Rep Takai Will Not Seek Reelection
Hawaiian Electric: Natural Gas Can Save Ratepayers $3.7B
Police Commission: We Will Never Do Anything About Kealoha
SA: Honolulu Police Commission Chairman Ron Taketa said Wednesday that the commission can suspend Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha (ONLY) if he is indicted after a federal grand jury investigation into alleged corruption. (But since Kealoha’s lawyer says he will step down if indicted, this is tantamount to saying the commission will do nothing. In this, the commission is following Caldwell’s explicit advice.)
His comments came after a regular Police Commission hearing where Kealoha (contradicted the public statement of his own attorney and) told the commission behind closed doors that he does not expect to be indicted….
read … An article stupidly titled: 'Police panel could suspend chief'
AG Opens Criminal Investigation into Gross Nepotism, Union Finances
SA: …The Attorney General’s office this week visited the downtown headquarters of Local 1260 and has been in talks with the IBEW’s legal team in Washington, D.C., according to a source close to the investigation who asked not to be identified.
“The AG said they have opened a case after all the stories broke. Their visit was more that they want to make sure records are preserved and there’s no files being deleted,” the source said.
James Walther, deputy attorney general, said he couldn’t confirm or deny whether there is a pending investigation. Ahakuelo did not return calls for comment.
“It’s most likely the criminal division,” said Honolulu attorney Myles Breiner, who is not connected to the case. “If it turns out there is self-dealing and gross nepotism, that could affect the local because the government could get involved and take over running the union. The last thing the union wants is to have the federal government delve into its finances.”
On May 6 the international union placed Local 1260 in emergency trusteeship over concerns of financial mismanagement. Ahakuelo and 18 staff members were placed on paid leave during its investigation. The international union scheduled a hearing for May 23 to decide how long the trusteeship will last….
Gary Rodrigues, the former state director of the United Public Workers, was convicted in 2002 of 101 criminal charges that included conspiracy, theft and embezzling union money and served more than four years in prison. Tony Rutledge, former head of the Unity House labor organization, was facing multiple criminal charges in 2005 that included tax fraud and conspiracy, though the majority of those were ultimately dismissed.
“There’s large sums of money that are held by unions and pension funds and frequently you hear allegations of misuse or abuse of those funds by union management,” said Breiner, who was involved in the Rutledge case. “It’s not uncommon. It’s part and parcel of what happens when you have unions that control large pension funds.”….
read … Part and Parcel
UH: Unfathomable Cronyism Benefits Insiders in the Know
SA: …Come July, projects will go out to bid electronically, in a way that is more easily accessible and transparent — which Gouveia said will allow UH to cast a wider net for contractors bidding on projects.
That promises to be far more efficient and equitable than the current system in which in-the-know contractors submit bids in person, standing in line to make sure they’re time-stamped by deadlines.
The electronic system would allow contractors to set up profiles that identify their areas of expertise and receive emails when a possible job comes up for bid.
It is almost unfathomable that such an essential function of the public university has been operating under an antiquated, insider process for so long.
Also coming online in July is new project-management software, which will enable electronic submission of all project documentation from invoices to drawings.
Snyder Hall repairs had been ignored for too long — so much so that it makes more fiscal sense to raze rather than upgrade the existing structure….
Snyder’s condition is a sad testament to the poor management of capital projects in years past, as well as to lawmakers’ lack of financial commitment to the upkeep of UH’s facilities….
read … Unfathomable
The case for stopping rail construction at Middle Street
SA: >> First, it would stave off the impending devastation that elevated rail would bring to our waterfront and downtown. It would prevent this predictive declaration: “In our 100-year history, The Outdoor Circle has seen no other venture that holds the potential to degrade the landscape of Oahu.”
>> Second, it would eliminate the cost of the most expensive part of the rail project from Middle Street to Ala Moana Center and the likely billions in cost overruns in this final section, which is fraught with environmental and construction difficulties.
>> Third, it would reduce the annual operating cost of rail, which the city projects as an additional $100 million annually, likely understated and likely to be paid for by increased property taxes.
>> Fourth, it would avert future years of traffic congestion that will result from rail construction and lane closings on Dillingham Boulevard, Nimitz Highway and Halekauwila Street.
read … Middle Street
LNG: Enviros Need to Block NextEra Merger to Keep Electric Rates High
SA: …“We agree with Gov. Ige,” said Isaac Moriwake, attorney for Earthjustice. “This is just a distraction from our clean energy goals. HECO will profit, and customers and the environment will have to bear the costs.”
Jeff Mikulina, executive director at Blue Planet Foundation, said HECO’s filing is “outrageous” because the utility is not respecting the process of engaging with the community. HECO held a meeting with the energy community Tuesday about its 30-year power supply plan, which includes looking into using LNG as a bridge fuel.
“It’s outrageous because we’re essentially in the middle of the planning process and HECO is seeking stakeholder engagement and this just demonstrates that there is no interest in a stakeholder process — to jump the gun and file the application to presume the outcome. They just had this dialogue about analyzing LNG and then they just go right ahead and apply,” Mikulina said….
read … High Electric Rates
Standardized testing to no longer be part of teacher assessment
HTH: “The teacher evaluation system served as a control mechanism,” said Perruso, who also teaches social studies at Mililani High School on Oahu. “If you don’t follow the guidelines, you won’t be rated as ‘effective.’ That’s why what happened (Tuesday) was so critical. It gives teachers back a modicum of power. We’re no longer completely held under the thumb of principals because they can’t use test scores against us anymore.” …
But opinions about the issue vary, even within educational ranks.
