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Critical Race Theory--Disagreement Among Hawaii House Republicans
CB: … Garcia is perhaps a special case. His style is more vocal than that of most legislators, honed through his previous life in the ministry and the speaking engagements that came with that. During floor sessions, he and fellow freshman Rep. Elijah Pierick often stand and voice their opposition to bills that they believe would negatively impact education or state spending.
Garcia, for example, has railed against transexual participation in sports and sexual education in schools, which he argues occurs too early and without enough parental involvement.
He contends that this method of stirring the pot and being vocal has empirically boosted the party’s membership numbers.
And more members means more legislators elected, which means a future in which the Hawaii Republican Party can actually get things done without being squashed by the Democrats’ juggernaut, he added.
“Prior to 2020, you might get maybe, I don’t know, 25 new members a month,” said Garcia. “These last few months, I mean, we see 75 to 80 on average.”
But while party members seem to agree on the end goal, not all of them agree that the current approach is best.
Rep. Kanani Souza, who considers herself a moderately conservative Republican, sees inaccuracies in these floor speeches. Referring to Garcia’s outspokenness, she said, “he’s trying to raise his profile by being disagreeable.”
She cited misrepresentations about critical race theory and medically assisted suicide and expressed concern that heightened rhetoric will harm the party’s overall standing in the Aloha State.
“You need credibility at the Legislature,” said Souza….
During a floor session on March 2, Garcia and Pierick stood to vote against House Bill 877, which would establish a new institute dedicated to restoration and healing at the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law.
“My understanding is that this bill would promote critical race theory, which is basically racism against white people,” Pierick said on the floor, with Garcia joining his no vote.
After a couple of Democrats stood to rebut Pierick, Souza did too, expressing strong support for the bill and finishing her thoughts with a general note against “sensationalizing the law on the floor, and overgeneralization of the law.”
Matsumoto, the newly minted minority leader, dismissed concerns about internal divisions.
“Our Republican caucus is the most cohesive, unified caucus that I’ve seen in my time in the Legislature,” Matsumoto said….
read … Hawaii’s Republicans Don’t Get Many Bills Passed, But They’re Playing A Long Game
Will Senators Reject Green’s Nominee for State Planning Director?
CB: … Two powerful state senators are pressuring colleagues to derail confirmation of Scott Glenn to lead the Hawaii Office of Planning and Sustainable Development.
Glenn received a 4-to-1 vote in favor of his appointment on March 8, usually an indication that a gubernatorial nominee will receive a favorable floor vote in the full 25-member Senate.
But Sen. Lorraine Inouye, who chairs the Senate Water and Land Committee that approved Glenn, says Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz and Sen. Michelle Kidani are coercing colleagues to oppose the nomination in a vote that could happen as early as Wednesday.
“I was alerted on Friday that two of my members are going to now change their votes,” Inouye said Sunday, who described herself as “dumbfounded” and disturbed” at the turn of events. Senators usually defer to the judgment of committee chairs.….
Dela Cruz has already flexed his political muscle by playing a key role in the rejection of other Green cabinet nominees, sometimes in concert with Sen. Donna Kim, another strong personality at the Legislature, and other allies.
Ikaika Anderson withdrew his name to lead the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands while the nomination of Chris Sadayasu to lead the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism is on life support because of a Senate committee’s 4-to-1 rejection of him last week. A vote on Sadayasu could come this week, too, but so could his withdrawal from consideration.
Green said he was meeting with Sadayasu Monday afternoon to discuss what to do moving forward….
DBEDT is the agency that is tied to key interests of Dela Cruz, Kidani, Kim and Sen. Glenn Wakai, another ally, interests that have been in recent headlines: the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Aloha Stadium, the Hawaii Community Development Authority and the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp….
Broadly speaking, what all the agencies have in common is control over land use. Dela Cruz’s former chief of staff and current business partner, Dane Wicker, is now the deputy director at DBEDT….
Dela Cruz, Kidani and Wakai headlined a fundraiser last year that was hosted by Noni Toledo, a Hu Honua lobbyist. During the 2022 session the senators sponsored bills designed to help Hu Honua. Both measures were vetoed by then-Gov. David Ige.
Inouye this session introduced a bill that seeks to accelerate the pace of state regulatory approval for renewable energy contracts through the Legislature. Critics say that the bill is intended to help Hu Honua, which is in Inouye’s district. Inouye said the bill, which was co-introduced by Dela Cruz and is backed by Wakai, would help all projects.
