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Thursday, September 10, 2015
September 10, 2015 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 6:53 PM :: 3830 Views

Permission to Work in Hawaii?

Fake Indian Tribe Coopting Aloha `Aina March?

Gabbard vs Clinton: Tulsi Demands More Presidential Debates

Hawaii 4th Best State to Have a Baby

Drug Proofing Your Kids

Rail Builds Four Miles, First Car Shipped from Italy

VIDEO: Eight Arrested on Mauna Kea

NextEra, Hawaiian Electric Clear Another Hurdle

The Anti-GMO Club is a Danger to Native Hawaiian Forests

Where did our interisland ferry go?

'Smart911' Gives Your Profile to Emergency Responders

Homelessness Effort: Business as Usual?

CB: Why does Gov. David Ige get so much credit just for setting up a committee to deal with the homeless?

After all these years, people are so enthusiastic about what essentially is another group of politicians getting together to address the problem, as if that problem just developed yesterday.

And since when is setting up a committee to address an issue such an effective way to accomplish anything? A mechanism often used to delay things is being used to fix things.

We are putting a lot of faith in a flawed process, and that faith is related to a bigger flaw in the way policymaking gets done — and doesn’t get done — in Hawaii.

In this state the bar for public officials getting things done is so low that even a committee approach looks good....

In Hawaii we have learned to live with an exceptionally, abysmally low standard for political competence.

Procrastination and delay are an innate part of Hawaii’s political life. Government projects are regularly behind schedule. Public school and University of Hawaii repairs are chronically way behind and never catch up. Water mains break like fine China in the same areas over and over. Fixing them definitively? Well, we have a long-range plan.

Definitive action? Not on the agenda, not feasible, beyond hope. We are doing the best we can. Learn to live with it.

People are not happy about this normalcy. In fact, they are typically cynical about it. Missed deadlines, broken promises, poky responses, it’s what we have come to expect from our policymakers.

Still, we do learn to live with it. Problems exist for so long that they finally become simply conditions, the natural order of things.

You know our common response to this and have probably added your own two cents to it: “That (fill in the blank) problem has been around forever, and as usual the politicians are doing nothing about it. That’s just the way things work in Hawaii.”

As Explained: Profiting from Homelessness: Publicist, Lobbyist Take Control

read ... Business as Usual

Mauna a Wakea? Economist Magazine Falls for Name Change

E: THE summit of Mauna a Wakea, the third of six volcanoes that created Hawaii’s Big Island, is where some believe that the native Hawaiian creation story begins. Its snow-capped crater is thought to be “piko”, the umbilical cord that ties the world to Wakea, the sky father. Ancient shrines and burial zones dot the uppermost slopes.

Mauna Kea, as it is also known, is also one of the best places on earth to look into space. The volcano’s shieldlike shape ensures that the air at the summit is not just cool and clear, but also flows smoothly and steadily. Most of the big astronomical discoveries made in the past 50 years have had help from the 13 telescopes that cluster below the summit.

read ... The Economist

Rate Hikes Coming--Solar Scammer Scores 23.8 cents per kwh Wholesale

HTH: The photovoltaic arrays, set for installation next spring by global developer SPI Solar, would place 30,000 panels on 26 lots in and around the Hawaiian Ocean View Ranchos subdivision. The 2-acre lots would produce 250 kilowatts each, making them eligible for the Tier 2 Feed-In Tariff program. Under that initiative, SPI is eligible to sell the electricity to Hawaiian Electric Light Co. at a rate of 23.8 cents per kilowatt hour.

Residents worry about impacts to views, the landscape and property values and are concerned the arrays could spark brush fires. One homeowner said the project essentially turns his neighborhood into a light industrial area. But two experts in the energy field also are saying the rate at which the electricity will be sold is not a good deal for ratepayers.

“You should be under 16 cents per kilowatt hour for a project of that combined size,” said Stephen Holmes, a retired former energy and sustainability coordinator for the City and County of Honolulu.

“They (SPI Solar) are breaking a large megawatt-scale project into smaller Feed-In Tariff projects, so ratepayers are not able to benefit from better pricing,” Holmes said. “The PUC should have rejected this.”

read ... Should have rejected

US DOE Inter-island Final Programmatic EIS finally available

IM: The United States Department of Energy (DOE) and the Hawai`i Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) have been working for five years on a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.

At first the project was called the Hawai‘i Interisland Renewable Energy Program (HIREP). It final document is known as the Hawai‘i Clean Energy Final Programmatic Environmental Impact.

The document was completed a few months ago. DOE intended to release it during the Asia Pacific Innovation and Resilience Summit and Expo (APRISE) last month, but hit a few snags.

The 1500 page, 40 GB document is now available for download and review....

read ... US DOE Inter-island Final Programmatic EIS finally available

City preps for next round of homeless enforcement in Kakaako

HNN: ...Police are recommending a phased approach for the next round,  by first clearing out the homeless living on the Ewa end near the UH Medical School, then working back to the more densely populated areas on the Diamond Head side of Kakaako.