Christopher Rodriguez, curriculum coordinator at Waipahu Elementary School on Oahu, wrote a piece for civilbeat.com in February. In that column, Rodriguez said criticisms such as those above don’t line up with his experience.
“We did not lose autonomy or the opportunity to meet the needs of our students,” Fernandez wrote. “Our core mission of serving students seemed secondary as we incorporated new systems and initiatives. I remember how high-stakes testing shifted how we planned and ran classrooms. Initially, we focused on test prep, made our student work match the format of the tests and reorganized the pace of instruction so we finished before the tests started in March. But then the shock of change wore off and we realized that tests were merely one aspect of education. No one forced me to do test prep all year.”….
read … Standardized testing
Kauai Council rejects GE Tax hike
KGI: …An increase of the General Excise Tax will not be imposed on Kauai residents.
In a 4-3 vote Wednesday, the Kauai County Council voted against a bill that would have increased the 4 percent GET by a quarter of a percent.
Councilmen KipuKai Kuali’i, Gary Hooser, Ross Kagawa and Mel Rapozo voted no.
“The more discussion we have, and the more I hear about the tax, the more sure I am in my vote,” Kuali’i said. “The families are taking the bullet for the county’s inability to budget properly, and as I see it, we’re stopping the bullet.” ….
read … No New Taxes
Caldwell Grinds Ethics Office Down to One Investigator
CB: …On Wednesday, at least two commissioners questioned whether they were micromanaging Totto by making him and his staff fill out time sheets. Specifically, they wondered if the six-minute tracking requirement was an effective use of time.
“I don’t think it’s working,” Commissioner Stephen Silva said. “It’s overloading an already overloaded system.”
The Honolulu Ethics Commission, which has seen its caseload increasing, is already short staffed and perennially underfunded. Beginning next week Totto will be the only investigator in his office. Friday is the last day for his current investigator, and a position for associate legal counsel remains open.
Commissioner Stanford Yuen said that given the circumstances that it might be worthwhile for the commission to revisit whether Totto and his staff should be required to fill out time sheets on a monthly basis.
“The commission needs to be mindful that this is a professional office and we’re all professionals, this is not an assembly line,” Yuen said. “There are a lot of variables and uncertainty, so we have to trust the staff and the director of the office.”
Not all commissioners agreed that the six-minute tracking system should be abolished.
Commissioner Allene Suemori, for instance, said that the time sheets can help the commission get a better understanding of how resources are being used in the office so that it is easier to justify to politicians that more money is needed for investigators.
Vice Chairman Michael Lilly, who works as an attorney in Honolulu, said the tracking mechanism can also be used internally by Totto and others to make sure they are working as efficiently as possible.
Attorneys in private practice do this all the time, he said, and it can be useful to make sure that they are not putting too much time into a task that might not provide the biggest return on investment.
“I’ve been keeping time for 35 years,” Lilly said….
read … Time to Keep Time?
Hawaii Brothel Owner Pays Police $10K/month for Protection
AP: …When two special agents from Homeland Security Investigations arrived to do a follow-up interview with Situ, she allegedly told them she wants the same arrangement her friend's massage parlor has with a Honolulu law enforcement officer. She said her friend runs a prostitution business and pays an officer who tips her off about any law enforcement activity….
…A few months later, a confidential informant met with Situ to discuss her new massage parlor called Blue Angel. Situ told the informant she invested $115,000 in the business. During the conversation, Situ allegedly took calls from customers seeking massage and sex appointments. The complaint says she directed callers to Blue Angel at downtown's Kukui Plaza.
Situ asked the informant about immigration connections and suggested she could pay $10,000 a month or every few months for protection of Blue Angel, the complaint said.
During an undercover sting in June 2015, the agent Situ allegedly propositioned previously met with her to discuss protection for her prostitution business. She wanted the agent "to stop law enforcement raids and inspections on Blue Angel or give her advance warning of law enforcement raids and inspections on Blue Angel," the complaint said.
She allegedly gave him $5,000 in cash to start, and she promised about $15,000 when her business improved.
When the agent asked if there was anything else he could do for her, she had a few more requests: help obtaining U.S. citizenship without taking a test because she failed it, and recruitment of prostitutes.
She allegedly gave him another $5,000 in cash for the citizenship help and promised $500 to $2,000 for each prostitute he recruited from other massage parlors….
SA: Woman connected to Honolulu brothel accused of bribery
read … Blue Angel
DoE Provides Free Pornos to 600 Elementary School Students
KHON: …The parent told us her 12-year-old son and other students had access to inappropriate websites on their school-issued iPads.
“As a parent of a 12-year-old, I’m furious that they gave my son exposure to pornography that I’ve tried so very hard to prevent,” she said.
School officials at Lokelani told students to download the Puffin Web Browser app, which would allow them to watch certain types of videos. But students saw more than they expected, which the school’s principal confirmed with KHON2 over the phone.
Principal Donna Whitford said the web browser gave all 600 students access to inappropriate images online. The school just began collecting all of the school’s iPads and will be removing the Puffin app….
Puffin: “Puffin is rated as a 17+ app.”
read … Porn
Legislative News:
QUICK HITS: