'Defend Hawaii' -- SHOPO Again Targets Kauai's Outsider Chief
Eminent Domain: Tourism Marketers Dream of Remaking Lahaina as ‘Venice of the Pacific’
CNN: … “It would be beautiful to be walking through Lahaina town and have big inland lakes and canals. I think that would be awesome.”…
Sato says cooperation will be crucial since Hawaii’s large fire-prone areas often have several different owners. “We need to work with bigger landowners, the government, and all the other agencies but we can’t depend on them to do it alone. We, as a community, need to be proactive about it.”…
Rising sea levels and modern safety concerns suggest a newly restored Lahaina might not be built as close to the water as it was before. But there is precedent for rebuilding in a way that’s both safer for residents and still aesthetically pleasing. After deadly tsunamis wiped out part of the town of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii, the town was rebuilt, placing the main business district and all its structures farther from the waterfront. A buffer zone of parks, lagoons and recreational areas now line Hilo’s waterfront.
The governor’s office and the Maui mayor’s office are both pledging that some sort of “historic corridor” will recognize Lahaina’s royal past.
If part of Moku‘ula is restored, Lahaina could even seek to a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation but only, Six insists, if that’s what the locals want.
“There’s a movement to restore King Kamehameha’s taro patch. Personally, I would love to see a taro patch in the middle of Lahaina,” she says….
In the center of Lahaina, underneath an abandoned baseball field, are the remains of Moku‘ula, a sacred island that was once the site of a royal palace and the seat of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The island was surrounded by wetlands and taro patches.
But paradise was lost. In 1826, mosquitoes were introduced by a whaling ship. In 1845, King Kamehameha III moved the capital from Lahaina to Honolulu and Moku‘ula fell into disrepair. And when the first plantations moved into Lahaina, they began to divert much of the water from downtown Lahaina to their fields full of thirsty sugar cane plants. The flowing waters of the Lahaina wetlands became a stagnant breeding ground for mosquitoes. In 1914, the whole area was filled in and a baseball field was built on top of the royal palace….
“Whaling was such a short, small portion of the legacy of Lahaina. It was really about 50 years. And it wasn’t a really great 50 years because with the whalers came venereal disease and raucous debauchery.”
“The Venice of the Pacific” became known as “Rotten Row.”
“When people tell me Lahaina is gone, I’m like ‘No, the most recent iteration of Lahaina is gone,’” says Six….
(IDEA: To enhance authenticity, have the Coast Guard tow dead whale carcasses to the Lahaina beachfront.)
read … One year later, Lahaina looks to restoration | CNN
Maui transitional housing for fire survivors ‘only a trickle’ one year after disaster
SA: … It’s only a trickle at the moment, but the supply of new homes for transitional use by Maui wildfire survivors is on the cusp of surging one year after the disaster.
Two days from now, a year and a day after the Aug. 8 fire that destroyed about 3,500 residences in Lahaina, state officials are scheduled to give house keys to about a dozen households for modular housing planted on vacant state land above one part of the West Maui town that burned.
These initial units are scheduled to be followed by another 40 ready by the end of this month, 70 more in October, 147 in December and 180 by March as part of the 450-unit subdivision named Ka La‘i Ola.
About 7 miles from Lahaina, a grand-opening ceremony for 50 new modular homes is planned for Tuesday by the owner of Kapalua Resort’s golf courses, a company led by Tadashi Yanai, for employees and surrounding hospitality workers displaced by the fire.
In Napili, near Kapalua, the state Department of Transportation is heading up development of 86 modular homes expected to be ready by the end of the year, followed by 200 more in February or March on land provided by Maui Land & Pineapple Co.
Next to Ka La‘i Ola in Lahaina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is developing a project called Kilohana with 169 modular homes targeted for completion by the end of the year on state land.
The total number of new transitional homes currently being built is more than 1,200.
(TRANSLATION: We got rid of who we could get rid of. Now we need to keep our employees to service the tourism industry.)
