Hawaii Net Loss of 8,896 Residents During COVID
Feds: “Housing on Maui is challenging to say the least"
Presidential Race: Who is on the Ballot in Hawaii?
CB: … We The People (the party not the citizenry) did not submit its nominees to the State Office of Elections by Friday’s deadline. So Hawaii folks can’t vote for RFK Jr.
Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominees, are on the 2024 ballot, though. Same goes for Republicans Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
The Green Party ticket of Jill Stein and Rudolph Ware also made the cut, as did the Libertarian Party pairing of Oliver Chase and Mike ter Maat. Same goes for Peter Sonski and Lauren Onak of the American Solidarity Party. Claudia De la Cruz and Karina Garcia of the Party for Socialism and Liberation are also running for president and VP, respectively….
RELATED: Kennedy will not be on Hawaii Ballot?
read … The Sunshine Blog
Hawaii Voters Asked To Lock In Gay Marriage
CB: … In November 1998, Hawaii adopted a constitutional amendment giving the Legislature the power to restrict marriage to opposite-sex couples after it received a clear majority in the election.
Twenty-six years later, voters will have an opportunity to reverse that decision, which has already been made irrelevant — at least for now — by a U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationally.
In the Nov. 5 general election, a new ballot measure will ask: “Shall the state constitution be amended to repeal the legislature’s authority to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples?” ….
Eva Andrade, president and CEO of the Hawaii Family Forum, said the group has not decided whether to take a position on the ConAm….
read … Hawaii Voters Asked To Lock In Gay Marriage
Green Gets to Appoint HD1 Seat All Over Again
CB: … Matthias Kusch, a Big Island Democrat, was appointed last month by Gov. Josh Green to represent House District 1 in the Legislature. The district was represented by Mark Nakashima, who died in July.
But Kusch will only hold the seat, which includes Hamakua and parts of Hilo, for a short while.
“Technically, Rep. Kusch is only appointed to the position until November’s general election,” Will Kane, a senior advisor to Green, told The Blog Friday. “At that time the same nomination process will have to repeat itself, with the Democratic Party selecting and sending three names to Gov. Green, who will then have to appoint again for the full two-year term.”
This will be Green’s eighth appointment of a legislative seat in less than two years. Along with Kusch, Hawaii County Democrats also submitted the names of Dwight Takamine and Kristen Alice Apruzzese….
BACKGROUND: Green Appoints Kusch to HD1 Seat
read … The Sunshine Blog
Forclosure for Kakaako ‘affordable’ housing so repulsive nobody wants to buy it
SA: … An affordable condominium project in Kakaako marketed as extraordinary boutique housing is facing the extraordinary prospect of foreclosure on unsold units nearly three years after opening.
A state agency that helped finance the project called The Block 803 Waimanu is considering foreclosure against the developer after financial difficulties stemming from 61 unsold units in the 153-unit complex despite prices as low as $276,102 for a studio.
The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp., a state agency that helps finance affordable housing, has requested board authorization to potentially take control of The Block’s unsold inventory in an effort to mitigate possible losses on a loan made to the project’s developer, an affiliate of MJF Development Corp., led by Franco Mola….
Mola’s company informed HHFDC that it can’t continue to cover expenses for the unsold units, which total about $500,000 a year and include property taxes and condo association fees, according to a staff report prepared for the agency’s board to consider at a meeting Thursday.
The report also said staff recently discovered that the developer has been renting out 10 unsold units to help cover its expenses.
Renting out these units was done without required approval, according to the report, which said rental income totaling about $24,000 a month should have gone to lenders. The report also noted that some unsold units have sustained damage, which mostly has been repaired.
