Tupola says empowering people is her motivation
‘Permit me’ -- to thank county officials again
Hawaii Congressional Delegation how they Voted July 29, 2023
Getting Kids to School in Kihei
Why is it hard to buy and sell cryptocurrency in Hawaii?
Miske Defendant Reminds Readers why State Judiciary is a Clown Show
ILind: … Court records show Miske’s alleged crew often wore masks to conceal their identities, and masks were later found in several of their cars when searched by police.
Clown masks. Ski masks. Skull masks.
The clown masks were part of this next little story.
The defendant I’ve known the least about is Jarrin Young. His attorney, William Shipley, has filed repeated motions seeking his release on bond pending trial, all of which have been unsuccessful.
The victim saw Young entering The District night club shortly before 2 a.m. on October 1, 2016. Two HPD officers located Young standing near the main bar and escorted him outside, where he was positively identified by the victim.
He was arrested for 1st degree robbery, which was reduced to Robbery 2. Young later entered a “no contest” plea to the charges, and was sentenced in June 2018 to four years of probation.
(IQ Test: Are you laughing?)
He was arrested on federal charges in the Miske case in July 2020, and has been held at the federal detention center in Honolulu since that time…
(The State-Federal contrast couldn’t be clearer.)
read … Clown masks and hand guns
OHA: Hawaiians can’t afford to live in Hawaii -- but don’t blame us
SA: … The governor’s emergency proclamation (EP) on housing is a bold move. But the housing crisis needs bold. It’s a big problem needing an equally big solution. An attempt to solve this crisis is long overdue and it deserves a chance to succeed.
(TRANSLATION: ‘Chance to fail’ -- so we can say ‘I told you so.’)
As Hawaiians, this crisis is deeply personal for us. We, as a group, are disproportionately impacted by this and the houselessness crises. We are 40% of the houseless population. We are disproportionately represented among poverty rates and unemployment rates. We have the lowest median household incomes.
We have the lowest homeownership rates, and this is in our own homeland.
More than 29,000 Hawaiian Home Land beneficiaries remain waiting for homestead leases. Hundreds, if not thousands, have died waiting.
We can appreciate concern over environmental and cultural resources, but frankly, the many Hawaiians and community leaders heavily involved in this effort are very capable of balancing resource protection against ensuring people are sheltered. Hawaiians have a long history of balancing such needs and have shown greater adeptness in doing so sustainably. We have no reason to believe that we are suddenly incapable of doing so now….
(TRUE: This failure is not sudden. OHA’s policies have been driving this crisis for years as part of an agenda designed to enrich the Ali’i Trusts at the expense of non-homeowners.)
2009: OHA driving Hawaiians out of Hawaii
read … Hawaiians can’t afford to live in Hawaii
Can An Emergency Proclamation Solve Hawaii’s Housing Crisis? ‘That’s The Million Dollar Question’
CB: … Environmental and neighborhood groups are mounting opposition. Lawsuits seem certain. And developers still must step up and prove a point they have asserted for years: that much of Hawaii’s high cost of housing is the result of red tape.
So will the proclamation result in lots of new, cheaper homes?
“There’s no definitive answer,” said Harry Saunders, president of Castle & Cooke Hawaii, a major home builder. Castle & Cooke engineers, architects and lawyers are studying the document to understand what it means for builders. “We do know that what’s been done over the last 20 years doesn’t work.” …
Hawaii Sen. Stanley Chang agrees.
“For those who support deregulation and think land use is too heavily regulated in Hawaii, this is a significant victory,” said Chang, who chairs the Senate Housing Committee.
Whether it will lead to more less expensive homes is unclear.
“That’s the million dollar question,” Chang said. “And we’ll see.”…
(CLUE: Insiders will rush their approvals thru under the emergency order then the door will be shut behind them. The influx of new development will be insufficient to disrupt the supply-demand equation. meanwhile, the usual suspects are preparing to exploit this failure to ‘prove’ that cutting red tape doesn’t work.)
Deciding which projects can proceed under the halo of suspended laws is a panel of state and local government officials and nongovernmental organizations. The Building Beyond Barriers Working Group has the sole power to examine and certify projects pursued by private builders. The group can block projects deemed to go too far outside the guardrails that would have been in place but for the proclamation.
