Obamacare Waiver: Hawaii Only State to Skip Reinsurance
DoTax Report Reveals Tax Credits Claimed by Hawaii Taxpayers
Climate Change and all the Brainwashing
Dirty Little Hands
Nancy Pelosi Vacations at Fairmont Orchid During Government Shutdown
Maui Woke? Hindus urge Hawaii firm to withdraw Lord Ganesha shoes
Trevor Ozawa and Kurt Fevella victories called into question by Hawaii Supreme Court
SA: …The November election results showing narrow victories by City Councilman Trevor Ozawa and Senate candidate Kurt Fevella were thrown into a legal quandary late Friday when the the Hawaii Supreme Court issued orders requiring election officials to provide information sought by people challenging the results.
The three unprecedented orders from the five-member court mean the elections of Ozawa or Fevella cannot be certified. Under state law, results of an election can be certified “only after a final determination in the contest has been made and the time for an appeal has expired.”
Ozawa is slated to be sworn in for his second term at an inauguration ceremony Wednesday. He is also expected to be elected by colleagues to be the Council’s new chairman. Meanwhile, opening day of the Legislature is Jan. 17, and Fevella, who would be the only Republican in the 25-member Senate, has already begun to attend hearings….
The Office of Elections’ final results reported that incumbent Ozawa won re-election to his East Honolulu seat by 22 votes over former state Rep. Tommy Waters. Separate complaints were filed by Waters and a group of East Honolulu voters, comprised largely of Water supporters.
Elections officials meanwhile issued final results showing Republican Kurt Fevella beating state Rep. Matt Lopresti by 116 votes for the state Senate’s District 19 (Ewa, Ewa Beach). Lopresti filed a complaint challenging the results of that election.
All three complaints raised similar questions regarding the margin of error for electronic vote counting machines and procedures used to determine the intent of certain voters in close elections in lieu of hand counting.
In all three court orders, the justices called on election officials to provide information to the challengers responding to their complaints and to provide their responses in three days. In footnotes the orders also point out that contest results cannot be certified until final determination is made and the time for appeals expire….
read … Trevor Ozawa and Kurt Fevella victories called into question by Hawaii Supreme Court
Kaneshiro no-show at impeachment conference—Stalling Tactic Gets Delay to Feb 14
SA: … The question of whether Honolulu Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro should be impeached will likely drag deep into 2019.
On Friday state Circuit Judge Jeffrey P. Crabtree set a Feb. 14 date for a follow-up conference after learning that the issue of Kaneshiro’s legal representation probably won’t be settled until at least February.
“There’s only so far we can go if Mr. Kaneshiro is not represented,” Crabtree said….
Kaneshiro did not appear at Friday’s conference, and no one was there to represent him. A spokeswoman in the prosecutor’s office said Kaneshiro had no comment.
Paul Aoki, first deputy corporation counsel for the city, stated several times that he was in the courtroom at the request of the court and did not represent Kaneshiro.
Kaneshiro could ask the city to provide him with legal counsel in the proceeding, Aoki said.
The Department of Corporation Counsel would likely recommend that outside attorneys be hired to represent Kaneshiro. Such a hire would need approval from the City Council and be paid for by taxpayers. The Council is unlikely to make a decision on that until mid- or late February, Aoki said.
It was clear from Friday’s hearing that the impeachment petition process remains murky due to vague language in state and city law, and also because no one in Hawaii has attempted to impeach an elected official since the laws went into effect.
After Friday’s conference Yoshimura’s attorney, Keith Kiuchi, voiced frustration at the lack of instructions on how a citizen-led impeachment effort is to be conducted. He urged state and city lawmakers to make changes to the law.
He noted that the last impeachment initiative was against former City Councilwoman Rene Mansho in 1992. That case went directly to the Hawaii Supreme Court, but Mansho announced her resignation from the Council before the proceedings began….
read … Honolulu Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro a no-show at impeachment conference
No Tent Cities—Use domes for ohana zones
SA: …the state should look at these as candidates for solutions in its “ohana zone” initiative. The church already has a waiting list — and its rules are fairly restrictive. Surely many more could be helped on state land in a less-restrictive, but secure, alternative to tent cities on the street.
