Hawaii Republicans Elect New Party Chair
For ‘Progressive’ Criminal Kaniela Ing Lahaina Fires are Just Another Grift
CB: … A ‘progressive’ political organization is taking advantage of the Maui wildfires to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars that may go to support political candidates instead of direct help for victims of the Aug. 8 fires.
Our Hawaii Action, which is led by former Maui Rep. Kaniela Ing and community organizer Evan Weber, has raised at least $684,000 through the newly created Maui Community Power Recovery Fund.
The group’s fundraising website starts with a familiar pitch, asking donors to “Support Maui Fires: Relief, Recovery and Rebuilding.” Later on, the page notes that money will go to political organizing and campaign operations.
A note above the donation section says the contribution will benefit Our Hawaii Action that manages contributions through the Democratic-fundraising website ActBlue….
…Weber noted the PAC would also be creating “dark money” 501(c)4 groups that aren’t required to disclose donors. The dark money groups would help progressives gain footing in Hawaii, he said at the time.
The Maui Community Power Recovery Fund and the domain names mauirecovery.org and mauijustrecovery.org were all set up after the August wildfires by Our Hawaii Action….
“We would have a concern if any of this rose to the level of political fundraising,” she said.
Nate Chee, supervisor for the attorney general’s tax and charities division, said the department is examining the situation….
On Aug. 28, Ing pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge for missing a deadline for a campaign funding report. He was previously fined $15,000 in 2018 for using campaign funds for personal expenses.
(Idea: Jail. Hawaii needs new license plates.)
A few days before his plea before the Campaign Spending Commission, Ing appeared on PBS NewsHour and made a national pitch for donors for the Maui fund. In the segment, Ing advocated “returning the control of public trust resources like land and water back to the people of Lahaina to decide their own fate.”
Later on in a discussion about impacts to residents and ongoing relief efforts, Ing encouraged viewers to donate to the site mauirecoveryfund.org to support “not just for the short term, but in the long term, knowing it’s going to take $6 billion minimally to rebuild.”
But mauirecovery.org actually links to the Maui Community Power Recovery Fund’s donation page benefiting Our Hawaii Action….
Aug 29, 2023: Green New Deal: Kaniela Ing Pleads No Contest--Campaign Spending Violations Again
PDF: Kaniela Ing Criminal Complaint 2023
Kaniela Ing: The Grift That Just Keeps on Grifting
read … This Hawaii Super PAC Says It's Raising Money For Wildfire Victims — And Political Candidates Too - Honolulu Civil Beat…
Thousands push back against Oct 8 West Maui re-opening
HNN: … A petition to delay the Oct. 8 date has received 3,600 signatures in less than 24 hours, as of writing this article.
Many said it’s too soon, and say the needs of residents should come first.
Three weeks from Sunday, Kaanapali to Kapalua will be open once again for visitors.
“Once I heard October 8, I was in shock,” said Lahaina resident Jeremy Delos Reyes who also lost his home and loved ones in the fire. “And it turned to anger because we were making accommodations for tourism, but we cannot even make accommodations for displaced residents such as such as myself. I don’t have long term housing, I have a battle with my mortgage, that I still have to pay on a house that I no longer own.”
Roughly 7,500 residents are in hotel rooms across 40 hotels on Maui. The state said its moving residents to longer term housing that have kitchens and other amenities….
Some residents also believe the date is too soon because they haven’t even seen their old home yet, salvaged any personal items, found or heard from loved ones, and have to send their kids to school so far away.
“Its sad to see people on Facebook pleading for a place to live and stay,” said Jordan Ruidas, who helped kick-start Lahaina Strong after the 2018 fire, and is also a visitor industry worker in Kaanapali.
She said many visitor-industry workers are split on whether they’re ready to go back to work or not.
read … Thousands push back against Oct 8 West Maui re-opening
Falck pledges to maintain current services in Maui County
MN: …Advance life support services will be maintained for Maui County’s ambulances and Falck, a global healthcare and emergency services company, says if anything they will try “to improve it.”
Doug Chin, an attorney for Falck, assured the Maui County Council Friday, that Falck Northwest Corp, which had been chosen by the state Department of Health to provide ambulance transport for Maui County will not stray from services currently being provided when it is scheduled to start its contract on Dec. 28 and ends June 30, 2027. Falck also has a similar contract for Kauai County.
Chin also acknowledged that a bid protest for the contract is underway and that they are respecting the process. The protest was filed Sept. 5 by the current contract holders, American Medical Response, the state Department of Health has said.
On Friday, the Maui County Council referred a resolution urging the health department to instead continue the contract with AMR to the Water Authority, Social Services and Parks Committee for more discussion….
Editorial: Clarity needed on ambulance change | Honolulu Star-Advertiser (staradvertiser.com)
read … Falck pledges to maintain current services in county | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News
50% Water Rate Hike for Oahu Homeowners And Businesses
CB: … Water prices may be increasing more than 50% over the next five years for most Oahu customers, if new rates proposed by the Honolulu Board of Water Supply are approved this fall.
BWS blamed inflation, the need to invest in new facilities because of fallout from the Navy’s Red Hill water crisis, rising electricity costs and pandemic effects for the new rate proposals.
The proposed increases for water rates and water meter charges are 10% on Jan. 1, 2024; 10% on July 1, 2024; 9% on July 1, 2025; 8.5% on July 1, 2026; 8% on July 1, 2027, and 8% on July 1, 2028.
Some variation exists for single family residential customers, who are priced based on tier of water usage in order to encourage conservation. Residents who use less water would see a smaller rate increase.
read … Oahu Homeowners And Businesses May Soon See Higher Water Bills
Beth Fukumoto: How My 15 Minutes of Fame Destroyed Me
CB: … in the year before I left, I said a few things that made Republicans very angry. And then I said more things that landed me on white nationalists’ radars. Eventually, the social media trolls, angry partisans, threatening voicemails, and nasty rumors about my personal life became a distraction from doing the job I was elected to do. My district needed someone who wasn’t caught up fighting national demons.
I left politics believing I’d taken the heat well. I felt resilient and unafraid. A year later, while watching political speeches in public narrative class, I had my first panic attack. I struggled to speak up in large classes and got anxious in social situations. The threats and criticism that I experienced in my last term were scarier than I admitted.
As it turns out, there are only so many times a person can be called a “worthless whore” or “lying bitch” or “complete disgrace” who is “better off dead” without internalizing it a little. It took time and a strong support system to reconcile that the same events that made me feel tough also left me feeling vulnerable and full of self-doubt….
CB: Beth Fukumoto: Public Officials Aren't The Only Ones Under Threat From Bullying
Sept 13, 2023: Oprah Winfrey 'terrorised and vilified' over her Hawaii relief fund
read … Beth Fukumoto: When Good People Are Driven Out Only Bad People Will Be Left - Honolulu Civil Beat
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