VIDEO -- See For Yourself: Rep Pierick at Ewa Int School
Dela Cruz Manipulation? Senate Rejects Green's Pick for DBEDT
HART Seeks 9th Board Member
Punished for Jacking up Electric Rates? Green loses another confirmation vote
HNN: … Glenn was recommended for confirmation by the Energy and Environment Committee and by state Sen. Karl Rhoads, a neighbor of the Glenn family.
“He’ll make great contributions in helping the state deal with the many things that we are going to have to deal with as global warming gets worse,” Rhoads told his colleagues.
But other senators said he mishandled the closing of the state’s last coal-fueled electric plant when he was Chief Energy Officer under Gov. David Ige.
They said his decision to shut down the plant when adequate inexpensive alternatives were not yet available led to higher energy costs on Oahu.
They also said that when he was challenged about that process during confirmation, he lied to senators about it.
“Members we all make mistakes that is forgivable,” said state Sen. Glenn Wakai. “Trying to cover it up is not.”
The vote on Glenn was 12-12 ― one vote short of confirmation.
State Sen. Joy San Buenaventura, of the Big Island, was absent for the vote….
The governor’s nominee for Business, Economic Development and Tourism ― Chris Sadayasu ― only got eight votes. The senate Economic Development Committee had recommended the rejection after multiple missteps managing tourism during his first months in the position and over questions about his management experience.
“He is not ready to lead one of the most important departments in the state during this time of economic uncertainty,” said state Sen. Donna Kim.
Meanwhile nominations of Keith Regan as state Comptroller and Kali Watson for the Department of Hawaiian Homelands won nearly unanimous support.
Watson was nominated after Ikaika Anderson withdrew his name for the job following a Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs vote against his nomination.
After the vote, Watson said, “First thing I’m gonna do is get houses up. We are going to accelerate the development process.”…
RELATED: Nominee for State Planning Director responsible for Oahu’s High Electricity Costs
RELATED: Dela Cruz Manipulation? Senate Rejects Green's Pick for DBEDT
SA: Hawaii governor gets 2 confirmations, 2 rejections for Cabinet
CB: Meanwhile, Kali Watson was approved to lead Hawaiian Home Lands while Keith Regan was confirmed as state comptroller.
(CLUE: Green's pick for #2 at DBEDT is Dane Wicker, a current business partner and former chief of staff to Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz. With Sadayasu rejected, Wicker could advance to #1. This is all about Aloha Stadium. Also Donna Mercado Kim's son is 'Corporation Counsel' for Nan which is part of one of the two consortiums bidding for the Aloha Stadium boondoggle.)
read … Green loses 2 more cabinet members as rocky trail of confirmation votes continue
‘Morally bankrupt’: Attorney blasts city push to get wrongful death suit in attack thrown out
HNN: … In a new legal filing, the city is claiming it’s not responsible for the death of a woman who was brutally attacked on the steps of the Kapolei police station.
It’s asking a judge to throw out a wrongful death lawsuit, which was filed on the victim’s behalf.
The 18-page document claims the city didn’t have a duty to protect Linda Johnson as she sat on the steps of the Kapolei police station. The 48-year-old was allegedly beaten to death in a random attack by a man who doctors say is mentally ill. He is accused of beating Johnson just minutes after he had been released from jail.
“For these lawyers to come in and say under these circumstances that the city, the police department and the officers on duty, have no obligations to keep our client safe is to me morally bankrupt,” said lawyer Eric Seitz….
read … ‘Morally bankrupt’: Attorney blasts city push to get wrongful death suit in attack thrown out
Collection agency ramps up against Oahu vacation rental violations
SA: … The city has sent 20 delinquent vacation rental accounts to its new collection agency, Aargon Agency Inc., as part of efforts that began two weeks ago to ramp up enforcement against illegal vacation rentals on Oahu.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi first put owners and operators of illegal vacation rentals on notice in November that the city planned to hire a collection agency to handle fines levied at up to $10,000 a day. The move was a major part of the tougher enforcement policies outlined in Ordinance 22-7 (Bill 41), which took effect in October….
The department said its contract with Aargon Agency is for one year and may be renewed. DPP is not paying the vendor anything upfront, but upon successful collection of delinquent fines, the agency will get to keep 18% of the total collected.