SA: Former Kihei hotel welcoming Maui wildfire survivors
read … Maui transitional housing for fire survivors proliferating one year after disaster
Lawyers Admit Fake ‘Settlement’ Designed to Save Hawaiian Electric from Bankruptcy
HNN: … Two major investigations into the fire and government response are still not complete, so, some victims wonder if the truth will ever come out.
When the settlement was announced Friday, Hawaiian Electric revealed immediately that it was paying about half of the $4 billion. The governor later said the state would pay another 20 percent% — about $800 million.
But for some, that raises questions about whether the payments have any connection to the level of responsibility for the disaster.
In December, Sanford Hill was demanding answers when he showed Hawaii News Now the remains of his apartment at Hale Mahaolu elderly housing. The quick settlement has him worried he’ll never learn the truth.
“They want to settle it before the AG report comes out. ATF report comes out before the truth comes out, and this is a way to do that,” Hill said.
(TRANSLATION: These reports will be treated as authoritative on relative culpability.)
The Maui Fire Department and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms are looking into the cause and progress of the fire, and the Attorney General into the response of government agencies.
Hill and others are asking how the lawsuits can be settled without knowing who was liable.
“You know, they’ve done a real good job of avoiding the responsibility. Nobody has been held accountable,” he said….
Keohokalole said the Legislature will review the $800 million being promised by the state, which he said seems higher than its liability for fire damage and injury.
“It raises a lot of questions, because again, our understanding from the Governor’s administration is that the state would prevail if sued,” he said. “So why this number? What is it for?”
(ANSWER: The $800M provides enough funds to get every victim--except insurers--to sign on. The State is contributing the $800M because if HEI contributed any more money, it would go bankrupt.)
Maui Attorney Jan Apo, who represents hundreds of fire victim families, said settlements often don’t track actual levels of responsibility.
“The ability to pay is a big issue and the timing when people are willing to pay,” he said.
Apo said experts hired by victims’ lawyers proved HECO’s blown lines and poles caused the fire, but $2 billion was probably all it could afford to pay. The governor said the state’s $800 million helped prevent HECO or Maui County from being forced into bankruptcy.
(See? Told you.)
Apo said a large amount from the state was essential, even if not in line with its responsibility.
“The state is being a big part of this settlement, and without them, the settlement probably would not have occurred,” he said….
(See? Told you.)
read … Victims fear $4B settlement will hide accountability as Maui wildfire investigations continue
Tourism Is Still Way Down On Maui. And That’s Causing A Lot Of Problems
CB: … Just a year ago residents rallied to implore tourists to stay away from West Maui and let residents grieve and recover.
Now officials are planning to target travelers from Southern California – Maui’s most important market – with a campaign designed to restore what tourism executives say is critically needed business for the island’s economy.
Visitor numbers and spending remain sluggish since the August 2023 wildfires. According to the most recent available data from the Hawaii Tourism Authority, for June, the number of visitors to Maui was down 22% compared with June 2023. Visitor spending was down 27%, HTA reported.
The 216,065 visitors to Maui in June was far more than the 94,221 who came in September, the month after the fire. But the number is 22% fewer than the 276,136 who came in June 2023. And with the traditionally slow fall travel season on the horizon, the situation soon could get worse….
Now tourism officials are rolling out an unequivocal welcome mat, especially for potential visitors from the Los Angeles area, Hannemann says. The authority is hoping to make mixed messages a thing of the past, he said.
“We really feel all of that is behind us,” Hannemann said ….
read … Tourism Is Still Way Down On Maui. And That’s Causing A Lot Of Problems
Bill 46: Affordable Housing ‘Solution’—Suurrrprise, its a 3% Tax on Housing
CB: … The Honolulu City Council has scheduled a public hearing on Bill 46 on Wednesday (Aug. 7) at 10 a.m….
Bill 46 would start with a tax of 1% of the assessed value of affected properties, which would be raised over time to 3%....
(CLUE: A marketplace with no vacancies is a marketplace with very high rental rates.)
SA: Editorial: ‘Empty homes tax’ ripe for adoption | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
SA: City Council to review housing-related bills | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
read … Vancouver tax is back
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