Creative Districts
Five Republican Bills on the Move in the House
Assisted Suicide Expansion Bill: Weirdness Unfolds
What’s not to like about a $72,348 part-time job with the right to take lucrative outside gigs from special interests?
Shapiro: >> The Senate shot down Green’s first Cabinet nominee, three more are in trouble and lawmakers derided much of his signature $312 million tax cut. It’s the kind of honeymoon Mike Myers got in “So I Married an Axe Murderer.”
>> State Sen. Kurt Fevella called Green’s housing director “a witch,” and former Gov. Neil Abercrombie, testifying for a Green nominee, called Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole “an idiot.” Then they all sang “My Funny Valentine.”
>> State Sen. Stanley Chang went fire-and-brimstone on gambling, seeking to slap a 30% excise tax on Hawaii residents who vacation in Las Vegas. More of the lack-wit leadership that’s caused so many of us to move there.
>> Lawmakers had little enthusiasm for a proposal to make the Legislature full time, signaling they like things the way they are. What’s not to like about a $72,348 part-time job with the right to take lucrative outside gigs from special interests? …
read … Who needs Wrestlemania with the Legislature in session?
Unsteady, Unfocused, Thoughtless: Green’s Amateurish Agenda Finished for Session
Borreca: … “I don’t think anyone would accept my performance or the Legislature’s performance if we didn’t do that. We are going to stay working on those problems until we get it right,” Green said.
Green noted that “people can’t worry about my feelings or any conflicts that may occur,” because sometimes his blunt leadership style clashes with the Legislature….
Veteran House Speaker Scott Saiki said that any new governor’s first year is always a bit unsteady and Green is no exception.
(Translation: Green is an amateur.)
“He is positive, he is accessible, he is enthusiastic and he wants to make a difference and get results. He gives you an answer,” Saiki said in praise.
Still, Saiki sees a need for calm deliberation in the Green administration.
“He needs time to set the administration in place. He should use the interim after this session to calibrate his administration and become more focused and set clear priorities,” Saiki said in an interview.
(Translation: Green is unfocused and he is finished for this session.)
If Saiki had advice for Green, it would be in using the power of the governor’s office to highlight what he considers important, stress it and publicly campaign on those issues.
And privately, Green needs to form his own groups of supporters in the Legislature.
“He needs to build that. He needs to build relationships one by one, but he can do it. He should be thoughtful about the influence and power he has — he does have a bully pulpit, I believe he can have significant influence and he can use it in a constructive way,” Saiki said….
(Translation: Green is thoughtless.)
read … Green has big plans to help those in need, but will need allies in Legislature
DHHL, Aloha Stadium spending could trigger COVID aid payback
SA: … The state Department of Budget and Finance is advising the Legislature that $675 million in spending appropriations last year should be delayed in order to avoid triggering a requirement to return $412 million in coronavirus pandemic aid to the federal government.
A House of Representatives committee on Wednesday advanced a measure — House Bill 1018 — that would implement the recommended delay in spending until after the next fiscal year begins July 1.
The shift applies to four “big-ticket” appropriations, including $300 million in affordable-housing financing, but will not have adverse operational consequences because entities receiving the money had no need to spend it before the end of the current fiscal year….
Doing this calculation has not been easy, because the state’s financial accounting system is rather archaic. So a lot of estimating was employed to gauge whether the ratio, based on average spending in fiscal years 2017-2019, would not be exceeded. Also, last year posed a bigger challenge because lawmakers had a huge revenue surplus at their disposal to appropriate.
This is the last year that state spending is subject to the federal requirement….
In addition to the $300 million in affordable-housing financing appropriated to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp., three other appropriations targeted for delay under House Bill 1018 are:
>> $300 million to be deposited into the state’s pension fund.
>> $49.5 million for redevelopment of Aloha Stadium.
>> $25 million to match employee retirement savings contributions….
Last month, DHHL Government Relations Manager Lehua Kinilau-Cano advised the Hawaiian Homes Commission that the Department of Budget and Finance had cautioned DHHL that if it spends more than $50 million or contracts to spend more than $172 million in the fiscal year ending June 30, then it could cause the state to have to pay back the federal coronavirus relief funding….
read … Hawaii government spending could trigger COVID aid payback
Hawaii County response to affordable housing credits audit
HTH: … The report made public Feb. 1 by County Auditor Tyler Benner was at the behest of North Kona Councilman Holeka Inaba, the council’s vice chairman. The audit followed a guilty plea in federal court to honest services wire fraud by former OHCD employee Scott Rudo, who admitted to taking about $1.8 million in bribes.
Three others — Hilo attorneys Paul Sulla Jr. and Gary Zamber plus Big Island businessman Rajesh Budhabhatti — were indicted in July by a federal grand jury. The feds allege the trio received affordable housing credits and land conveyances worth at least $10.98 million with no intention of developing affordable housing. All three have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The county hired a California consulting firm, Keyser Marston Associates, to review Chapter 11 last year….
