Honolulu Ethics: Legal to Campaign on County Time?
Ige Extends Lava Emergency for 5th Time
Police Report ‘Threat’ Against State Women’s Commission Director was Fake—Timed to Coincide with Renewal of Employment Contract
FPC: …On Friday, September 21, officers from the Honolulu Police Department and the state sheriff’s office responded to a call regarding a purported threat of physical violence against Khara Jabola-Carolus, executive director of Hawaii’s State Commission on the Status of Women.
After investigating the incident, police concluded that there had been no physical threat….
…a September 24 segment that aired on Hawaii News Now (HNN) may have lent credence to the idea that a study released by the Commission precipitated a threat of violence directed at one of its authors.
HNN’s Mahealani Richardson reported that the alleged threat prompted a “lock down” at the state government building where the women’s commission is housed. In an interview with Richardson, Jabola-Carolus explained her theory that the release of the study earlier in the week provoked the incident.
“We received concern from the sex-trafficking-advocates community that there was a very serious threat — what was described as ‘imminent physical harm’ directed at me because of our commission’s recent publication of a…study that exposed the demand for prostitution in Hawaii,” Jabola-Carolus told Richardson.
Jabola-Carolus called the police and sent her staff home. Sheriffs escorted her from the building.
The executive director said her office had anticipated “pushback.”
“Some people feel the need to control our organization and our message through silence and attack,” she said.
However, in the end, the two agencies that investigated — the Honolulu Police Department and the Sheriff’s Division of Hawaii’s Department of Public Safety — found that the incident was the result of a miscommunication along the lines of the common children’s game known as telephone.
Each agency’s report is heavily redacted, but both describe a conference call among members of a Hawaii-based coalition against human trafficking on the morning of September 21. During the call, one of the participants mentioned having received a threatening text message that targeted Jabola-Carolus….
Investigators eventually caught up with the individual who received the text. That person, whose name is redacted, said she had not used the word “threat.” The text, the person explained, stated that owing to a news article about the study, some person or persons were “trying to get Jabola-Carolus fired.”…
Funny Coincidence: Oct 18, 2018 Commission Meeting Votes to Extend Jabola-Carolus employment as Exec Director beyond Dec 3 Termination Date
READ THE LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTS:
read … Police Investigate ‘Physical Threat’ Against Hawaii Sex-Trafficking Study Co-Author and Find…No Physical Threat
State Commission on Status of Women--No Minutes Posted for Years
IM: … The State Commission on Status of Women, established by Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 367, posted the agenda and minutes for only one meeting since 2015.
HRS §92-9 requires all commission minutes to be posted on the web “within forty days after the meeting.”
The State Commission on Status of Women consists of six officio members and seven members appointed by the Governor and approved by the Senate.
There are no agendas or minutes for a controversial four-part series on prostitution.
The first of the series, “Sex Trafficking in Hawai‘i Part 1: Exploring Online Sex Buyers” (September 2018)….
read … State Commission on Status of Women--No Minutes Authorizing Flawed Study
Fishermen Not fooled by DLNR Push for Fishing Fees
BIVN: …Local fishermen from across East Hawaiʻi filed into the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center, where a tightly controlled informational session adhered to a strict schedule of breakout talks accompanied by poster board presentations. Tension was in the air, as many attendees suspected the feasibility study was designed to steer authorities in the direction of implementing new fishing fees, even as moderators tried to assure the crowd that the study was neutral on the issue….
KGI: Kauai Ocean fishing permits discussed
Related:
read … Crowded Hilo Meeting On Fishing Registry, Permit, License Study
Smaller Stadium -- No More Concerts for Hawaii?
SA: …After about a decade-long hiatus in hosting large concerts, Aloha Stadium is enjoying a blockbuster run with Bruno Mars attracting 113,751 for three shows, the Eagles selling more than 23,000, Guns N’ Roses 15,000 and Snoop Dogg 22,000 and counting.
Dream Weekend producer Jonny Mack said ticket sales for the upcoming Snoop Dogg, Cardi B and Sublime With Rome concert are climbing.
Mack said the original goal for the Dec. 27 show was to sell 12,000 tickets. However, sales hit 15,000 over the Nov. 16 weekend, the first weekend that tickets were available, so 5,000 more tickets are set to be released….
Mack said Aloha Stadium has been having a strong concert run since 2017 when he and his partners took a risk and successfully brought the Grammy-winning Chainsmokers — known for their “Closer” collaboration with Halsey and “Something Just Like This” with Coldplay — to headline the New Year’s Eve Party of the Year.
“Before Chainsmokers no one had done a proper concert inside Aloha Stadium for about 10 years,” Mack said. “You pay more for shows in Hawaii, so the break-even point is super high. There weren’t many people willing to take that risk, so the stadium was a relatively untested venue.”
(Translation: If the venue becomes smaller, they won’t be able to sell enough tickets to justify the cost of putting on the show.)
