Jail Time for Haunani Apoliona?
Evacuation Ordered for Vacationland, Kapoho, Waa Waa
Who is Driving Electric Vehicles in Hawaii?
Telescope: Congress offers funding, Pushes Mauna Kea-Chile Cooperation
Discovering Hidden Hawaii Tours to Pay $570,000 To Settle EEOC Male-On-Male Sexual Harassment Suit
US Pacific Command Changes Name
Hawaii Job Market Schizophrenic
Election Volunteers Needed for Polling Places
Solution for Volcano Zone: Homeless Tent Cities or Fee-Simple Land Swap?
HTH: …San Buenaventura is requesting a waiver of the transient accommodations tax until a month after the emergency declaration has ended for evacuees seeking short-term rentals of less than 180 days.
She’s also asking that evacuee-tenants be allowed to waive certain landlord-tenant code provisions so they could rent vacant houses foreclosed upon or going through foreclosure.
In addition, she’s urging the governor to sign Senate Bill 2401, which would establish an “ohana zone program,” a $50 million grant to provide basic housing needs in addition to social services, health care and transportation for the homeless. The Legislature passed the bill earlier this year.
“Now, because of the evacuees, we’ve got this houselessness problem, and it’s perfect to have this transitional housing for the evacuees,” San Buenaventura said. “Originally, the homeless advocates … were against it because they thought it legalized camping. But now, we’ve worked out the language … to use it to provide temporary housing for these evacuees.”
State Sen. Russell Ruderman, also a Puna Democrat, hopes the governor “will release the money for the ohana zones because we can use that, potentially, for some of our needs over here.” ….
Cabral said she has a list of ideas to ease the housing crisis, including setting up a nonprofit organization to provide security deposits for those displaced by lava. The funds would be returned to the nonprofit to help others in the future.
And, like San Buenaventura, she wants the governor and mayor to “eliminate some red tape and relax rules to help people get new homes to rent or to get them built.”
Ruderman has his own ideas for easing the housing crunch caused by the lava, including a proposal to allow tiny houses to be built, and the donation of state land to a nonprofit organization for the development of villages of small homes that could be sold to displaced homeowners… (And that is the only mention of fee-simple real estate anywhere in this article.)
Real Solution: HRS 171-93: Law Allows Swap of Lava-Covered Lots for State Property in Zone 3
read … Tent Cities
San Buenaventura on Volcano Relief: “I’m going to leave it up to the homeless advocates.”
SA: …San Buenaventura’s most problematic request is opening up the concept of ohana zones, or setting aside areas to house the homeless and displaced. The concept is opposed by housing officials at the city, state and national levels.
If Ige does not want to sign a bill before him that would allow for ohana zones on all islands, then San Buenaventura hopes that Ige issues a third executive order that would allow one to be created temporarily in Puna to help both lava evacuees and homeless people on Hawaii island.
The state Legislature last session dedicated more than $30 million to establish ohana zones for the homeless, but left it up to Ige’s administration to figure out where they should be located and how they should be run.
San Buenaventura’s proposal is equally vague.
Asked where a ohana zone should be located in her district, San Buenaventura said, “I’m going to leave it up to the homeless advocates.” …
read … Lawmaker wants emergency orders to help house lava evacuees
Espero Resigns from State Senate
HNN: …Sen. Will Espero announced his resignation from the Hawaii Senate on Wednesday afternoon as a requirement of his run for the lieutenant governor's seat.
Espero represented District 19, which included the Ewa Beach area. The senator's resignation will officially go into effect on Thursday, and he plans on submitting retirement papers on Friday.
"I am undertaking this process due to state law that says I must resign if I am to run for the office of Lt. Governor," Espero said in a statement. "Next year, I would like to suggest that the law be amended to allow a person to leave office under my circumstances on the date of the general election instead of the filing period for office." ….
read … Resigns
Kealohas Plead Not Guilty to Robbing Orphans
KHON: …They pleaded not guilty to eight counts of bank fraud and four counts of identity theft. The charges stem from money allegedly taken from two people under Katherine's guardianship when they were children.
The federal government says the Kealohas spent more than $160,000 dollars that was set aside for Ransen Taito and his sister.
Prosecutors say the Kealohas emptied the account and used the money for personal expenses. She then allegedly falsified documents to make it appear that she had given the money back to the two siblings….
HNN: The financial charges came from a superseding indictment last week, along with two new obstruction charges. The trial is set for November.
read … Robbing Orphans
State takes first step toward lucrative hemp industry with new research program
HNN: …Beginning in June, the state will begin issuing licenses for its first-ever industrial hemp research and cultivation program, providing research to farmers across Hawaii.
Three people, including Big Island resident Gail Byrne Baber, have already applied for the Department of Agriculture's pilot program….
The state will initially provide licensed growers with imported hemp seeds for a fiber-grain varietal. A cannabidiol varietal that can be used to produce CBD oil — a trendy health product — is expected to be available this fall.
"I think CBD hemp oil, if you just look at what the demands are in the marketplace, it's very lucrative," said Byrne Baber. "I think it would be a smart component of any farm plan, but we want to prove the fiber opportunities (and) the seed opportunities as well."…
"(Industrial hemp) has 0.3 percent versus 10 to 30 percent in marijuana, you cannot get high on hemp."…
read … State takes first step toward lucrative hemp industry with new research program
Taxi Owner: Ride-Sharing Bill Will be Good for Business
CB: …the bill merely introduces four very common sense requirements narrowly drafted to shore up public safety, consumer protection and predictable pricing….
Bill 35: Text, Status
read … Taxi Co
In 9 Months, Feds Subsidized 4,988 ‘Patients’ at Hawaii Planned Parenthood
SA: …In Hawaii, 4,988 Title X patients were seen at Planned Parenthood between July 1, 2017, and March 31 of this year, said Katie Rogers, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands.
Its services include abortion procedures, but long-established statutes have precluded use of federal funds for abortion.…
(So they bill for something else. See how this works?)
read … Abortion gag rule unfair to women
Demented Liberal Thinks Homeless are Working 2-3 Jobs
SA: …While the tourists keep coming, many of the poor in Hawaii keep going to the sidewalks, even as they work two or three jobs (IQ Test: Do you believe the homeless are working?), often in the service industry: keeping those hotel rooms clean, serving exotic cocktails and dishing out Hawaiian culture for visitor consumption. (Does anyone really believe this?) This is hair-on-fire crazy, and downright cruel to the children who suffer the indignities of poverty the most, in households headed by a single female parent. Nearly 40 percent live below the federal poverty line. Nearly 50 percent more are ALICE families….
Confusion: Shoot 2 or 3 drugs is not the same as ‘work 2 or 3 jobs’
read … What Part of ‘Tweeker’ does Webster Not Understand?
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