"We're looking at doing exactly that. Starting at the Ewa end by the Gold Bond building that area and working," Mayor Caldwell said. "We reached out to the governor's leadership team and to the providers to make sure our recommendations are a start there."...

read ... Next Round

Honolulu’s Affordable Housing Rules Only Produced 33 Units in FY 2014

CB: Honolulu’s affordable housing policy requires that any developer seeking approval for a zone change set aside 30 percent of their units for people earning moderate incomes or less.

Thirty percent may sound like a lot, but in fiscal year 2014, only 33 units were produced under that policy, known as inclusionary zoning.

That’s according to the city Department of Planning and Permitting ....

In total, there were nearly 800 “affordable” units built in fiscal year 2014, more than in any of the previous three years.

But the fact that only 33 units were produced through unilateral agreements in fiscal year 2014 illustrates the ineffectiveness of Honolulu’s existing affordable housing policy.

read ... Manufactured Crisis

New Incentives for Affordable Housing Development?

HHN: ...The original development agreement with the city called for 10 percent of the rentals here to be affordable, but the developer doubled the number of affordables because of a city incentive.

That exempts the landowner from paying property taxes for the entire project as long as 20 percent of them are rented at affordable rates to people who earn 80 percent or less of the median income.

"We have the incentive to do that and we hope that more developers will have that incentive," said Christine Camp, president of Avalon Development, the developer of the Hawaii Kai project.

The other 80 percent of the units will be rented at market rates.

In the coming weeks, the city will announce what Caldwell called a "major regulatory change" affecting how affordable housing is built.

"We're going to be looking at maybe reducing the percentage of affordability, to a lower level of affordability for a longer period of time, so things don't fall out of affordability," Caldwell said.

Caldwell said right now the city gets developers to build affordables that remain for only 10 or 15 years before they can be sold or rented at market rates, so the island keeps losing affordable housing inventory.

"We need more of this in perpetuity so our inventory grows and young families and seniors can live better and a lot more affordable," Caldwell added.

The mayor's staff said details of the new proposals are still being worked out . But they said the mayor would like to make it easier for people who build affordable rentals to get property tax waivers.  Those waivers would only apply to the affordable units, according to the mayor’s spokesman.

KHON: Heartfelt moments as Hawaii Kai development selects affordable rental tenants

read ... Affordable

Unwarranted Privileges for Chun Oakland

SA: ...since at least 2011, concerns have been raised over the extent to which state Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland uses legislative resources — including her staff, office and discretionary allowance — to plan, organize and support the event. Chun Oakland’s office phone number is printed on event fliers and her office, up until recently, stored 25,000 “goodie bags” that have since been moved to a church.

While there’s no questioning the merits of the event, Children and Youth Day organizers have routinely obtained permits through the city, state and Hawaii Community Development Authority to use their facilities — without having to obtain liability insurance — because it has been represented as a “state” event. The state is self-insured.

However, the keiki fair on steroids is not a state-sanctioned event — which Gov. David Ige acknowledged and said raises “some very significant questions.” And that is the root of the ethical dilemma.

Should a state legislator be allowed to use state facilities, state workers, state resources for a non-state event? No — we should be dismayed if any legislator used their office and staff for any other purpose than legislative work.

Les Kondo, executive director of the Hawaii State Ethics Commission, in an Aug. 13 email to Chun Oakland, said that the representations that the event is an activity of the state and/or the Legislature’s Keiki Caucus, “raises issues under the fair treatment law of the State Ethics Code.” That section prohibits a legislator from using his or her position to gain “unwarranted privileges, exemptions, advantages, contracts, or treatment” for herself or others, Kondo wrote.

read ... Youth day needs solid legal footing

Ethics Board ponders trips paid by anti-tobacco lobbyists

HTH: One County Council member was cleared by the county Board of Ethics on Wednesday to accept a free trip to New York later this month, while the acceptance of two free trips to Honolulu last year by another council member remains pending.

The three-member board delayed a decision on whether Council Chairman Dru Kanuha appropriately accepted two free flights to Honolulu that were paid for by the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii. The case came before the board after a complaint was filed by a Big Island smoke shop retailer.

Kanuha accepted a flight Sept. 11 for a “policy stakeholder meeting,” and another flight Nov. 10 on behalf of his legislative aide to attend a three-day leadership training session, according to Kanuha’s most recent gift disclosure. The two flights came to $536, he said.

Kanuha’s bill, banning e-cigarettes anywhere conventional tobacco cigarettes are banned, was introduced Oct. 14 and passed Dec. 17. It was the second bill in as many years that Kanuha sponsored on behalf of the coalition. The other one, in 2013, raised the tobacco purchasing age from 18 to 21.