The band U2, which played at the Aloha Stadium in 2006, drew 41,000 people, the stadium’s largest one-time show turnout. But was followed by a hiatus. Samantha Spain, Aloha Stadium’s sales and marketing specialist, said concerts have always been a focus for the stadium; however, in years past field construction and other timing issues may have interfered. For instance, the stadium tends to benefit when performers decide to stop on their way to or back from Asia, she said.
The hope is that momentum from several recent concerts in the back half of this year will carry over to next year and beyond, Spain said….
Big Q: Where should Aloha Stadium be located?
SA Editorial: Put new stadium in Halawa plans
read …Pent-up demand drives a recent series of sold-out concerts at Aloha Stadium
Beware of Maui County’s ‘shiny new ball’
MN: … Maui County Council members this month voted to “go vertical” and move forward on financing a proposed $81.2 million Wailuku Civic Complex, but policymakers would be wise to focus less on the expected benefits and more on the guaranteed costs to local families….
The proposed Maui civic center is estimated to generate an annual investment return of only 4 percent, which is less than the average stock market return of 7 percent. This best-case scenario of its planners demonstrates that the “seen” benefit probably will be less than the “not seen” costs, especially if the project turns out to be a lemon….
MT: Lame Duck Council Makes Moves: In final weeks before the new members take office, the council deliberates controversial items
read … Beware of Maui County’s ‘shiny new ball’
Maui: Animal Liberation Nuts Grab For Control of Cattle Ranching
MT: …Councilmember Yuki Lei Sugimura ignited a social media firestorm last week when she introduced a bill to amend the County Code section relating to animal control. The proposed bill, which did not pass the Housing, Human Concerns, and Transportation Committee, aimed to define “livestock” as animals raised in an agricultural setting for the production of commodities, then exempt all “livestock” from the entire set of rules in Chapter 6.04 of the County Code. These rules include the basic requirement that animal owners treat animals in a “humane manner,” defined as the provision of food, water, shelter, veterinary care, space, and a clean environment.
Animal welfare groups reacted swiftly. Maui Animal Solutions, a local animal rights advocacy group, sent out a call to action that labeled the bill “a nightmare for Maui’s animals” and urged concerned individuals to testify – which they did. A flood of testimony was submitted before the Monday, Nov. 19 HHT Committee meeting amid swirling social media criticism of Councilmember Sugimura, including accusations that the recently re-elected councilwoman is an “animal hater” and in the pocket of “big-ag.,”….
read … Does Yuki Lei Sugimura Hate Animals? – A poorly written bill ignites social media and causes ‘a whole lot of drama’
Maui Anti-Styrofoam Hysteria—What Next?
MT:… Back in May 2017, a small, dedicated (Translate: Obsessive) group witnessed a momentous event in Maui County Council chambers: A unanimous vote to restrict the use of polystyrene foam food service wares. The ordinance was years in the making, and marks the second time Maui would take the lead in regulating the proliferation of a single-item plastic commodity. Back in 2010, Maui was the first county in Hawai‘i to legislate a ban on plastic bags, an initiative that led to the passage of similar bills throughout the rest of the state.
Now, after a 19-month phase-in period, the county’s Division of Environmental Protection & Sustainability is embarking on a Foam Free Maui County campaign to educate restaurateurs, retailers, and the general public on the transition from throwaway polystyrene products to reusable or compostable alternatives…..
read … Hysteria
Sovereignty: Doped Up Ruggles Scores Spread in Guardian
TG: …A spokesman said De Zayas’s memo did not represent the opinion of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights. He said: “They are his own views and as such they should not have been sent out using our letterhead.”…
Ruggles’ term ends on Monday, but she said she would continue to try to bring attention to what she sees as international law violations in Hawaii. She said she plans to meet representatives from nonprofits such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“And I am going to request that they appoint a special rapporteur,” Ruggles said, “to start documenting human rights violations happening in Hawaii.”
read … The Guardian
Doped up at UH: Prof Claims Marijuana is Good for Heart
DIHE: …The study focuses on the involvement of TRPV1, a “cannabinoid receptor” that combines and reacts to components of the drugs.
“Anecdotally, people who have heart attacks recover more quickly if they’re marijuana users,” said Dr. Alexander Stokes, assistant professor in cell and molecular biology at the UH John A. Burns School of Medicine and one of the study’s researchers. “On the flip side, they have more severe heart attacks to start with.”
Stokes is the founder of Makai Biotechnology, a cardiovascular therapy company based in Hawaii. The company is currently working on bringing new drugs to sell with GB Sciences Inc., a pharmaceutical company that runs dispensaries in Nevada, according to the Honolulu Star Advertiser.
read … University of Hawaii Researchers: Marijuana Could Reverse Heart Failure
NH Young Democrats Want Gabbard to Speak
UL: …In addition to O’Rourke, since the election, the NHYD has also reached out to Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who will make her third visit to the state on Sunday at an event hosted by Rockingham County Democrats at their office in Exeter.
The NHYD is also trying to arrange a visit to the state by Stacey Abrams, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in Georgia, said Meyer. “We accept calls from anyone who is thinking about running for President,” he said….
read … NH Young Democrats waiting for response to O'Rourke invitation
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