The domes are produced by InterShelter Inc., an Alaska-based company, for sale at $10,000 each. According to its website (intershelter.com), the company touts that the white reflective coating keeps the interior cooler — a plus in Hawaii’s heat.
State officials and lawmakers will have a chance to see how well this works in the coming months. Surely there are similar, easy-assemble solutions on the market that could be considered. But there should be no hesitation in tapping one good idea now…..
read … Try domes for ohana zones
High-Tax State Exodus
WSJ: … Nine states lost population last year including Alaska, Connecticut, Louisiana, Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, New York, West Virginia and Wyoming. Alaska, Louisiana, West Virginia and Wyoming are heavily dependent on the vagaries of energy prices, but the economic malaise in Connecticut, Illinois, Hawaii and New York is self-inflicted….
These population shifts mean that several states including New York, Illinois and Minnesota are likely to lose House seats after the 2020 reapportionment. States that have been rapidly adding population like Arizona, Florida and Texas are likely to increase their representation. It’d be nice to think this would finally prompt Democratic politicians to rethink their anti-growth policies. But with state political cultures dominated by public unions and welfare spending, they probably require a much deeper crisis to face reality.
America as a whole can thank the Founders for creating a federalist system that allows the economic and political safety valve of interstate policy competition ….
read … High-Tax State Exodus
Linda Lingle is urged to re-enter Hawaii politics
MN: …She should be one of our U.S. senators. I wish she could run for governor again. In 2002, she was elected the first Republican governor since 1962 and the first female governor ever. She is smart as a whip and very friendly. I would love to see her back in Hawaii politics….
read … Linda Lingle is urged to re-enter Hawaii politics
Officials: Nearly 7,000 people registered to vote on Election Day
HNN: … The vast majority were on Oahu at 4,911.
There were about 1,032 same-day registered voters on the Big Island, 779 on Maui County and 262 on Kauai….
As far as voter turnout this year, Hawaii still saw another year of low numbers, with about 52.6 percent of registered voters casting ballots in the general election….
read … Officials: Nearly 7,000 people registered to vote on Election Day
ACLU Responds to DoE Pledge to Upgrade Female Athletic Facilities
HNN: …The DOE now has until January 18 to respond to the ACLU of Hawaii's lawsuit accusing it of not complying with Title IX. That’s according to the ACLU, which says it agreed to the extension….
DOE communications director Lindsay Chambers said in a statement on Friday: "We cannot comment on the specific allegations in the lawsuit due to pending litigation. However, the Department of Education takes this issue very seriously.
"Equitable access to a quality public education — including extracurricular and elective activities — is at the core of the Department’s commitment to student excellence and success. As part of this commitment, the Department has completed improvements to athletic facilities at the following schools and has requested $45 million in capital improvement funding for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 for gender equity:
Locker Room Improvements - Kealakehe HS, Leilehua HS, Mililani HS, Moanalua HS
New Female Locker Rooms - Kaiser HS, Kalani HS, Kahuku High & Intermediate, McKinley HS
New Softball Fields/Softball Field Improvements (this is a list of current/newly completed fields and does not reflect all fields) - Campbell HS, Castle HS, Kaimuki HS, Kaiser HS, Kapolei HS, King Kekaulike HS, Konawaena HS, Mililani HS, Moanalua HS, Pahoa HS, Radford HS, Roosevelt HS, Waialua HS, Waipahu HS."
In response, the ACLU of Hawaii's deputy director, Kit Grant, told KITV4: "We’re pleased to see the DOE’s statement committing itself to gender equity, but unfortunately the allegations in our complaint tell a different story with respect to the DOE’s actual treatment of female student athletes that goes well beyond facilities….
We filed the class action lawsuit against the DOE after ten months of trying and failing to get it to show that it is aware of the severity of the violations, and has a plan to treat female athletes equally. Facilities are a good start, but true equity will require change in thinking, approach, and priorities throughout the DOE system. And that takes a comprehensive plan….
read … DOE gets extension to ACLU's Title IX lawsuit
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