He told the Board of Ethics he flew to Honolulu to accept a legislator of the year award from the group....

In other business, the Ethics Board unanimously approved a request by Puna Councilman Greggor Ilagan to accept a trip to Ithica, N.Y., to address students at Cornell University, but told him he could not accept the $1,000 honorarium for his speech. Ilagan said he would be recounting his experiences as a council member faced with the contentious issue of genetically modified organisms, or GMO crops.

The trip is sponsored by the Cornell Alliance for Science, a pro-GMO international effort that seeks to “add a stronger voice for science and depolarize the charged debate around agricultural biotechnology,” according to its website. It’s funded with a $5.6 million grant by the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation.

Ilagan was on the losing end of a 6-3 council vote in late 2013 banning open-air cultivation of some GMO crops. His experiences were described in a New York Times article, leading to the invitation, he said Wednesday.

read ... Ethics

Activists Put Corporations in Control of Agriculture

KE: Thought I'd share a few interesting tidbits that emerged while listening to lectures by some of the nation's top academic researchers over the past few days.

The use of herbicides has gone up since the advent of herbicide-resistant (i.e., Roundup Ready) crops, but the use of insecticides has gone down. And there's less tilling required with herbicide-resistant crops, which means there's less siltation and less top soil loss, which also helps reduce runoff of fertilizers and other inputs. It seems there are trade offs with everything, including agriculture.

It cost about $10 million for Simplot to navigate the regulatory hurdles required to secure approval of its Innate potato, which has been genetically engineered to resist bruising and browning. It also produces the pale white chip that consumers desire. In developed nations, 50-60 percent of the potato crop is used for French fries.

Though anti-GMO activists loudly complain that corporations are controlling agricultural biotechnology, the high regulatory costs have created a situation where only the big guys and those with deep pockets can play. The deregulation costs far exceed the research budgets of any public institution. Those high costs help to explain why agricultural firms aren't eager to relinquish patents.

Several scientists wondered, “Why is profit considered bad for agricultural companies, but not tech companies?

KE: Musings: Ask Me Anything

read ... Musings: Biotech Bits

If the minority gets its way, many will be out of work

PBN: The "local" people of Maui, especially employees of HC&S, better start paying attention. If the people of Kihei (a minority of Maui) have their way, you are going to lose your jobs. Further, many businesses on Maui that work with HC&S will lose that business, not to mention what HC&S has contributed to the community of Maui County....

read ... Out of Work

Kauai: Will Hordes of Lunatics Follow Water Commissioners on Inspection Tour?

CB: ...The water commission is planning a field trip to look at ditches and other waterways but state legal advisors are worried about the public tagging along....

read ... Lunatic Asylum Island

DOE distributes air conditioners based on temperatures, electrical capacity

KHON: The Department of Education is setting aside half-a-million dollars to buy air conditioning units to bring relief to students and teachers suffering in the heat.

On Wednesday, we learned which schools are getting them and how the decision was made.

A Department of Education spokesperson said 57 units have been sent to schools like Ilima Intermediate, Kaimiloa Elementary and teams are getting ready to install portable air conditioners at Campbell High School.

School officials at Kaimiloa Elementary tell KHON2 it received 14 units over the past two days, but didn’t know when they would be installed.

Ten units were also sent to Maui....

read ... Air Conditioners

Hanalei Elementary School principal under fire for management style

HNN: Parents of students who attend Hanalei Elementary School will gather outside the campus Thursday to peacefully protest the school’s principal.

Parents, teachers and other community members say the school is in “crisis” due to Lisa McDonald’s management style, which they describe as abrasive.

An announcement letter inviting community members to a public meeting about the situation said teachers have been frustrated because of her “lack of leadership, illogical decisions, and inconsistencies in directives and agreements.” It also said many cases of unethical behavior by McDonald include lying, manipulation and hostility toward teachers and parents.... 

KGI: Protests continue as some parents keep children out of combined class

KGI: Hanalei principal under fire

read ... Under Fire

Lahainaluna principal removed and investigated after tough back-to-school message

HNN: ...The petition, which calls for a change in leadership at the oldest high school west of the Mississippi, has gained more than one thousand signatures. 

The video posted on YouTube less than a month ago has gained more than 10,000 views. It shows Lahainaluna High School principal Emily DeCosta addressing students at opening assembly this year.

Some say her remarks were too harsh.

Some criticized her attire, wearing blue and white which are Maui High School's colors, and for not wearing Lahainaluna's red or black.

Some say her remarks got out of hand when she started making threats.

"What shall we get rid of?” DeCosta asked in the video.

“If seniors don't behave, guess what goes out the window. Senior Banquet," said DeCosta.

"Juniors…If you do not behave, Junior Prom goes out the window," she said....

MN: Lahainaluna principal reassigned while DOE looks into complaints

read ... Principal goes out the window

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