How High Are Individual Income Tax Collections in Your State?
DBEDT: International Students Spend $255M in Hawaii
"Make Hawaii the Line in the Sand for North Korean Missiles”
Gabbard Beating Hanabusa in Race to Replace Hirono
CB: …Gabbard, who represents the neighbor islands and rural Oahu, has $2.1 million in cash, having raised almost a quarter of a million dollars from April 1 to June 30.
She also returned $11,200 to political action committees, in keeping with her pledge in May to no longer accept PAC money. But Gabbard has raised $1.3 million in PAC money since her first election in 2014….
Hanabusa raised barely $62,000 during the same April-June time period and has only $220,000 in cash on hand…..
Hanabusa actually spent more money — $98,671 — in the second quarter than she took in.
The biggest recipient at $43,500 was the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Ross said the payments were for quarterly dues.
Hanabusa also contributed several thousand dollars to five congressional candidates in other states.
Most of the congresswoman’s contributions came from PACs, including defense contractors (Northrop Grumman gave $7,500), air carrier interests (United Airlines donated $2,000) and labor groups (the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers contributed $10,000).
Individual donations to her campaign totaled a modest $7,118…..
Gabbard has already said she will not challenge U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono next year — Gabbard endorsed the senator and helped raise money for her.(Translation: Gabbard expects to face off with Hanabusa for the Senate seat.)
Gabbard gets most of her money from individual donors, (Hare Krishna, Hare, Hare) but she still received about 9 percent of her campaign funds from PACs in the most recent election cycle…..
MN: Who is the most powerful politician in Hawaii today?
read … Gabbard Rakes In Far More Campaign Cash Than Hanabusa
Ige, Caldwell, Trump Battle for Mr Unpopularity
CB: …Trump’s is at 39 percent nationally. In Hawaii, according to The Civil Beat Poll, it’s 32 percent, the same as Caldwell’s. Ige’s 35 percent is hardly better….
read … Ugly Contest
With One Month to Go DoE Still Trying to Fill 100s of Vacant Positions
SA: …Ready or not, Hawaii’s school year gets underway in early August. Fully qualified teachers, however, are not in ready supply. In response to this perennial problem, the state is launching “Grow Our Own,” a promising initiative through which subs, educational assistants and emergency hires already working in classrooms can secure a stipend to help cover University of Hawaii costs tied to earning a post-baccalaureate teaching certificate in secondary education.
On the first day of school last August, more than 500 vacancies statewide had been filled with either non-credentialed instructors working toward a teaching degree or substitute teachers. Here’s hoping this effort, which requires participants to teach in Hawaii public schools for at least three years, greatly expands the certified lineup….
read … The school year approaches, teachers or not
Caldwell Cronies on Police commission vote against covering officer’s legal fees in lawsuit involving former chief’s wife
KHON: …The city argued that the officers were not officially on duty when the alleged frame-up occurred, so taxpayers should not pay for their legal fees.
“Based on the information provided, the alleged conduct appears to have served Mr. Nguyen’s personal interest and therefore was not performed in his official capacity as a police officer,” said Leslie Chin, City Corporation Counsel. “Furthermore, based on the information provided, the alleged unlawful entry into the plaintiff’s residence constitutes unlawful action, and was not within the course or scope of Mr. Nguyen’s employment.”
Ngyuen’s attorney, however, told the commission that’s not true.
Randall Hironaka said officers can “be on duty yet alleged in a civil or criminal complaint such as this one, and be covered by the city under 52D-8 and 52D-9. This commission, respectfully, and city, should want Officer Nguyen to have counsel, especially for cases like this where there are allegations, but more specifically, they’re required to provide that when there’s allegations that he’s doing that in the performance of his duties.”
After a lengthy discussion, the commission voted 4-2 not to cover Nguyen’s legal fees. Commissioners Loretta Sheehan and Steven Levinson were the two votes in favor. (Hmmmmm. Very interesting votes.)
The commission has yet to decide on Sellers’ case.
There was a lot of discussion on whether the commission should discuss the issue in public.
At first the commission voted to have a closed hearing, but after two commissioners threatened not to participate, the discussion was done in the open….
HNN: Commissioners Steven Levinson and Loretta Sheehan, the only two on the citizen's panel with law degrees, threatened to walk out if the meetings were closed.
read … No Pay
Eco-Faddists Try New Tactic to Shut Down Hawaii Fishing Fleet
AP: Groups have filed a human-rights complaint that aims to jump-start an investigation into conditions among foreign workers in Hawaii’s commercial fishing industry.
Turtle Island Restoration Network (a glorified dive-tour operator) told The Associated Press today that they filed the complaint last week with the Inter-American Human Rights Commission. The filing asks the panel to determine the responsibility of the U.S. for human rights violations against foreign workers in Hawaii’s longline fishing
read … Phony Cause
State: Public Housing Must be Privatized to Save it
SA: A state agency is seeking a buyer for 1,221 affordable rental apartments in an effort to improve the quality of the homes and maintain affordability for most of the existing tenants.
The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. published a request for proposals last week to solicit bids from private investors for its portfolio of six rental projects on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island.
HHFDC is offering to sell the apartments as leasehold real estate with 75-year land leases that would return ownership of the portfolio to the state after the leases end….
One reason HHFDC wants to sell the portfolio is to retire remaining bond debt totaling $76 million. This would save the state about $6.3 million in annual payments. Selling the portfolio also would improve conditions at the properties because state procurement law results in delayed maintenance and the cheapest improvements.
HHFDC estimates that $13 million in basic improvements are needed now, and that these and future maintenance can be done more efficiently by a private owner.
Another benefit HHFDC anticipates is focusing more on its core mission, which is to help finance development of new affordable housing.
Most state-owned affordable housing is held by the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, but the HHFDC owns six that were financed through programs it administers.
If the portfolio is sold, HHFDC would continue to provide many tenants with rental subsidies that it provides now. These subsidies total $1.4 million a year. This subsidy is expected to come from sale proceeds after bond debt repayment.
HHFDC hopes to find a buyer and complete a sale by January.
read … Government Fails
Marco Polo Fire
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