SB217: Bill to Abolish First Amendment Deferred
LNG could save Oahu gas utility customers more than 25 percent
Minimum Wage in Hawaii Compared to Median Income
Breakthrough: ACLU Allows City to Dispose of Homeless People’s Urine, Feces
List of Neighborhood Board Vacancies
Fatal work injuries -- 31 in Hawaii
Alaska Groceries Short due to Repeated Ship Breakdowns by Jones Act Carrier Behind El Faro Disaster
Gov. Scott Walker to Speak at Hawaii Lincoln Day Dinner
Video: Duke Aiona on Hawaii Legislative Session
Only 12,764 people in Hawaii sign up for Obamacare with days to go
Alleged DoE Child Molester Rewarded with Paid Vacation: 12 DOE employees on leave with pay for a year or more
HNN: Thirty-nine public schools employees are on leave as officials investigate allegations of misconduct against them, and 12 have been on that status for a year or more, according to a new report compiled for the Board of Education.
The board has questioned the department’s handling of investigations into employee conduct, particularly the length of time it takes to resolve cases.
The new report shows that the situation has improved since 2014, when there were 63 state Department of Education employees on leave because of investigations.
But board members say it’s still taking too long for investigations to wrap up….
A spokesman said all employees who are placed on leave pending an investigation are unpaid for 30 days, then are put on paid leave, under the terms of collective bargaining agreements. All "department-directed" leaves are paid.
The report, dated Jan. 8 but released at a Board of Education meeting this week, says 21 of the employees currently on leave have been out for six months or less.
Ten employees on leave for a year or more are teachers, and two are custodians. The allegations against them range from inappropriate conduct toward students to workplace violence to sexual harassment….
There are six employees who have been on leave for seven to 11 months; three are teachers, one is an educational assistant and the rest are custodians.
In one of those cases, a teacher is alleged to have had “inappropriate sexual relations with a student.” ….
To see the full report, click here.
read … Reward
Second Year: Ige Admin has no Answers and no Strategies
Borreca: …“The governor came from the Legislature and he was WAM chair for four years, so he understands the goings on and the intricacies probably more than anyone else because he has seen it at the legislative level and now the executive level,” said Luke.
“Part of the reason why we are questioning more is the reality that whether it is this governor or the prior governor, the Legislature has not done a good job in scrutinizing the executive branch and the work of the various departments,” said Luke.
“It is a disservice to the public if we don’t demand answers to not just hard questions, but the simple questions,” said Tokuda, who adds that she thinks it is time for the Ige administration to do more.
“You are in the second year, some of them (department heads) are holdover; there need to be answers. To not have answers, to not have strategies, is not something we can accept, so we are challenging them to do better,” said Tokuda.
The problem is that Ige’s administration is not communicating with its own members, and that lack is resonating.
“They are still acting very siloed. As much as the administration says it is not siloed, and while it is one thing to want to say it is doing good, actually doing it is another,” said Tokuda.
Both legislative leaders stressed that they are not criticizing Ige, but the impatience was obvious.
Luke, for instance, said “there is no reason” why the departments of Transportation, Health and Hawaiian Home Lands have not been able to spend the millions in allocated federal funds given to the state.
Luke said she is considering calling for fiscal audits of the departments…..
SA: Interview with Moses Haia: Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. exec
read … “I don’t think the Legislature does a good job – and the Governor, too….”
Delay Costing Telescope Millions of Dollars (so OHA Can Collect Rent)
HNN: Leaders of the Thirty Meter Telescope haven't said much since construction atop Mauna Kea was halted last April. But for the first time, we now know how much the company had already spent before protests blocked construction.
"The delay is obviously costing us millions of dollars," said TMT Executive Director Ed Stone, a professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology. "And we have already spent $170 million in getting ready to start construction."
Stone admits the protests on Mauna Kea that began in October 2014 caught the project off-guard.