Nani Medeiros, Hawaii’s chief housing officer, stressed the emergency proclamation must be renewed every two months and “is not set in stone.”…
SA Editorial: TOD, housing top priorities at Halawa station
read … Can An Emergency Proclamation Solve Hawaii’s Housing Crisis? ‘That’s The Million Dollar Question’
Gov. Green banking on approval ratings to propel policies
Borreca: …Green has an approval rating of 64% and a disapproval rating of just 24%. Based on these figures, he ranks as the third most popular state governor in the country, reports Morning Consult, a public opinion data research company.
In comparison, Ige’s opening numbers were the pits.
Morning Consult in 2017 found Ige with the worst popularity ranking of any governor: 32% approval and 58% disapproval….
“Expect major action from me and our team on the physician shortage and gun violence in the next two months,” Green said, teasing his next policy statement.”
read … Gov. Green banking on approval ratings to propel policies
Council chair pressured to rescind costly condo fire sprinkler law
SA: … Condominium associations are lobbying Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters to repeal a law that requires high-rise condos to install costly fire sprinkler systems, prompting Waters to seek input from the Waikiki Neighborhood Board.
The mandate can cost condos millions of dollars, resulting in thousands of dollars in assessments for owners of individual units, and has triggered debates about fire safety versus finances, particularly for older residents living on fixed incomes.
Stricter rules, including the installation of fire sprinklers, were prompted by the July 2017 fire at the Marco Polo condominium that killed four people and caused more than $107 million in damage. Marco Polo owners later voted to retrofit the 35-story building….
SA Editorial: Don’t weaken rules on condo fire safety | Honolulu Star-Advertiser (staradvertiser.com)
read … Council chair pressured to rescind costly condo fire sprinkler law
AI smarter than Council and collects quarters, too
Shapiro: … The city has installed 300 smart parking meters in Chinatown, and some 4,000 more are planned elsewhere in Honolulu. Each unit has 100 times the combined IQ of the City Council and doesn’t demand 64% pay raises.
The Council is considering a bill to fine citizens $2,000 for lying to city officials. Council members who lie to us are prime candidates for chairperson.
Sponsors of the measure said the ban on false statements is especially needed by city planners involved in regulating “monster homes” and other nonconforming structures. If you promise the inspector a bribe, you’d better be good to your word….
read … AI smarter than Council and collects quarters, too
Film details eviction of Hawaii’s Japanese Americans during WWII
SA: … The film also delves into the legal battle for redress for the 1,500 evictees, which takes place after the reparations bill had been enacted. Kaneko, then leading JACL efforts to find redress recipients, was visited in 1991 by Dr. Donald Kanemaru, whose family had been living near an ammunition depot in West Oahu’s Lualualei Valley and had been evicted….
At the time, there was no known documentation proving the evictions even occurred, in contrast to those who were incarcerated, whose names were listed on camp rosters and arrest records, Kaneko said.
“The internment story is very, very well-documented,” Kaneko said. “But the eviction cases, there was really nothing.”…
RELATED: Forgotten Honouliuli: Jack Burns, Police Spy
read … Film details eviction of Hawaii’s Japanese Americans during WWII
Just End it All: Suicide Easier than Ever in Hawaii
HTH: … MAID (new word for suicide) is a standard medical practice in which an adult with a prognosis of six months or less may obtain a prescription for life-ending medication they can take to end suffering at the time and place of their choosing….
According to Kaiser Permanente and Hawaii Pacific Health, 25% to 30% of their patients who wanted this option suffered and died during the waiting period. Patients in rural areas, or who were not affiliated with Kaiser or Hawaii Pacific Health, were having trouble finding a supportive provider at all….
(TRANSLATION: Insurance companies are pushing assisted suicide because it boosts their profits.)
lawmakers like state Sen. Joy San Buenaventura and state Rep. Della Au Belatti had the compassion and courage to pass an OCOCA improvement bill this session. It took effect immediately upon Gov. Josh Green’s signature on June 2.
Now, in addition to MDs, qualified advanced practice registered nurses can prescribe. The waiting period has gone from 20 days to five and can even be waived if the provider determines that the patient won’t survive it….
Reality: Meet the Insurance Executive Behind Assisted Suicide in Hawaii
read … Understanding Our Care, Our Choice
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