2020 Election Dates--Have You Got Your Ballot Yet?
OHA COVID Money: Homeless not part of ‘Friends and Family Plan’
COVID Count 39 new cases out of 1,985 tests
Poll: Alm 41% – Kau 33%
SA: … Alm was favored by 41% of Honolulu voters, while Kau was preferred by 33%….But there’s plenty of room for Kau to come from behind, according to the poll, as more than a quarter of all voters remained undecided — more than any other islandwide race….In August’s primary election, Alm captured 40% of the vote while Kau won nearly 25% from a field of seven….
male voters were just about split between Alm and Kau, while women favored Alm substantially, 43% to 30%.
By race, Japanese and Hawaiian voters overwhelmingly favored Alm by 29 and 23 percentage points, respectively, while white voters preferred Kau by 4 percentage points.
By party, Republicans supported Kau 41% to 28%, while Democrats and independents favored Alm 49% to 31% and 40% to 29%….
PDF: HI1020Poll Monday Prosecutor
read … Hawaii Poll has Steve Alm ahead of Megan Kau in Honolulu prosecutor race
Tulsi Gabbard’s approval rating lowest at 44% in Hawaii Poll
SA: … Oahu voters give Hawaii’s congressional delegation enviable high approval ratings, with the clear exception of U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard — a onetime long-shot candidate to become president who received a dismal 44% approval rating.
By comparison, fellow Hawaii Congressman Ed Case received a whopping 69% approval rating in the Honolulu Star- Advertiser’s Hawaii Poll. And Case’s approval ratings were remarkably high across all demographic groups, with the exception of Republicans.
U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz (57%) and Mazie Hirono (56%) received nearly identical approval ratings from Oahu voters, although their approvals each varied among different demographic groups….
But it was the highly unfavorable rating — 41% — of Rep. Gabbard that clearly stood out in the results of the Hawaii Poll. Some 15% of poll respondents had no opinion of her….
PDF: HI1020Poll Monday Congressional Favorability
read … Tulsi Gabbard’s approval rating lowest at 44% in Hawaii Poll
Secrecy Shrouds Ige’s New High-Level Coronavirus Panel
CB: … A committee set up to help guide Hawaii’s economic recovery holds private meetings with no public agendas or minutes….
Dr. Virginia Pressler, the former state health director who heads the alliance, said the group isn’t taking official action or establishing policy, but rather advising Ige.
“He’s assembling this, so he can make better decisions,” Pressler said in an interview.
That the meetings are closed to the public with no agendas or minutes promotes candid conversations she said.
“We’re really trying to have an environment where people aren’t afraid to speak up,” she said.
The 27-member committee includes leaders from state government like Senate President Ron Kouchi, House Speaker Scott Saiki and chairs of the Legislature’s powerful money committees: Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair Donovan Dela Cruz and House Finance Committee Chair Sylvia Luke. Char and Green also are members.
But the panel also includes a spectrum of people outside of government, like Bank of Hawaii Chairman, President and Chief Executive Peter Ho, Hawaii Government Employees Association Executive Director Randy Perreira, Hawaii Community Foundation Chief Executive Micah Kane and HMSA President and Chief Executive Dr. Mark Mugiishi….
Largely overlooked was the creation of an advisory panel of state and local political leaders and executives of big companies and nonprofits….
read … Secrecy Shrouds Ige’s New High-Level Coronavirus Panel
Survey shows over 80% of Hawaii businesses expect lower revenue this and next year due to COVID-19
KITV: … "Many businesses that rely on tourism have had little to no revenue during the entire travel quarantine period. In addition to not being able to make rent payments for the last number of months, the survey revealed over half of these affected businesses expect to miss rent payments from now through the rest of the year," Tanaka details.
He talked to over 1,400 businesses and also found:
• Three in 10 businesses expect to miss three full rent payments between October and December 2020.
• Tourism accounts for at least one quarter of the overall revenue of 42% of businesses.
• 86% of businesses expect their annual revenue to decrease in 2020, and 82% to decrease in 2021.
• Only 11% of businesses received rent reduction.
• Only 5% of businesses were able to restructure their lease.
"Think about what happens if a business can't pay rent. At some point that business will close. There is a multiplier effect. People lose their jobs. Entire supply chains become disrupted. On the other hand, if landlords have no income, they can't pay property taxes. Without that tax revenue, we all suffer," Tanaka explains….
The full details of the second survey will be posted here: http://ibmhawaii.com/
Tanaka says he's planning a Third Hawaii Commercial Rent Survey with DBEDT for December. He's also working with groups on the continental US to create the First National Survey, which they hope to take to Congress….
HNN: Survey: Hawaii businesses expect extreme economic hardship to continue through 2021
read … Survey shows over 80% of Hawaii businesses expect lower revenue this and next year due to COVID-19
Free state’s struggling workers from burdensome regulations
SA: … Lawmakers can restore Hawaii’s pride as a state that is a friend to workers by enacting a few much-needed reforms. They can remove fees for many lower-income licenses, and they can also responsibly lower the required education and experience levels for some of these occupations so that workers can more easily provide for their families.
Lastly, Hawaii should consider adopting universal license recognition. This would require Hawaii’s licensing boards to recognize out-of-state licensing in good standing of those who wish to work here. Universal recognition could also help encourage those who have moved away to return, and it would allow new residents, like military spouses, to find work sooner rather than later.….
read … Free state’s struggling workers from burdensome regulations
2 Kauai restaurants ban tourists from dining rooms, Usual Suspects Spread Hysteria and Rumors
SA: … Saenz Ohana Breakfast in Princeville posted Friday that it would only allow visitors to order online and pick up and that only residents with local state IDs would be allowed to order, sit and eat.
“Visitors we are sorry for the inconvenience but we, as a island, are not ready for opening now,” the post said. “(Our) plan is to keep our area safe of travelers so the locals can have somewhere to feel safe eating not crowded by visitors that may or may not be COVID positive.”
A patron of Lighthouse Bistro on Saturday also posted a hand-written sign at the entrance of the establishment to social media, “Attention Bistro Patrons. Recent unquarantined travelers do not enter. You are welcome back post 14-day quarantine.”…
Angela Keen, co-founder of Hawaii Quarantine Kapu Breakers, said she’s heard from residents statewide that some visitors aren’t wearing masks, social-distancing or avoiding gatherings.
“In some cases there have been conflicts, with reports of visitors engaging in profanity and lewd gestures,” Keen said….
(Translation: By spreading these rumors, I encourage you to confront any tourists you see.)
North shore Kauai resident Megan Wong characterized the restaurants as “taking a stand for the safety of all.”
Wong said north shore Kauai locals have grown increasingly frustrated since Thursday when the state began allowing travelers to take a pre-arrivals COVID-19 test to exempt out of a 14-day quarantine.
“Tourists are racing over the bridges when a car is already on the bridge, and they are driving fast on private roads in Wainiha,” she said. “There are too many people in grocery stores together. Tourists are looking for boat rides, luaus and other activities. There are too many, that’s obvious to us, being in a pandemic.”
(Translation: By spreading these rumors, I encourage you to confront any tourists you see.)
Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association President and CEO Mufi Hanne-mann said he’ll be calling Kawakami to see whether something can be done to ensure visitors to Kauai don’t face discrimination from local businesses.
“They can refuse service if there’s cause like someone isn’t wearing a mask or social-distancing,” Hannemann said. “There should be the same rules for visitors as for residents.”….
CB: Kauai Restaurants Bar ‘Unquarantined Travelers’ From Dine-In Service
TGI: Saenz Ohana Breakfast draws ire trying to be safe
Oct 16, 2020: Kauai Protesters “Trying to Instill Violence” against Visitors
TGI: Virtual meetings planned to discuss future of Kauai Island tourism
read … 2 Kauai restaurants ban tourists from dining rooms
Surveillance testing begins Monday on Oahu, Big Island testing catches few positive cases
KHON: … As of Saturday, Dr. Miller and Lt. Gov Green said that 2,800 travelers arrived on Hawaii Island and were tested.
“Nine were positive, five were false positive,” explained Dr. Miller.
Lt. Gov. Green said certain antigen tests have a false negative rate of 3% to 7%. Anyone who arrives on the Big Island and tests positive with the antigen test is required to take the ‘gold-standard’ PCR test.
“So, four out of out of 2,800 were truly positive that were somehow missed by the previous test, which is a very small number out of 2,800,” Dr. Miller said….
read … Surveillance testing begins Monday on Oahu, Big Island testing catches few positive cases
Hawaii County almost halfway through coronavirus relief money
HTH: …Hawaii County spent almost half of its $80 million federal coronavirus relief money in the first seven months of the program, and with three months to go before the money has to be spent or returned, Mayor Harry Kim is confident returning it won’t be an option.
In fact, Kim said Friday, he told Gov. David Ige he may need more….
Community assistance and island recovery initiatives, early priorities of the administration to help people pay rent and utilities, have food and prop up ailing businesses, have spent about half their allotted funds….
In all, the county spent $6.8 million in September, and now has a balance of $41.7 million left from the original $80 million….
read … County almost halfway through coronavirus relief money
If Hawaii is going to work for all of us, we must ensure that mail-in voting truly works for everyone.
CB: … vote-by-mail works for voters who have stable, long-standing addresses to which ballots can be mailed. Unfortunately, vote-by-mail does not work equally well for all. Housing-insecure voters, voters needing language assistance and those incarcerated who have not lost their right to vote are just a few of the voters that a mail-in voting system does not adequately reach, according to civil rights organizations such as the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and even proponents of mail-in ballots like Vote at Home….
read … If Hawaii is going to work for all of us, we must ensure that mail-in voting truly works for everyone.
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