"I think we were surprised that these new voices appeared a couple of years ago that were not there during the six years of activity that he'd had talking to the community," he said. "It's very disappointing." …
"That equipment costs money monthly, and on top of that we had to have security because we had the equipment there," he said. "So in fact one we'd lost the permit, we felt it was only responsible to take the equipment down so that we weren't on a mountain where we did not have a permit to be."
Stone said telescope officials had looked at other possible sites, including one in Chile. But they remain committed to building the telescope here.
"We chose Hawaii, right? So that means we really would like to have TMT in Hawaii," he said. "There's no doubt about that."
read … But not in the least bit surprising
Can Roz Baker Use Kupuna to Sucker You into Accepting 12.5% GE Tax Hike?
CB: That means less pay. You fall behind on consumer and student loan debt….
(Now that Hawaii has shown its insurance prowess with the Obamacare debacle,) Sen Roz Baker proposes a (piddling) long-term care benefit of $70 a day for (a piddling) 365 days (the days do not have to be used consecutively), one that she believes ensures access to basic resources needed to provide care to Hawaii’s seniors and people with disabilities who are cared for at home. (Reality Check: LTC costs a lot more than $70/day.)
Every person who files a Hawaii state income tax for 10 years could receive the $70, which adds up to $2,100 a month.
(Translation: Pay out 0.5% of everything you buy for 10 years and then maybe get $25K back. IQ test: Is that a good deal?)
(Better idea: Buy your own insurance rather than getting the State involved.)
read .. Still Looking for the Winning Pitch
Tax Policy? Nobody Here Knows What They are Doing
CB: Tourism is slowing, construction is up — and Hawaii lacks tax experts who can properly project the effects of the Legislature’s tax policy choices….
“We can easily get ourselves into a lot of trouble,” said Carl Bonham, executive director of the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization….
“The act of raising taxes is a drag on the economy,” Bonham said. “But if you spend the money wisely enough (Not possible for Hawaii Legislature), it can offset that drag on the economy.”….
“There’s no one in the state that’s an expert on tax policy,” Bonham said, noting that even the state Tax Commission has to hire out-of-state experts because no one is studying and reviewing tax policy in Hawaii on an ongoing basis.
The yen depreciation at the end of 2015 raised costs for Japanese tourists to visit Hawaii by as much as 50 percent, Brewbaker said. And the euro’s depreciation raised costs for Europeans to visit Hawaii by more than 20 percent….
LINK: Read the presentations from Bonham, Brewbaker and Tian
read … Ignorance is Bliss
Consultant recommends Cancer Center Dump Incompetent UH Admin, go private
PBN: An independent consultancy recommends the University of Hawaii Cancer Center reconfigure as a private enterprise to address shrinking revenue, according to a business plan published Thursday.
The research center has been plagued with an annual $8 million mortgage payment for its $119 million Kakaako facility which completed in 2012. It is currently running a multi-million deficit for the fiscal year that began in June….
The new plan outlines ways to increase efficiency through collaboration with its neighbor, the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, use shelled space as a new revenue source (translation: Rent out big chunks of that stupid $119M building Carbone saddled them with), and connect with research partners in the U.S. and abroad.
The center has relied on a diminishing state cigarette tax revenue — a funding mechanism set up in a 2010 business plan that assumed the center’s tax revenue share would remain steady at $20 million annually, but has since been cut down to $14 million to $15 million as fewer Hawaii residents smoke. (So they put the squeeze on eCigs.)
“[Warbird Partners’ assessment report] noted that most university cancer centers are supported by clinical patient activity tied to a university hospital,”the report said. “Warbird Partners strongly advised that the university consider in the long term operating the center as an enterprise fund, i.e. a unit that is operated semi-autonomously from university to allow the formation of joint ownership with the Center’s community based medical centers.” ….
read … Private
Even Legislators not fooled by Incompetent UH Administration
SA: …with so many millions needed, and deep doubts over UH’s ability to use funds well, the challenge is getting legislators to buy into such a plan….