After Fraudsters Jailed, Auditor Discovers Affordable Housing Program Has no Administrative Rules
Audit: DHHL Traded 42 Affordable Housing Credits for a Fence
read … County outlines plan of action: Steps being taken in response to housing credits audit
Business owners voice concerns over proposed district
HTH: … Modeled after a similar district in Kailua-Kona, the Downtown Hilo BID would allow member businesses to fund infrastructure maintenance and upgrades through assessments levied against member parcels — according to Bill 230, the bill proposing the district, those assessments would be at the rate of $1.50 per $1,000 of “total net taxable value.”
But business owners at both the Feb. 8 and Friday hearings feared those assessments would be the straw to break the camel’s back.
“It’s too much,” said Karen Hotniansky. “We’ve had one shock after another. We had years of COVID, and then last year our taxes went up. Our taxes went up by 100%.” …
(SOLUTION: Allocate a portion of existing taxes to the district instead of levying new fees.)
RELATED: Kahuku and Waimanalo Protests show why Hawaii Needs Municipal Government
read … Business owners voice concerns over proposed district
$50M Subsidy for Waiahole Valley?
SA: … Senate Bill 1195 could be amended again by other committees, but the unfavorable initial reception isn’t a good sign that the Legislature will insert itself into what has been a complicated and troublesome matter for the state agency that owns the land and has offered tenants what it considers a reasonable increase representing 50% of market rent….
There are about 40 farm lots, most or all of which contain houses, and about 60 residential lots in the subdivision owned by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp., a state agency mainly charged with helping private developers finance affordable-housing projects….
A predecessor to HHFDC became the landlord in 1977 when then-Gov. George Ariyoshi had the state buy the property under threat of condemnation to preserve the rural community and defuse tenant protests against the prior landowner who had jacked up rents and attempted evictions.
However, it took the state until 1998 to come up with 55-year ground lease contracts for tenants.
Under lease terms, rent over the last 25 years has gone up once for residential lots and not at all for farm lots. The leases specify rent renegotiation for a 15-year term commencing June 30, and stipulates that if HHFDC and a tenant can’t agree on new rent by April 1 then a decision will fall to an arbitrator for residential leases and mediation possibly followed by arbitration for farm leases.
Current farm lot rent is $100 a year per acre, plus $500 a year for a residence occupying up to 7,500 square feet of land. The annual rate would rise to $660 per acre plus $3,300 for a house on up to 7,500 square feet. Farm tenants also must pay 0.9% of their gross farm income as rent.
HHFDC said monthly rent for a median-sized 8-acre farm lot with a house is $108, and would rise to $713 through July 2038 under its offer.
For residential lots, current rent is $600 a year plus 35 cents per square foot for lot area beyond 7,500 square feet. This annual base figure would rise to $3,960 a year for a 7,500-square-foot lot.
HHFDC said the median- size residential lot is a half-acre, where monthly rent would rise to $745 from $119 through July 2038 under its offer.
The agency said its offer represents a balance to maintain below-market rents while reducing by half what has been a $1.1 million annual deficit managing the rural subdivision because of low rent and a potable water system that is expensive to operate and maintain.
The $1.1 million comes out of a fund meant to help build affordable housing….
46 years x $1.1M = $50.6M subsidy
read … Lawmakers unreceptive to moratorium on Waiahole Valley rent increases
Starting at Age 10: Hawaii Media Outlets help Raise $150K for Honolulu Juvenile Sex-Change Clinic
TGI: … The Lavender Clinic is also one of only two facilities in the state to provide gender-affirming care (sex-change procedures) for (to make your children into) trans and gender-nonconforming youths ….
During a child’s early youth — up to around age 10 — The Lavender Clinic does not offer any gender-affirming medical interventions, although it will provide social support for the family….
(Translation: Sex change for age 10 and above.)
“We’ll talk to parents who are often really scared and don’t know what to do when their young child begins to question their gender,” Mikhail said. “They can come in and talk to us, and learn what the options are as things get more age-appropriate.”
(Translation: Social media gets the ball rolling. Then the brainwashed kiddies are brought to us for the real action.)
Beginning around age 16, the clinic may provide cross-sex hormone therapy to patients, allowing their hormonal makeup to better match their gender….
(BUSTED: On pg 2 of their 990s they write ‘age 12’.)
Mikhail also notes that in very rare cases, the clinic will recommend top surgery (mastectomy or breast implants) for patients between the ages of 16 and 18, so long as surgeons, parental guardians and the patient all agree such action to be necessary. The Lavender Clinic has only ever endorsed one 16-year-old patient for top surgery, according to Mikhail….
(IQ Test: Do you believe this?)
“In any given year, we see about 400-500 unique gender minority patients,” she said. “Our next biggest competition — their organization sees around 100. If they were to suddenly have to absorb all of our patient load, it would be a disaster for the system.”…
(Hint, hint.)
However, after a series of news reports on the clinic aired in mid-February, the fundraiser exceeded $150,000 within five days.
(Translation: The media is keeping juvenile sex-change alive.)
read … $150,000 fundraiser saves Hawai‘i’s largest LGBTQ-focused health clinic
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