Healthcare Crisis on the Island of Molokaʻi
Housing Emergency Includes Consumer Product Price Controls
Secret Abortions for Underage Girls: Hawaii AG Challenges Idaho's Abortion Travel Law
Ninth Circuit limits remote abortion access on Guam
Not Affordable: New Aloha Stadium to be Subsidized by Housing Revenue
SA: … The state intends to contract with a private entity to build the mixed-use project and also to “design, build and operate” the stadium. The selected developer would use the $400 million that has already been appropriated for the stadium. However, it has been estimated that $1.4 billion is needed to design, build and operate it. Admissions to stadium events would add to the $400 million, and the developer would be able to use profits from the mixed-use project to further add to the funding of the stadium.
The transfer of the profits from the mixed-use project to the stadium would detract from the affordable housing that could be built, especially since affordable housing itself typically requires subsidies.
If the mixed-use project were not used to fund the stadium, the potential for affordable housing would be great. Ideas have been floated to build 10,000 affordable homes on the Aloha Stadium site — and even more….
TGI: HOOSER: Bold, but flawed state emergency housing proclamation - The Garden Island
read … Stadium detracts from affordable housing
Ban on Fundraisers? Hawaii Legislators Rake in Campaign Cash During Session
CB: … the latest campaign finance disclosures, which were due late Monday, illustrates that major special interests continue to give generously to lawmakers, especially those who wield a lot of power.
Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, raised more money — $59,789 — than any of the 76 members of the Legislature from January through June and also reported having the most cash in the bank by far — $983,274.
Sen. Gil Keith-Agaran, the WAM vice chair, raised $48,785. His donors include University of Hawaii President David Lassner and many of the same big names who gave to Dela Cruz.
Keith-Agaran now has $149,444 in cash, even though neither he nor Dela Cruz are up for reelection until 2026.
Other lawmakers who saw steady contributions to their campaign coffers are the new chair of the House Finance Committee, Rep. Kyle Yamashita, and the new chair of the House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee, Rep. David Tarnas.
Yamashita reported $29,738 in receipts. The contributions come from a wide range of unions, banks, shippers, developers and lobbyists and include the likes of Maui developer Everett Dowling and real estate investment trust Nareit Hawaii.
Yamashita now reports $72,484 in cash on hand, making him a well-funded incumbent should he seek reelection next year. In the 2020 election, for example, House incumbents spent on average $36,000 compared with just $17,000 for their challengers….
Act 282, which was passed in 2022 and went into effect Jan. 1, was passed because legislators recognized that campaign fundraiser events held during legislative sessions “diminish the public trust.” No state or county official is allowed to hold a fundraiser that identifies a price to be charged or suggests a contribution for attendance during regular or special sessions of the Legislature.
What many lawmakers are now doing, however, is raising their money just before session begins and right after. Many of the donations in the latest filings came before Jan. 18, when session started, and after May 4, when session ended.
For instance, Will Kane, senior vice president for the political consulting and PR firm Strategies 360, gave Rep. Cedric Gates $500 on Jan. 17. And Rep. Troy Hashimoto accepted $2,000 from the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters PAC, an organization that gave lots of money to many legislators….
read … Ban On Fundraisers? Hawaii Legislators Continued To Rake In Campaign Cash During Session
Brittany Zimmerman Sells Her Vision To Hawaiʻi County – But Is It For Real?
EH: … On the Big Island, her intent “is to remove more greenhouse gases from the environment than all of the Big Island emits.”
In Hawaiʻi, there appear to be four business entities that Zimmerman has formed. In 2022, she filed papers for Yummet Earth Solutions, LLC, with an address in Volcano. The registered agent is Water Water LLC, which is another company formed by Zimmerman. Neither of these companies is in good standing with the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
In January 2023, she registered Yummet Consulting, LLC, and listed Water Water LLC as its agent. The business address associated with this company is a home in Hilo owned by Richard Ha.
