Supreme Court Allows Honolulu 'Big Oil' Suit to Proceed
Hawaii Congressional Delegation How They Voted January 10, 2025
Housing Agenda for Hawai’i Legislature
CB: … Encouraging counties to ease zoning rules without stepping on toes — or by mandating they do it, toes aside. Ambitious plans to rewrite the way the state promotes and funds the development of all types of housing.
Making it easier to build in areas designated for transit-oriented development. Modifying which structures are defined as historic.
The housing agenda for Hawaiʻi’s state lawmakers this legislative session is a full one, and it may be shaped by two very different approaches motivated by the same desire to create more housing in a state strapped for it.
The foundation for this year’s session was laid by 2024’s, which produced two laws to help alter the state’s landscape for residents struggling to find and afford places to live, said Rep. Luke Evslin, chair of the House Housing Committee.
“They represent probably the most significant piece of zoning reform at a state level in the last 40-plus years,” Evslin said of the 2024 bills — SB 3202 and HB 2090.
SB 3202 laid the groundwork for more densely built neighborhoods by allowing accessory dwelling units, or smaller residences, on residential lots occupied by single-family homes; HB 2090 required counties to implement rules to convert empty office space into apartments.
(CLUE: Without opening up more land for development.)
As the new session approaches against a backdrop of steep and rising housing prices, Evslin and his counterpart on the Senate Housing Committee, Sen. Stanley Chang, said they expect a busy year….
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KHON: What to expect for Hawaii's 2025 legislative session
read … Solving Hawaiʻi's Housing Crisis Front And Center In New Legislative Session - Honolulu Civil Beat
Only One Front Street House Being Rebuilt
MN: … Lauricella is hopeful for the day when the street will be bustling again, but she and her neighbors have no idea when that will be.
She is one of the few on Front Street who has begun to rebuild her home, after needing roughly eight months to nail down her final approvals. Some property owners have yet to even start the process.
What Lauricella has done is not a blueprint for her neighbors. There is no single process for homes being rebuilt along the shoreline or in historic districts. It depends on the location of the home, the proximity to historic structures and the agencies involved….
read … It’s a challenge: Expediting the rebuilding of homes in Lahaina’s downtown without compromising historic character : Maui Now
Chaos in DLE: Deputies’ Suicide, Arrests, Suspensions
SA: … A dozen of Hawaii’s nearly 300 state deputy sheriffs have had their law enforcement powers restricted following arrests and internal investigations into allegations of misconduct that started in 2024.
Five deputy sheriffs were arrested in 2024, four in connection with a single investigation and a fifth accused while off duty of pulling a weapon on a fisherman. That charge was dropped, and the deputy was cleared of any wrongdoing and returned to full duty.
None of the four deputies arrested in connection with an ongoing investigation of inappropriate conduct involving a Black trainee have been charged since their arrests in June….
Four other deputies were placed on “restriction of police authority,” or ROPA, on June 10 in connection with an incident involving a homeless woman at the state Capitol. In that case, two deputies were allegedly ordered to transport the woman away from the Capitol and dropped her off at Sandy Beach Park.
The other deputies allegedly used force to detain the woman at the Capitol but did not file use-of-force reports, per department policy.
A fifth deputy suspended in connection with that incident, 32-year-old Jordan J. Kagehiro, took his own life in August amid allegations from colleagues that he was being pressured by department investigators.
Department of Law Enforcement officials have said Kagehiro was both a witness and part of that investigation, but denied the allegations made in a letter from one of his fellow suspended deputies….
read … 12 deputies still suspended amid investigations
Open Window to Intervene in HECO`s Latest Renewable Energy Procurement
IM: … The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission issued an order that converted the Hawaiian Electric Companies (HECO) Integrated Grid Planning (IGP) Request for Proposal (RFP) from a no-intervenor allowed process to a contested case proceeding after Life of the Land attorney Diego Rivera filed a legal brief. The deadline to file a motion to intervene is January 29, 2025 ….
read … Open Window to Intervene in HECO`s Latest Renewable Energy Procurement
Data Dive: Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders Suffer For Lack Of Health Insurance
CB: … The disparities increase significantly within Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander ethnicities — for example, 1 in 4 Marshallese under 65 is currently not covered by any health insurance, according to an analysis by the nonprofit KFF….
read … Data Dive: Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders Suffer For Lack Of Health Insurance
Point in Time Count to skip unsheltered homeless this year
SA: … Hawaii’s Continuums of Care will forgo this year’s unsheltered Point in Time Count — a key measure of homelessness conducted annually since 2012, except in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — though the sheltered count will proceed as planned.
Partners in Care, in collaboration with the neighbor islands’ Continuums of Care known as Bridging the Gap — which represents Kauai, Maui and Hawaii counties — will report the number of people staying in homeless shelters across the state to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development based on data from the night of Jan. 22.
According to Partners in Care, all shelter data in the Homeless Management Information System must be updated by Feb. 10.
Shelter programs not utilizing HMIS are encouraged to contact the organization directly to ensure inclusion in the 2025 Point in Time Count.
The U.S. HUD requires CoCs to conduct a Point in Time Count of people experiencing homelessness at least every two years.
PIC told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that following discussions with BTG, the coalition decided not to conduct an unsheltered PIT count this year.
Since an unsheltered count was conducted in 2024 and HUD does not mandate an annual count, PIC opted to align its approach with BTG to maintain consistency in the data….
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SA: Editorial: Full count of isles’ homeless needed | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Big Q: What do you think of the annual Point in Time Count not tallying unsheltered homeless this year? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
read … Point in Time Count to skip unsheltered homeless this year
Legislative Agenda:
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