Congress Funds New ‘YIMBY’ Grants for Zoning Reform
Jail Takes 1,000 Homeless Off Oahu Streets
CB: … The correctional oversight commission observed gates left open and continued problems with the electronic medical records system at the Oahu jail….
An inspection turned up numerous problems at the Oahu Community Correctional Center, including gates left open at a vehicle entrance in an “egregious” violation of security, according to a new state report.
The security lapse at the sally port was flagged as a particular concern in the report by the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission, in part because an inmate died in an escape attempt after fleeing out the sally port three years ago.
The report was based on observations by commission members during a scheduled tour of the jail on Feb. 16. The document also raised concerns about “inhumane conditions” in the jail infirmary, and quarantined inmates who were locked in shipping containers refashioned into cells….
The jail suffers from persistent overcrowding, and was holding about 1,080 inmates on Feb. 13, days before the commission visited the jail. OCCC’s operational bed capacity is 954.
According to the commission report, medical staff at the jail guessed that 90% of the new admissions to OCCC are “homeless, mentally ill, or active drug users, or any combination thereof.”…
The acting chief of security at the jail described inmates with low bail amounts and serious medical and mental health conditions “who would be better placed in treatment facilities,” the report said….
(But this is a job security program so these chronic drug-addicted criminals just keep getting recycled.)
PDF: Audit Report
read … Most Successful Homeless Reduction Program
HB817: Hawaii Legislative Hearing on Pro Hu Honua Bill
IM: … The State Senate passed a bill that would provide Hu Honua with substantial tax breaks.
The proposed forest clearing and wood burning Hu Honua Bioenergy power plant that would increase greenhouse gas emissions, raise electric rates, and displace cleaner wind and solar generated electricity is currently before the Hawaii Supreme Court for the fourth time.
The State House Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection is holding a hearing tomorrow to consider the bill.
Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) §209E-2 currently includes in the definition of "eligible business activity", the “production of electric power from wind energy for sale primarily to a public utility company for resale to the public.”
House Bill (HB) 817 would amends the definition of "eligible business activity" to include “Development or production of renewable energy, as defined in section 269-91 for sale primarily to a public utility company for resale to the public.”
HB 817 was introduce by Senators Donovan Dela Cruz, Stanley Chang, Gilbert Keith-Agaran, Angus Mckelvey, Michelle Kidani, and Glenn Wakai…
read … Hawaii Legislative Hearing on Pro Hu Honua Bill
Honolulu City Council begins overhaul of land use ordinance
SA: … Overhauling and updating the city’s more than 30-year-old land use ordinance — a guiding planning document used for orderly development on Oahu — has begun.
The changes made to the ordinance come under the 2022 city measure Bill 10 — meant to replace, revise and update older and possibly outdated regulations found in the city’s LUO, a document first introduced in the mid-1980s. If approved by a full City Council vote, Bill 10’s amendments to the LUO could affect such things as agricultural tourism, wind farms, affordable housing and the use of industrial lands and commercial spaces on the island.
To that end, the Council’s Committee on Planning and the Economy voted unanimously March 2 to recommend to the Council several land use amendments related to industrial uses….
read … Honolulu City Council begins overhaul of land use ordinance
State works to address long delays in issuing birth certificates, other vital records
HNN: … The state’s Health Department says a labor shortage and technical issues are leading to the months-long backlog of nearly 1,800 vital records.
Shawn Hamamoto, DOH spokesperson, acknowledged the agency failed to inform the public.
In addition to filling vacancies, Hamamoto said they hope to ask lawmakers for additional positions to handle the workload.
As far as the computer system, they plan to upgrade it in phases by April 1.
“This system unfortunately, crashes a lot so that caused that causes a lot of the delays,” said Hamamoto.
Right now, it’s taking nearly two months for the Office of Vital Records to process birth, death, divorce and marriage certificates.
The delayed cases are mostly from January, but officials hope to have them all processed within the next three to four weeks….
read … State works to address long delays in issuing birth certificates, other vital records
False to say UH athletic committee is not diverse
SA: … As one of the seven members of the University of Hawaii Athletic Director’s Advisory Search Committee, I feel compelled to correct some of the many false statements put forth in a recent petition demanding an expansion of the committee due to a supposed absence of any Polynesian or Black committee members, particularly graduates of UH (“Former Hawaii athletes say AD search panel lacks diversity,” Star-Advertiser, Top News, March 3).
This statement is patently false. I am part-Hawaiian and a proud graduate of the Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. I take offense at the petitioners making a blanket statement that there is no Polynesian representation on this advisory committee.
Am I not Hawaiian enough for you simply because I don’t have a Hawaiian last name? The truth is, identity politics, divisiveness and racism have no place in this process or in Hawaii and I trust the people of Hawaii to see past this veiled attempt to sabotage a very thorough, thoughtful plan to select the best candidate for our next UH athletics director.
read … False to say UH athletic committee is not diverse
Hawaii jobless rates higher than reported
SA: … Upward revisions undertaken by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics boosted the rates for the last four months of 2022, including increasing December’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate by a half-percentage point, to 3.7% from 3.2%.
That meant January’s 3.6% unemployment rate actually was an improvement from the previous month, according to data released Friday by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. But the numbers for September, October and November, as well as December, were worse than previously reported. September’s jobless rate went to 3.7% from 3.5%, October went to 3.7% from 3.3% and November went to 3.7% from 3.3%….
DBEDT chief economist Eugene Tian said. “This is mainly caused by the increase in the labor force.”…
DBEDT: Hawaii’s January Unemployment Rate at 3.6 Percent
read … Hawaii jobless rates higher than reported
More Homeless Kauhale Planned
SA … When it opens in April, IHS’ eight-bed ‘Imi Ola Piha facility will be aimed at an underserved population of homeless clients suffering from mental health and substance abuse issues who are too unstable for a homeless shelter but not medically fragile enough to require paramedic services and treatment in a hospital.
The $13 million for the three upcoming kauhale comes from “congressionally directed funding,” formerly known as congressional earmarks.
Krucky declined to identify the locations — most likely on state or private land — before getting a buy-in from the communities….
Like the existing HONU (Housing, Outreach and Navigation for Unsheltered Persons), the second roaming pop-up shelter is aimed at getting homeless people off the street, where they can receive medical treatment and social service help including possible reunification with estranged families — on the way to possibly entering a traditional shelter or even into a fair-market Housing First apartment aimed at the chronically homeless, where they also receive social-service help.
The lone HONU is operating at Hau Bush in Ewa Beach and is expected to return to Waianae in April, Krucky said….
CB: On the day of the Waianae sweep there were an estimated 24 open shelter beds on Oahu but the homeless have plenty of excuses for not using them
read … Honolulu plans expansion of homeless housing and outreach
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