UH (claims it) needs $77 million a year in order to stay on top of deferred maintenance. Lawmakers have appropriated less than that amount each year (still too much), which (administrators claim) has led to the ballooning backlog.
That underfunding, in essence, has forced UH to (is purposefully exacerbated by UH Admin’s choice to) place on the back burner jobs such as elevator servicing, painting, roof repairs and air conditioning — maintenance needed to ensure longevity…. (See how this works?)
read … Not Fooled
As UH Tuition Soars, Poor Need More Scholarships
CB: When it comes to helping low-income students afford tuition, the University of Hawaii at Manoa holds its own in comparison to four-year public schools nationally.
UH Manoa’s affordability is thanks to a large amount of federal aid given to in-state, low-income families, according to a ProPublica database that looks at which U.S. colleges help poor students the most.
In fact, the university is ranked in the top quarter nationwide for discount off total cost…
read … Scholarships
Keeping Old, Inefficient OCCC is Priority for UPW Job Trust
CB: The governor is expected to propose the relocation of the Oahu Community Correctional Center in a speech to lawmakers next week. But will the union go along with it? …
In all likelihood, Ige will look for ways to build the new facility without a large upfront need for capital improvement funds….
Ige said he would be banking on a public-private partnership, in which a private prison company absorbs the upfront construction cost and leases the facility back to the state to operate it.
Ige is betting that, with this arrangement, the facility could eventually pay for itself.
That’s based on a calculation that the cost savings can come from reduced staffing needs for operating a more modern facility.
Nolan Espinda, the director of the Hawaii Department of Public Safety, says that OCCC’s design — made up of 19 modules — is so antiquated that it requires 100 more correctional officers to hold roughly the same number of inmates as in the Halawa prison, which has seven modules….
Ige’s plan will likely come under close scrutiny by United Public Workers, the union that represents correctional officers.
Last year, HB 840 was opposed by UPW, which voiced concerns over the relocation’s impact on the employees.
“The planning and construction of a new community correctional facility will ultimately require personnel to operate the new system under working conditions that could be different than existing ones,” Dayton Nakanelua, UPW’s state director, wrote in his testimony.
read … Moving OCCC
318 Apply but Caldwell’s Planning Department issues only one ADU Permit
HNN: …four months after a new law took effect allowing homeowners to build accessory dwelling units on their properties, only one person has been given the OK to start construction.
Turns out the average wait time for a permit is six months.
One of the main issues is that an ADU permit is treated like all other building permits.
Since mid-September, 318 people have submitted ADU pre-check forms to the city, which are now no longer required.
Of the properties that were eligible, only 28 have applied for a building permit. And it wasn't until January the first and only permit was issued -- a far cry from the 5,000 new rentals Mayor Kirk Caldwell touted would hit the market the first year….
read … Busted
Hawaii County to spend $650,000 on homeless micro-units while old buildings sit vacant
HTH: Broken glass, food containers and spray paint cans are among the leavings on the excrement-smeared floor of a little building that once represented big plans to combat homelessness in Puna.
The building is one of 19 moved 85 miles across the island five years ago from the former Kawaihae transitional housing facility because the county said they weren’t needed there.
The County Council signed a resolution in 2010 sponsored by former Puna Councilwoman Emily Naeole authorizing the Department of Housing and Community Development to transfer the buildings at an unspecified cost to taxpayers. Further council resolutions paved the way for the Pahoa development by exempting it from land use and zoning restrictions.
Boarded-up, festooned with vines, highlighted with graffiti and slowly being swallowed by tall grass, the 465-square-foot units now sit behind the Sacred Heart Catholic Church waiting for renovation. And waiting.
Meanwhile, the county is planning to spend $650,000 to prepare 32 micro housing units for chronically homeless in West Hawaii. Bill 136, adding that project to the capital budget to be paid from bond proceeds, fund balance and other sources, is on today’s council agenda.