Also in January, Zimmerman registered Yummet Hawaiʻi, LLC, whose agent is also Water Water and with Richard Ha’s home as her business address.
Although Zimmerman says she has degrees in engineering, she is not a registered engineer in Hawaiʻi. Doug Adams and Ramzi Mansour, cabinet members in the Hawaiʻi County administration, told Environment Hawaiʻi that they do not believe she is licensed in any other state.
Zimmerman claims that she produces green hydrogen, a claim that requires third-party verification. No such verification could be found – indeed, there is no evidence that she or her companies produce any color of hydrogen.
On her website, Zimmerman claims that she has the first technology to produce fresh water through desalination and wastewater treatment without producing “brine nor waste.” Without knowing the physical location of her desalination and wastewater treatment plant, this claim is impossible to verify.
She also claims that her operation is being reimbursed for its biochar production by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Again, without knowing where the biochar is produced and used, the claim is unverifiable….
SSPI: Brittany Zimmerman (sspi.org)
read … Brittany Zimmerman Sells Her Vision To Hawaiʻi County – But Is It For Real?
DoE Hired Alleged Child Molester?
HNN: … Paul Herder, 59, was arrested in Pahoa after California officials collaborated with the Hawaii Police Department to locate him. He’s accused in a sexual assault case from 2013 to 2017.
The Ventura Sheriff’s Office said that Herder was a teacher at Ojai Grove School in California when he allegedly engaged in an unlawful relationship with a minor.
According to police, Herder allegedly coerced a minor into several sexual acts and possessed child pornography. His bail was set at $1.1 million on Tuesday.
Police believe that Herder also taught in Pahoa, but the Education Department had no record of him. Authorities are asking members of the public to come forward with information on Herder.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Nicole Grover at nicole.grover@ventura.org….
read … Just Another Day in the DoE
“Community-based recruiting” DoE Hires 967 New Teachers for Upcoming Semester
CB: … There are around 300 vacant positions in the system now, compared to over 1,000 vacancies at the start of the last school year.
The DOE credits a new online portal it launched on May 16 that allows teacher candidates to apply for positions at their preferred schools and pick subject areas they are interested in.
Previously, interested candidates would apply to an open job pool and then be sent to a school with a vacant position. The portal also aims to fill positions faster.
“We moved away from pool-based recruiting to community-based recruiting,” DOE Recruitment Administrator Gary Nakamura said….
read … Hawaii DOE Has Changed Up Its Teacher Recruitment And Early Results Are Promising
$600M Plan Doomed: Department of Hawaiian Home Lands struggling to fill dozens of vacancies
KITV: … "It's very clear that we are in an emergency situation where we need to act quickly," said DHHL director Kali Watson.
With $600 million and 20 projects in the works, the goal is to fast track the building of at least 3,000 new homes.
But it's struggling to fill about 60 positions -- everything from engineers and genealogists to clerks and accountants….
(CLUE: $600M plan doomed.)
read … Department of Hawaiian Home Lands struggling to fill dozens of vacancies
Alaska mayor’s plan to send homeless to warmer cities gets (hypocritical) pushback in Hawaii
HNN: … Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson recently said he’s considering flying some homeless people out of the state. While he didn’t name any spots, there’s concern Hawaii could be on the list….
“When people approach us and want to go to some place warm or they want to go to some town where they have family or friends that can take of them ... we’ll support that.”
On Tuesday, Honolulu’s mayor pushed back against the idea — even though Hawaii wasn’t named.
“What’s new about it is a mayor coming out and saying I’m going to do this purposely to save lives instead of coming up with a solution in his own backyard,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi….
(IQ Test: Are you laughing?)
HNN: Alaska mayor’s plan to give homeless people tickets to warmer cities faces new pushback (hawaiinewsnow.com)
April, 2023: HB1366: State Take Over and Ruin Successful HLTA Bum Deportation Program
read … Alaska mayor’s plan to send homeless to warmer cities gets (hypocritical) pushback in Hawaii (hawaiinewsnow.com)
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