Senate Bill 72 passed the Senate March 7 but has not been heard in the House and is likely dead.
For his part, Scott Glenn rejected pressure from Hu Honua advocates to publicly endorse the plant…
CLUE: By opposing both Hu Honua and AES Coal, Glenn serves the solar industry.
SA: Future of DBEDT confirmation up to nominee
BACKGROUND: Nominee for State Planning Director responsible for Oahu’s High Electricity Costs
read … Senate ‘Bullies’ Are Creating Chaos At The Capitol This Year
Should Imprisoned Prison Guard Get Back Pay, Reinstatement?
CB: … The Hawaii Attorney General’s Office is appealing a decision by the state labor board that requires that a corrections sergeant who is serving a federal prison term be reinstated with back pay to his job at the Hilo jail.
The Hawaii Labor Relations Board on Feb. 21 ordered that Jonathan Taum receive at least six years back pay and be reinstated to his job at the Hawaii Community Correctional Center because the state prison system botched his firing in 2016.
Taum is serving a 12-year federal prison sentence after he was convicted in a trial last year on charges he violated the civil rights of inmate Chawn Kaili, then lied to cover up the misconduct.
Last week, the Attorney General’s Office appealed that decision to the Circuit Court in Honolulu.
Lawyers for the state declared in the appeal that former Public Safety Director Nolan Espinda testified that firing Taum “was solely his decision based on his review of the video, the findings, and his 35 years of correctional experience.”
The filing contends Espinda never relied on a use-of-force report on the incident by a discredited training officer “since the video made it clear that (Taum) used excessive force on (the prisoner) and failed to properly supervise” the other corrections officers….
March 5, 2023: Labor Board Nails DPS Conspiracy, Cover-up
read … Hawaii AG: Imprisoned Prison Guard Shouldn’t Get His Job Back
SB45: School Counselors can Get TRO Ordering Parents away from their Own Children
KITV: … A bill to let trained professionals petition for restraining orders on behalf of minors is now being discussed in the Hawaii state house.
Senate Bill 45 includes counselors and other mental health professionals….
Hawaii Sen. Karl Rhoads from District 13 introduced the bill….
Ilima DeCosta, also an advocate for domestic violence survivors, opposes the measure. She said legal action without a parent's consent is dangerously overstepping parental rights.
"I am in opposition to any legislation measure that would undermine a parent's right. I’m actually concerned this particular bill might make it possible for youth to circumvent their parents to go to a school counselor and get a TRO against their parents when perhaps there is no basis for that,” said DeCosta….
SB45: Text, Status “The Stonewall Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i--Hawai‘i’s oldest and largest policy and political LGBTQIA+ focused organization fully supports SB 45 SD 1.”
Feb 2023: HSTA: Our LGBTQ Students are 'Lovable'--Raise Money for Sex-Change Clinic
Oct 2022: Socialist Ex-teacher charged with child porn now indicted in sex assault -- Irony: In his last tweet, April 27, 2022, Bunag slams conservatives who accuse the gay left of ‘grooming’ children for sex.
read … Fresh Young Stuff
UPW votes to reject another Maui Health offer
MN: … He explained that the offer of an 8.9 percent average pay increase to all job classifications in the first year would favor some but not all members, stressing that the percentage was an “average.”
Rodrigues said the wages Maui Health was proposing were still “below the market,” meaning the members would get paid more in their roles if they were at a different hospital….
(CLUE: At a different hospital without UPW work rules devaluing the employee.)
In a statement Monday afternoon, Maui Health said that the nine-month process of bargaining with UPW “has been challenging.”
“We have engaged openly and positively in contract negotiations with UPW and have reached four separate agreements in good faith, three of which were endorsed by the UPW bargaining representatives and each one was better than the last,” Maui Health said. “It is very unusual for four consecutive tentative agreements between an employer and a union to be rejected in ratification votes of the union members.”
Maui Health added that the “whole process has been chaotic, and it has been disruptive and stressful for our Maui Health community.” It said that more than 100 UPW-represented employees have chosen to come to work and that those who continue to be on strike have lost nearly a month’s pay….