The micro-unit housing, which could be shipping crates gussied up with basic amenities….
read … Trendy Micro-Nonsense
Anti-GMO Losers Call Rally, Nobody Shows Up
KE: The People Over Profits rally staged at yesterday's opening of the Hawaii Legislature drew a crowd of perhaps 200 that steadily dwindled as speakers took the stage.
Meanwhile, four floors up and worlds away from the tired old Shame banner hanging from the railing of the Capitol rotunda, Sen. President Ron Kouchi — the Kauai politician who got Gary's job when he made an unsuccessful bid for Congress — was the center of attention.
I wonder who had the better day?
Cataluna: “Kauai Councilman Gary Hooser — himself a former senator — puffed around the courtyard directing people on how to place the chairs for the noon We Hate Everything rally”
read … Anti-GMO Losers
Big Island tourism taking a hit from dengue outbreak
HNN: …Breathtaking views, dramatic waterfalls and secluded hiking trails bring thousands of tourists to Waipio Valley every year.
But in the last eight days, visitors have had to enjoy the magnificent valley from afar. It remains closed because of the dengue fever outbreak on the Big Island, and that's having a bit impact on area businesses that rely on tourism.
"The economic impact of the valley closures is going to be significant," said Elise Mastronardo, who owns Waipio Valley Artworks.
"On a normal day in January, the parking lot would be full. It would be a very, busy, bustling environment."
Gary Matsuo, who owns Waipio Valley Shuttle, said, "Hardly any tourists have come into this area."
Hawaii County Civil Defense closed the valley on January 13 as a precaution after officials found evidence that a resident may have been infected….
read … Dengue
First family’s Hawaii vacation cost HPD $341K in overtime
KHON: …The Honolulu Police Department said Thursday it spent $341,216.91 in overtime during the family’s holiday stay, which ran from Dec. 18 to Jan. 2.
Whenever the president comes to town, police officers work overtime to help keep him safe.
Last year, that cost was $277,585.08 and in 2013, it was $293,731.99….
read … Seventh Time
State-owned building to become operational after rotting for 13 Years
KHON: …Princess Victoria Kamamalu Building sits next to Iolani Palace, near the State Capitol.
It was originally emptied out in 2003 and some work was done then, but it wasn’t until March of last year that construction crews came back in to give it another go.
“It’s not taking very long to renovate. It’s just a big gap where we didn’t do any work in the building. There was no funding,” said state comptroller Douglass Murdock.
Now, Murdock says, crews “are in the initial stages of putting in the plumbing, and the electrical and things like that, so once they are done with that, they will start to put in the walls and the flooring and the new ceiling and tile.”
The building is 60,000 square feet, but Murdock says the state still needs another 300,000 square feet of office space.
“We are looking at options in the downtown area,” he said.
The total cost for the project is $26 million. It will save taxpayers $2 million in rent once state employees move out of rented space and into the state-owned building.
Sen. Sam Slom says the state is spending too much money on office space.
“It’s like so many other projects, it’s overdue, it’s overbudget,” he said. “I’d like to see it finished. I’d like to see it occupied, so then we can check the figures if we are going to save any money by moving people from different buildings.”
The state says it expects to have workers back in the office building by the fall….
read … State-owned building to become operational after more than a decade
After Multiple Offenses Spanning Generations, Child Molester Finally gets Hard Time
SA: A federal judge handed down a 30-year prison sentence Wednesday to a man who took pictures of himself sexually assaulting a 2-year-old girl that he traded over the Internet for more child pornography….
Tong recommended the maximum 30-year sentence because he said West’s deviant behavior had gotten him in trouble with the law before and that he is either unable or unwilling to control his impulses.
He said West underwent therapy after he was arrested in 2006 for masturbating on a public bus in front of another passenger….
Assistant Federal Public Defender Shanlyn Park said West’s father was convicted of a similar offense. She said while West was growing up in foster care in California, he suffered physical, mental and probably sexual abuse. She asked Watson to consider giving West a break because of his service in the Navy.
Watson said he didn’t give West a break for his military service because the Navy gave him an other than honorable discharge for substance abuse.
read … Soft on Crime
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