Guardian: New Akaka Bill Coming?
Vaccinations for age 70 and older begin Monday, March 8
100% Fail: Auditor Report on Legislators' Proposed Special Funds and Revolving Funds
Finalists named for Hawaiʻi County appointments to Board of Regents
Lawsuit Demands More 'Critical Habitat' in Hawaii
Tsunami Watch Cancelled
Hawaii Anti-Gun Bills Eligible for Floor Votes
Court backlogs, orders to minimize jail headcounts worsen ‘catch and release’ crime trend
KHON: … “Criminals know that they’re not being charged,” said Michael Kitchens, moderator of the Stolen Stuff Hawaii group on Facebook. “And because of that they’re becoming more brazen, they’re starting to push the limits of what’s allowed.”
At the Honolulu Police Commission meeting on Wednesday, March 3, Honolulu Police Department (HPD) chief Susan Ballard addressed the “catch and release” issue that Always Investigating uncovered. Ballard pointed to the courts and jail system too, not just the charging thresholds set up by the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney in summer, 2020.
“They’re down in our cell block and then the judges come down and they look through the list and they release a lot of people back out instead of holding them on misdemeanors,” Ballard said, “So I think it’s a three-way street.”
Crime is on the uptick again after a lull at the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns, but not nearly as bad as a violent crime spike before the pandemic. In 2019 and into 2020 prior to COVID-19, weekly reports of serious crimes were averaging 67 assaults, 68 burglaries and 15 robberies according to HPD’s crime-mapping website.
It is now averaging 33 assaults, 50 burglaries and 8 robberies per week.
Prosecutors say Hawaii Supreme Court-ordered COVID-19 limits on inmate populations mean they have to draw the line even more than usual on charging the most dangerous cases within 48 hours of arrest and still try to come back to the rest after they have been issued an RPI.
“I know people would love every case to be investigated and charged within 48 hours, but that is just not going to happen,” said Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm, who took over the office in January. “It’s not realistic. The detectives, the police budget, you’d have to increase it by 50% or whatever in order to have the police available to hold people in custody for that long. And believe me, a number of those cases, we’re never going to be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.”….
Crime victims, residents and businesses say they see that in plain view every day — especially in Downtown and Chinatown
“They’re doing drugs and you see people selling drugs right in front of you, or shooting up,” said May Chen, owner of the Flower Fair store that has been a Fort Street staple for nearly five decades. “It gets worse and worse. It’s hard to do business like this. We even have old-timer customers concerned. They say, ‘Is it safe over here? I really do not feel comfortable walking to your shop anymore.’”
Honolulu’s prosecutor says he is looking at bringing the Weed and Seed program back to Chinatown and Kalihi-Palama.
“People are going to get arrested. In many cases, even if they get released, they’re going to be restricted from returning to the area,” Alm said. “They’ll be a arrested for setting foot in there. When we did this when I was the United States Attorney and we did the Weed and Seed effort, we reduce crime by 70 percent in Chinatown and Kalihi-Palama. We are looking at doing the same thing.”…
read … Court backlogs, orders to minimize jail headcounts worsen ‘catch and release’ crime trend
Police Commissioners: Redirect HPD Funds To Social Services And Cut Overtime
CB: … “Consideration should be given to whether the current structure of the department is appropriate and to whether some functions could be better performed by other city or state departments,” the report says.
The report cites Austin, Texas, which reduced its police department budget by 5% and redirected money to housing, domestic violence and substance abuse resources.
The members are recommending that the mayor or HPD consider establishing a task force, which would include members of law enforcement, to review the possibility of doing something similar in Honolulu.
They also recommended that HPD explore the possibility of a new team that is focused on interacting with people experiencing homelessness, mental illness, addiction to substances or domestic violence. The group could be made up of mental health professionals alongside rank and file officers specifically trained to work with these populations.
“These specialists would be the first responders to these issues and trained specifically for the disciplines mentioned,” the report states.
“Doing so might free up standard officers to investigate and respond to general crimes and other duties of importance. Bold steps could potentially set precedence throughout the U.S. as a new way to promote public safety and address criminal offenses while rehabilitating those in need with professional care.”
The proposed concept is similar in spirit to that of CAHOOTS, a program in Eugene, Oregon….
PDF: Report
read … Police Commissioners: Redirect HPD Funds To Social Services And Cut Overtime
Judge Upholds New State Law Requiring Police Misconduct Disclosure
CB: … Judge Dean Ochiai ruled that officers’ names should be released to the Legislature and the public even if discipline is still being appealed….
read … Judge Upholds New State Law Requiring Police Misconduct Disclosure
Oldsters will Have to Wait: HSTA members are the real vaccination priority
KHON: … A survey conducted by the teacher’s union in mid-February showed that 71.9% of teachers who responded had either been vaccinated or were going to get their shot.
Green said, the state is on its way to having every teacher who wants the vaccine inoculated by the end of March.
He added, the arrival of 11,900 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Wednesday, March 3, will help.
“I recommend the Johnson & Johnson shot for people who don’t have underlying health conditions, especially for people who are a little bit on the younger side, which kind of defines our teachers,” Green said….
read … Hawaii to have all teachers vaccinated before April, here’s why it’s important
Now That Teachers are almost Completely Vaccinated, State to expand eligibility to those 70 and up
KHON: … The state is expanding eligibility to residents 70 and up starting Monday ― a week ahead of schedule ― citing increased vaccine supply.
The state Health Department made the announcement Wednesday.
Vaccination clinics had previously been focused on delivering shots to frontline and healthcare workers, a long list of other essential workers, and seniors 75 and up….
“We have vaccinated enough people in those groups that we are able to open eligibility to everyone 70 and above,” state Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char said, in a news release….
read … State to expand eligibility for COVID vaccines to those 70 and up starting Monday
Lt. Gov. Green urges governor to drop interisland quarantine
KHON: … Green said, the time has come to lift more restrictions. Vaccinations are ramping up and positivity rates — for the most part — are heading down with the state at 1% and Honolulu County at .9%. Maui County is the highest at 2.8%.
“I think we should get rid of the interisland quarantine as soon as we can. It would be ideal if we could rid of that by April 1. It takes up a lot of resources. It’s not preventing the spread of disease anymore and if we could put all of our efforts on vaccinating people, we’ll be better off as a state,” said Green….
read … Lt. Gov. Green urges governor to drop interisland quarantine
State's Biggest Projects Put 'Hawaii Political Time' On Display
CB: … Rail, Aloha Stadium and a new prison are taking at least as long as the 40 years it took Moses to lead thousands of his people out of the desert to the Promised Land….
Later this year, if all goes well, HART will begin running its train on a mucho mini route from East Kapolei.
It will be a train to nowhere because quasi-rail will end at the Aloha Stadium parking lot, where there is no reason to be since there is nothing there but a vacant hulk of used-to-be stadium.
What HART chirpily calls “the spillover parking lot” will spill over into nothingness.
It is not out of line to think that a never to be finished rail line will forever end at a ghostly, desolate parking lot of a never to be built stadium.
From that ghost stop look up the hill toward Halawa just a couple of miles away to see the maybe-site of a new prison that might never be built.
Makes you wonder: the past, present, and future, do they have any meaning at all? ….
read … State's Biggest Projects Put 'Hawaii Political Time' On Display
CSO telescope could be gone by 2022
HTH: … The Caltech Submillimeter Observatory could completely be removed from the summit of Maunakea as early as the end of next year.
Caltech representatives presented their decommissioning plans for the observatory at a Tuesday meeting of the University of Hawaii’s Maunakea Management Board….
The submillimeter observatory is the first of five summit telescopes slated to be decommissioned in exchange for the planned construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope. CSO operations in 2015, and had at one point been scheduled to be fully demolished by 2018.
Jim Hayes, president of Honolulu consultancy firm Planning Solutions Inc., said the observatory is now on schedule to be removed by the end of 2022, assuming all goes smoothly with the upcoming permitting process.
Hayes and CSO Director Sunil Golwala submitted a 600-page decommissioning plan to the Maunakea Management Board describing every aspect of the decommissioning process. Hayes said the process, estimated to cost a little over $4 million, will include a full restoration of the site, obliterating any trace that the observatory was ever there….
Of course, there could still be hiccups. OMKM board member Doug Simons, who is executive director of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, pointed out that submitting the use application also will open the way for people to file a contested case hearing for the project, which could delay the entire enterprise for months or even years….
read … CSO telescope could be gone by 2022
Streamlined Hawaii County Planning and permit system set to go live July 26
HTH: … A multi-agency software system designed to streamline the planning and building permit process is now scheduled to go live at the end of July, five years after the project first began.
The $2.5 million Energov program will integrate data from property records, zoning, critical habitat, infrastructure like sewer, contractor licenses, building and parcel designs and much more into a single system that will allow inspectors from multiple departments to work on a permit application simultaneously, rather than shuffling paper from one desk to another….
read … Energov moving forward: Planning and permit system set to go live July 26
COVID spurs bills to continue ‘work’ from home
SA: … Senate Bill 1303 would have required the director of the state Department of Budget and Finance to review all state agencies biennially for possible ways to streamline operations, and report the findings at the start of each legislative biennial session.
The bill was deferred after Moriwaki’s committee was told that Budget and Finance already is working on the reviews.
But the updated version of Senate Bill 1018 remains alive and would require the state Department of Health to reorganize….
The updated version of Senate Bill 1016 also would require the office of enterprise technology services to establish policies and to work with departments and agencies to permit authorized state employees to telework from home or at “off-worksite locations” using secure computer access….
According to SB1016, “The legislature finds that the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has required many state employees to work from home or other remote locations to maintain social distancing and prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, the relocation of state employees to non-traditional work environments has left an indelible impression on the possibilities of how state work can be accomplished.
“The legislature also finds that working from home or other off-worksite locations has demonstrated cost- effectiveness and productivity in rendering public services. Remote teleworking can and should continue to remain an important option for state employees who can accomplish their duties outside of their traditional work environment. Social distancing and decreasing employees’ physical presence in state facilities can continue to provide a defense against the spread of infectious disease as well as enable more cost-efficient use of state office facilities….
read … COVID spurs bills to streamline government services
Military Spouses Hope For Easier Ways To Get Licensed To Work In Hawaii
CB: … A House bill would expedite the licensing process for many military spouses, especially medical professionals, who have to move frequently….
House Bill 961, which appeared on its way to a floor vote, would also exempt dependents of military service members from state residency requirements for local government jobs.
It’s in line with a federal push to assist military dependents trying to pursue work and educational opportunities often disrupted by the demands of military life.
The annual defense spending bill passed by Congress for this year included a provision from Sen. Mazie Hirono that would allow the military to reimburse spouses who have to pay licensing fees to continue working as part of a change in duty station.
“This provision will give military spouses more flexibility to pursue their careers, regardless of their location,” Hirono said in a December press release….
read … Military Spouses Hope For Easier Ways To Get Licensed To Work In Hawaii
Kahele Seeks New Political Base: ‘Inmates Should Vote From Prison’
CB: … Late Wednesday the House passed the “For the People Act,” a sweeping package of reform measures meant to expand voting rights, reduce the influence of money in politics and heighten ethics standards, including for U.S. Supreme Court justices.
Both of Hawaii’s congressmen, Ed Case and Kai Kahele, voted in favor of the measure, which passed 220-210, almost entirely along party lines.
Where they differed, however, was on a vote over whether to include an amendment — proposed by newly elected members, Cori Bush and Mondaire Jones — that sought to allow convicted felons to cast ballots while still in prison.
Kahele was one of 97 Democrats who supported the measure while Case was one of 119 who voted with 209 Republicans to tank it….
(Kahele wants a new voting bloc to pander to.)
read … Kahele, Case Divided On Whether Inmates Should Vote From Prison
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