Previous administrations had taken the tack that the main goal of fines was compliance rather than punishment, and outstanding balances were sometimes waived or settled for pennies on the dollar. However, under Blangiardi’s administration DPP is establishing that property owners are expected to pay 100% of the fines levied against their properties, barring exigent circumstances.
Before imposing a fine, DPP first issues a notice of violation to the property owner, who has 30 days to correct the problem. If the owner doesn’t comply, a notice of order is issued. Owners then have two months to pay any fines issued in the order; after that comes a demand letter granting three more months to pay. If no payment is forthcoming, DPP will move to put a lien on the property….
CLUE: 8th Amendment: “…nor excessive fines imposed….”
read … Collection agency ramps up against Oahu vacation rental violations
Home, condo sales sink across Hawai‘i
TGI: … Sales of single-family homes on O‘ahu retreated 28.22 percent to 173 in February from 241 in February 2022, according to monthly data pooled from multiple sources by Hawai‘i Realtors in Honolulu. At the same time, the median price was down 12.27 percent to $987,000 from $1,125,000.
Sales of condos on O‘ahu fell 33.13 percent to 325 from 486, while the median price eased 3.42 percent to $480,000 from $497,000.
Percentage decreases for sales were highest on Maui, where transactions sank 50.00 percent to 44 in February from 88 in February 2022. The median price slipped 2.14 percent to $1,076,500 from $1,100,000.
Sales of condos on Maui plummeted 59.26 percent to 66 from 162 in the same period. However, the median price jumped 24.30 percent to $908,000 from $730,500.
On Hawai‘i Island, sales of single-family homes dropped 43.42 percent to 129 in February from 228 in February 2022. At the same time, the median sales price was off 10.65 percent to $459,500 from $514,250.
Sales of condos on Hawai‘i Island were off 43.53 percent to 48 from 85, while the median price inched up 1.65 percent to $554,000 from $545,000 to make the median price of a condo higher than the price of a single-family home in February….
TGI: Home sales plunge on Kaua‘i
read … Home, condo sales sink across Hawai‘i
Bottled water distributed to hundreds after toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found in Kunia well
HNN: … Kunia Village is an affordable housing development for agricultural workers. The Department of Health says the well that was contaminated serves about 650 people. The Kunia Water Association started delivering 5-gallon jugs of bottle water to residents last month as a precaution and has 150 jugs ready for the long haul.
Late last year, the Department of Health discovered chemicals known as PFAS several times above the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed maximum contaminant level in Kunia Village’s well no. 3. The well is owned by the Army and operated by the Kunia Water Association.
Dennis Lopez, chief of the state’s Safe Water Drinking Branch, said the EPA proposed limit for the “forever chemicals” PFOA and PFOS is 4 parts per trillion.
But in the problem well, levels for PFOA were 20 to 27 parts per trillion.
And values for PFOS were 45 to 50….
read … Bottled water distributed to hundreds after toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found in Kunia well
Focus on selling catalytic converters reduces theft
KHON: … It was a crime that plagued car owners for nearly three years: catalytic converter theft. But, according to the Honolulu Police Department, so far this year, cases have gone way down all thanks to a law that kicked in, in January.
“I thought the law that we passed last year would work. I had no idea it would work that effectively,” said Sen. Karl Rhoads (D) who supported the bill cracking down on the sale of catalytic converters.
According to HPD, the number of catalytic converter thefts drastically declined this year.
Since January, there were 34 cases compared to 569 for the same time last year.
Capt. Parker Bode, HPD Criminal Investigation Division said it’s all thanks to new legislation
“This year, a new law went into effect that requires the seller to provide a slew of information,” Bode explained. “So, they have to present identification. They have to present and give a sworn declaration that the item was not stolen.”
And, that’s the just the start of what’s required.
The buyer also has to keep those records for three years, and police can follow up if it looks like a purchaser is trying to skirt the requirements.
Catalytic converter theft became a felony last year, but Bode said that barely made a dent in the problem….
(IDEA: Shut down pawnbrokers identified as fencing stolen goods.)
read … Focus on selling catalytic converters reduces theft
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