Save Kakaako Makai: Friends of Kewalo Invites the Public to its Information Gathering Potluck BBQ
Thieves: Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Wealth Asset Tax Bill for Assets Above $20M
HB1246: Legalize Marijuana Edibles
Puna Man Arrested in Alleged Neo-Nazi Child Molestation Ring
HB1494: ‘Stop all Procurement’ for Aloha Stadium Boondoggle
SA: … A state House bill similar to one in 2024 that died in the Senate intending to move $350 million earmarked for the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District to building a stadium on the University of Hawaii campus instead is making the rounds through House committee hearings.
This is despite the state nearing agreement on a public-private partnership that would make the new stadium in Halawa the centerpiece of NASED, a mixed development of real estate including affordable housing….
“We’re deep in the negotiations phase with Aloha Halawa District Partners,” said deputy stadium manager Chris Sadayasu at Thursday’s hearing. “This (bill) would stop all procurement.”…
(IQ Test: Are you smiling?)
House Bill 1494 Relating to Sports Facilities was introduced by Andrew Garrett (D, Manoa) and Kyle Yamashita (D, Pukalani-Makawao-Ulupalakua). It made it through the Committee on Water and Land on Thursday, but only with some major amendments that would not necessarily mean the end of NASED and the building of a stadium on campus bigger than the now-standing Ching Complex.
The committee voted in favor despite plenty of testimony against the original bill and none supporting it.
UH’s chief financial officer; the director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; the state comptroller; and Stanford Carr Development, part of the team closing in on a contract with the state, all provided testimony against the bill and for continuing without more delay.
“Relocating the new stadium to an alternate location will reverse progress back to the earliest stage of site selection, which determined the current Halawa location to be optimal. The University of Hawaii alternatives at Manoa and West Oahu fell far short with more costly challenges in infrastructure and access,” said comptroller Keith Regan in written testimony. “All planning and due diligence efforts for alternate sites would have to begin from scratch, negating a majority of the $30 million of work completed thus far….
(Thus saving $$$$ yet to be wasted.)
HB1494: Text, Status (Triple Referral. One down, two to go.)
read … UH campus stadium proposal is revived | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Trump Admin a Threat to CNHA Cashflow?
SA: … "Council member Esther Kia‘aina also commented about federal-level changes — namely, the new Trump administration’s priorities that appear to shift federal funding away from cities like Honolulu — will require Formby to continue to play a “critical role” in the city administration" ….
BEST COMMENT: “The sub title to this is to keep CNHA in the City and County funding loop $$$ ?”
read … Council begins Cabinet confirmation process | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
SB1170: Exempt from SMA permitting five specific affordable housing complexes destroyed in Lahaina fire
MN: … Senate Bill 1170 would enable Maui County’s planning director to directly issue special management area permits for four specific projects — with a combined 358 units and a planned 50 more — instead of going through the lengthy process required by the state to build within a certain area of the shoreline….
The bill applies to the 142-unit Front Street Apartments, 112-unit Lahaina Surf, 62-unit Weinberg Court and 42-unit Pi’ilani Homes. …
The bill also would apply to the proposed Kahului Civic Center mixed-use development project, which is slated to include 303 affordable housing units on land next to the Queen Ka’ahumanu Center.
“I wish the bill had been crafted to allow all government and nonprofit-owned multi-family projects to access this provision for Lahaina, rather than calling out a few projects,” Blystone said via email. “We had a huge housing shortage before the fire (approximately 7,000 units on the west side), so giving these projects a quicker path will ensure that more residents will be able to get home more quickly.”
She said most of the developers “are proposing to rebuild very similar projects.” ….
Hashimoto, who represents Central Maui and serves as vice chair of the Senate Committee on Housing, said the projects were chosen because they were state- or nonprofit-owned projects that could be redeveloped quickly. …
Projects that cost less than $500,000 can get minor permits that are approved by the county planning administration and don’t need a public hearing. But projects that cost more than that, such as the housing complexes lost in the fire, need major permits that typically call for a public hearing and approval by the Maui Planning Commission.
Maui County Planning Director Kate Blystone explained that the bill “is mostly an extension of the Emergency Proclamation and will allow the Lahaina projects more certainty about their permitting path forward.” While rebuilding close to the shoreline has raised concerns about the risks of sea level rise, Blystone has said the county plans to protect Front Street because it contains important infrastructure that serves Lahaina. Maui County Council Member Tamara Paltin said it’s up to landowners to take their own risk.
The governor’s latest emergency proclamation suspended certain coastal zone management rules for the reconstruction of multifamily structures that existed before the fire, as well as single-family homes that met certain requirements.
Blystone said while every process is different depending on the project and the conditions of the property, in general, the bill would “significantly shorten their permitting time.” But, she pointed out the projects still would be subject to zoning, building code and fire code requirements. And McKelvey added the projects also would still have to follow state rules on environmental and archaeological reviews.
Anders Lyons, executive director of the nonprofit Hale Mahaolu that owns Lahaina Surf, estimated the bill could shorten the permitting process by eight months to a year and a half.
But lawmakers acknowledged that even if they can eliminate one barrier in the process, the projects, like most of Lahaina, will likely still take years to rebuild….
