 2013. But it followed a year when EV sales in the state surged by 434.
Tony Nissan's Kurt Speas has sold over 600 electric vehicles in four years. He said the market in Hawaii remains steady but has leveled out.
"I have plenty of people that are totally interested in the car," he said.
But those interested customers want Hawaiian Electric to approve their rooftop photovoltaic systems before they buy an electric car. That's one factor that's affecting electric vehicle sales.
"They get their systems built for them in anticipation of getting an electric vehicle, so it'll pay for everything," Speas said....
Lawmakers are also putting pressure on condominium associations to approve requests for charging stations in their buildings, plus coming models will go farther on a fill-up.
"I think at that time you're really going to see a huge spike in sales," Speas said.
read ... Welfare
600 Restaurants Fail Inspection So Far
KHON: Hawaii is seven months into the state’s food safety rating program and nearly half the restaurants on Oahu have been inspected.
But a website to notify the public which restaurants have passed inspection is still in the works.
Peter Oshiro of the state Department of Health says it will take another six months to get to all the restaurants on Oahu, and it will likely take that long to get that website running.
The department says 2,600 restaurants have been inspected on Oahu out of about 6,000, and about 26 percent of them, or roughly 600, were given yellow placards, or a conditional pass.
read ... Health officials nearly halfway done with Oahu restaurant inspections
Japan negotiator: TPP trade deal with U.S. possible by spring
CP: Top negotiators for the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership meet in Hawaii next week. Wendy Cutler, acting deputy U.S. trade representative, will visit Japan for talks beginning Thursday on the politically sensitive issue of dismantling protections for Japan’s farm products and for U.S. autos and auto parts.
But Hiroshi Oe, a deputy chief trade negotiator for Japan, said this week’s talks were unlikely to produce a breakthrough that would allow an earlier agreement.
“I am not sure we are really ready to close the negotiations this week,” Oe told reporters. However, he said an agreement was possible by “this spring.”
CB: Upcoming Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement talks on the Big Island could further boost prospects for state's exporters.
read ... TPP
Accused Lesbian Child Molester Back in Court
SA: ...On Thursday, prosecutors charged Kristina Angeles with first-degree sexual assault of a minor younger than 16 years old and three counts of sexual assault of the same victim.
At Angeles' initial court appearance Friday, District Judge Paula Devens confirmed Angeles' bail at $75,000 after a court-appointed attorney sought a reduction in the amount. Angeles' preliminary hearing was set for 1:30 p.m. Friday in District Court.
The alleged assaults occurred in the lounge of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church and at the victim's home in November, according to court documents.
The victim's mother reported the incidents to police in February after her daughter wrote her a letter disclosing that she had sexual encounters with the suspect....
The victim said "she thought of Kristina as a sister" and thought it was "weird" when Angeles hugged and kissed her....
MN: Methamphetamines: Child Rapist's Probation Revoked After he Move in With his Victim and her Mom
read ... Another Homosexual Child Molester
HB52: Register for Selective Service to go to UH
KL: Poised for a vote before the full state house, HB 52 and its companion in the senate, SB 468, would require all men to register with the national Selective Service System and provide evidence of that registration to UH in order to take classes at the university....
While the senate version of the bill has been deferred by both committees to which it was sent, the house version, introduced by State Rep. Ken Ito (D-Kāne‘ohe-Maunawili-Olomana), has been passed by three committees in as many weeks. Only one lawmaker, State Rep. Bertrand Kobayashi (D-Wai‘alae-Kahala-Diamond Head-Kaimukī-Kapahulu), has voted against the bill.
“It’s pretty sweeping when you start to talk about getting an education, getting a job and getting unpaid positions in [state] government,” Kobayashi said. “It’s overreaching in that it applies to many things.”
Outside of paid state jobs, he said, hundreds of volunteer positions on state boards and commissions such as the State Board of Nursing could be expected to comply.
Tranny: Draft Registration Perpetuating Patriarchy or something
read ... Register
Kauai Event to Discuss Rise of Anti-Semitism
KGI: David Steinmann, chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, will discuss security implications of the Iranian push to achieve nuclear weapons at a free event Wednesday.
“A Nuclear Iran” begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Aston Aloha Beach Hotel in Wailua and will include a panel of speakers from Interfaith Leadership and government representatives addressing the alarming global rise of anti-Semitism.
read ... Anti-Semitism
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