According to the report, the developer hasn’t made any principal or interest payments on a $9.8 million HHFDC loan, violating loan requirements. The loan matures Sept. 30 and has accrued $641,164 in interest, making the total obligation almost $10.5 million…
SA: Editorial: State must wrap up Kakaako snafu | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
SA: Letter: State blundered position in affordable condo loan
SA: State grapples with uncertainty over Kakaako affordable condo project debt
read … State eyes takeover of struggling affordable condo project in Kakaako
Oahu's latest ‘affordable’ rentals -- $1740/mo for a single with no parking and no w/d
KHON: … grand opening of its newest Bill 7 Affordable Housing building on Kinau Street, featuring 15 move-in ready studio apartments…Each apartment will come with brand-new appliances, air conditioning and on-site laundry, all in a new, secured building…Rent will be priced at $1,740 per month and includes all utilities ….
read … Could Oahu's latest affordable rentals be for you?
Bulldoze Borneo: West Oahu refinery seeks to develop plant-based biofuels
SA: … An over 50-year-old petroleum refinery in James Campbell Industrial Park plans to develop and commission what it deems will be the largest ‘renewable’ (dead orangutan) fuel production facility in Hawaii.
PAR Hawaii Refining LLC proposes that part of its 151.4-acre facility in Kapolei produce low-carbon-emission, plant-based biofuels, including renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel and renewable liquefied petroleum gas, among others.
(CLUE: Borneo bulldozed.)
To be completed by mid-2025, the company says its over $90 million project at 91-325 Komohana St. could eventually produce 60 million gallons of renewable fuels annually.
EIJ: Borneo Project (earthisland.org)
PP: Fuel to the Fire (propublica.org)
RR: Save the orangutans – ban biofuel! - Rainforest Rescue (rainforest-rescue.org)
read … West Oahu refinery seeks to develop plant-based biofuels
Three months after blackouts, Chinatown businesses still waiting for relief
HNN: … Frustration and confusion after some Chinatown businesses got courtesy checks for blackouts in June, but others didn’t. Businesses are also waiting to get reimbursed for losses.
Cindy’s Lei Shoppe got a courtesy $500 check from HECO about three weeks ago after suffering back-to-back outages in June.
“Just as a way to make peace I suppose and kind of work with that pilikia (trouble),” said manager Nicholas Lee.
Other businesses like Chun’s Meat Market and Murphy’s Bar and Grill didn’t get a $500 check and merchants who filed claims are also still waiting for word if HECO will reimburse them for thousands in losses….
read … Three months after blackouts, Chinatown businesses still waiting for relief
Slushfund: Hawaii Nonprofits Get Money From OHA After Delay
CB: … Trustees for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs are being asked to approve nearly $3 million in funding for nonprofits that was delayed in May amid concerns the money was not being equitably distributed.
OHA’s administration proposed giving funds from five grant programs to just eight nonprofits in May. On Wednesday, the office will instead ask the trustees to approve awards to 16 nonprofits for programs focusing on Native Hawaiian health, cultural preservation and economic development.
In a message posted on OHA’s grants website, the office says that it’s dealt with a record high number of grant applications, and that the delay was intended to ensure that funding went to “as many communities and beneficiaries as possible.”…
OHA: OHA awards more than $2.7 million in grants to community nonprofits - The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)
read … Some Hawaii Nonprofits May Get Good Financial News From OHA After Delay
Tourism: Mindless Mindfulness
SA: … regarding the latest campaign by the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) and the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB), which aims to attract what they describe as the “mindful Hawaii traveler.” While the intent may be to promote sustainable and respectful tourism, the approach of targeting specific types of visitors and subtly suggesting that others are less welcome is both exclusionary and potentially harmful to our state’s tourism industry.
Hawaii has long been a destination that welcomes visitors from all walks of life, many of whom return year after year, contributing significantly to our economy and communities. By focusing on a “mindful visitor” — a term that is vaguely defined and potentially alienating — the campaign risks insulting the very people who have been loyal to our islands for years. What exactly does it mean to be a “mindful visitor”? Are we suggesting that some of our visitors are less desirable because they don’t meet this unclear standard?
The language of this campaign feels exclusionary and could easily be interpreted as a message that certain travelers are no longer welcome in Hawaii unless they conform to specific behaviors. This not only threatens to alienate frequent visitors but also creates an unwelcoming atmosphere for those considering Hawaii as a new travel destination….
read … Column: Hawaii need inclusive tourist messaging
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