As the strike reaches the monthlong mark, the union said it does not have a strike fund for the workers. Members were aware of this but still decided it was important to strike despite the financial burden it could cause, the union added.
Rodrigues acknowledged that some members crossing the picket lines has caused some tension.
But he said other members are exploring employment outside of the medical facilities to help subsidize their income….
FLASHBACK: Hospital Crisis: How to Use Union Work Rules for Fun and Profit
read … Union votes to reject another Maui Health offer
SB941: $185M for Teacher Housing
CB: … Senate Bill 941 would allocate $185 million to the DOE’s construction arm, the School Facilities Authority, to build teacher housing at Waipahu High School, Nanakuli High School and Mililani High School.
The appropriations are $65 million for Mililani, $60 million for Nanakuli and $60 million for Waipahu and would need to be spent in the next two fiscal years.
Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, who chairs the Ways and Means Committee, set the appropriation for SB 941, and said the catalyst to build teacher housing was the availability of funds for the projects, and Luke working with the School Facilities Authority to make sure the job is done.
“There’s very little confidence in that agency, but because the lieutenant governor is involved, we’re seeing progress being made,” Dela Cruz said.
The agency only has three staff members and was already tasked with building or renovating 200 preschool classrooms by June 2024.
Separately, House Bill 497 would require the School Facilities Authority to conduct a feasibility study of building teacher and workforce housing at the Queen Lydia Lili’uokalani Elementary School in Kaimuki, which shut down because of low enrollment.
The Senate bill is scheduled for a joint hearing before the House Housing and Education committees on Tuesday, while the House bill awaits a hearing….
read … Teacher Housing Has Only Been In Rural Areas, But That Could Change
Suspect involved in deadly hit-and-run of student back in court
KHON: … The suspect involved in the hit-and-run that killed McKinley High School student Sara Yara was in court today on a previous arrest for driving without a license.
The suspect, who has not yet been charged in connection with the fatal crash, was arrested on Jan. 5 for not having a driver’s license.
The prosecutor is asking for a higher charge of a misdemeanor for the violation, rather than a petty misdemeanor, which increases the penalty to up to a year in jail if found guilty.
His next court date is scheduled for May 1.
read … Suspect involved in deadly hit-and-run of student back in court
DOH: Red Hill families drank antifreeze, not just jet fuel in water
SA: … Military and civilian families who drank and bathed in fuel-tainted water after a fuel spill at the Navy’s Red Hill facility in November 2021 contaminated their drinking water, were also exposed to antifreeze, according to an internal Hawaii Department of Health memo that identifies the coolant as potentially posing the biggest health risk.
The compound in the antifreeze, diethylene glycol, is used in aviation fuels to help prevent the formation of ice crystals. It was detected in water samples collected in the weeks after jet fuel spilled from a Red Hill underground pipeline and made its way into the Navy’s drinking water system that serves about 93,000 people.
The Feb. 2 memo from DOH provides estimates of contaminants that entered the drinking water system, including additives that the Navy put in its jet fuel.
The antifreeze compound “would have been quickly drawn into groundwater in contact with JP-5 (jet fuel) and is likely to have entered the Red Hill Shaft drinking water system ahead of less soluble and less mobile, petroleum contaminants,” according to the DOH memo from Roger Brewer of DOH’s Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response office, which was sent to the state toxicologist and chief of DOH’s Safe Drinking Water branch.
Brewer writes that the compound “could pose the most significant health risk from exposure to contaminated water.”…
KITV: Families affected by the Red Hill water contamination continue to struggle with health issues
PDF: DoH Memo
read … DOH: Red Hill families drank antifreeze, not just jet fuel in water
Iolani Palace Site of Massive Festering Homeless Camp
KHON: … the number of homeless people in the walkway between the State Library and Iolani Palace has doubled in the last couple of months.
“It’s ungodly to see people on the streets like this, not because they’re on the streets because it’s a health issue for not only them, but for us,” said Ernest Caravalho, Downtown Neighborhood Board chair.
They’re noticing more of the homeless inside also….
“This cannot go on anymore. This is right in front of Iolani Palace, which is to me sacred,” said Caravalho….
The State Library has had problems with the homeless over the years, which include people bathing themselves in the restroom, and staff getting harassed inside and outside the building….
HPR: State's newest homelessness coordinator pitches idea for ʻOhana Zone incentives
read … Health, safety concerns raised over homeless at State Library
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