CB: Maui Lawmakers Seek To Speed Up Rebuilding For Some Fire Victims
SB1170: Text, Status (Double referral. No hearing set.)
read … Bill in Hawaiʻi Legislature would speed up rebuilding of affordable housing complexes destroyed in Lahaina fire
Hawaii vacation rentals only about half full in 2024
PBN: … According to the monthly Hawaii Vacation Rental Performance Report, vacation rentals were 52% occupied during the full year of 2024, down from 74% in 2019. It’s just a slight drop from 2023, when vacation rentals were nearly 56% occupied.
Unit night supply for the year fell nearly 6% from 10.2 million unit nights in 2019, to 9.7 million unit nights in 2024, while demand fell 34%, from 7.6 million unit nights to 5 million unit nights.
Compared to 2023, however, supply increased 10% and demand ticked up 3%.
The average daily rate, or ADR, for the full year of 2024 was $323, up 56% from $208 in 2019, and up 7% from $301 in 2023. However, that data is slightly different when taking inflation into account. According to an online inflation calculator by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, $208 in 2019 is the equivalent of $255 in 2024 dollars. And $301 in 2023 is about $310 in 2024.
For comparison, Hawaii hotels were 73% occupied for the full year of 2024 and had an ADR of $365….
read … Hawaii vacation rentals only about half full in 2024
Hawaiʻi's ‘new energy strategy’ opens door to liquefied natural gas imports
HPR: … The site of Oʻahu's demolished coal plant may become the home of a new fossil fuel facility. That's one part of a plan released Tuesday by the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office that calls for liquefied natural gas to play a role in Oʻahu’s energy mix.
The office seeks to address the state's continued dependence on oil by replacing it with liquefied natural gas over the next two decades. Liquefied natural gas, or LNG, could be cheaper and cleaner than oil under certain conditions, according to the energy office’s analysis.
The shift to LNG would not happen overnight, but it is under a tight timeframe to save the most money while still meeting the state's clean energy mandate. It would also require billions of dollars in capital expenditures, and the report recommends that Hawaiian Electric explore available options for funding. The report cites a Japanese energy company that has expressed interest in investing in HECO, along with other potential sources of capital.
Importing LNG would be a major departure from previous state energy policy. Former Gov. David Ige nixed the idea of using LNG as a bridge fuel a decade ago and subsequently signed Hawaiʻi’s state mandate to achieve 100% renewable energy production by 2045.
But Gov. Josh Green tasked the energy office, led by Chief Energy Officer Mark Glick, to develop a new energy strategy to address electricity costs and the increasing unreliability of Hawaiʻi’s firm power generation, as well as cut carbon emissions associated with the state’s consumption of low-sulfur fuel oil….
E&E: Hawaii can tap LNG as bridge to renewable power, study says - E&E News by POLITICO
read … Hawaiʻi's ‘new energy strategy’ opens door to liquefied natural gas imports
Hawaii Legislators Target Generational Tobacco Ban
CA: … Hawaii joined the mix, introducing a bill (SB429) that would make it illegal for anyone born after January 1, 2005, to ever buy, possess or consume tobacco products. Introduced in Hawaii’s State Senate by Senator Karl Rhoads, SB429 passed its first reading on January 16. The bill was recently referred to the Health and Human Services/Commerce and Consumer Protection committees and the Judiciary/Ways and Means committees. There’s no word on when SB429 will be up for a vote again. If passed, the legislation would go into effect on January 1, 2026.
In section one of Hawaii’s SB429, the authors of the bill reference Brookline, Massachusetts (the first town and governing body in America to implement a generational tobacco ban) and the generational tobacco ban bill currently progressing through Parliament in the United Kingdom as justification for introducing their own, statewide measure. This illustrates the influence legislative bodies, whether at the local, state or national level, can have on other governing counterparts, creating a domino effect like we’re currently seeing in regards to generational tobacco ban legislation.
Hawaii has more anti-tobacco legislation in the works as well. After introducing the ban bill on the 16th, the following day State Senator Chris Lee proposed a piece of legislation (SB1165) that set limits on the amount of nicotine in tobacco products available to the public. Under the proposed legislation, Hawaii’s Department of Health will determine the levels of nicotine allowed for tobacco products and their Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs would then restrict the sale of any tobacco products that exceed the prescribed limits. The bill passed its first reading and has yet to be assigned to a committee. The proposal is quite vague as it presently stands. What exactly it would mean and how it would impact the cigar industry if passed, remains to be seen. Nevertheless, the proposal, especially coming off the heels of the generational ban legislation introduced prior, isn’t a welcomed sight for cigar smokers in Hawaii….
read … Hawaii And Massachusetts Target Generational Tobacco Bans | Cigar Aficionado
No charges filed against officers involved in New Years Day pursuit
CB: … Officers pulled up behind him and yelled “Stop, police” multiple times. Cadiente looked at them, said “Oh fuck” and started running makai down the avenue.
At that point, Alm said, another officer driving a SWAT van saw Cadiente fleeing and drove his van onto the sidewalk to block him. He said the officer “inadvertently collided” with Cadiente and rammed him into a chainlink fence.
Five officers then surrounded Cadiente, who ignored repeated commands to put his hands behind his back, Alm said. The officers punched him in an attempt to subdue him and get his hands behind his back. One used his foot to push down on Cadiente’s shoulder.
Cadiente’s father, Vaokehekehe Mouhungafa Mataele, was nearby on the ground with officers standing around him.
Cadiente kept reaching to his waist area, Alm said….
SA: 5 officers will not be charged in mistaken arrest of 25-year-old | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
KHON: No charges filed against officers involved in New Years Day pursuit | KHON2
read … Honolulu Officers Not Charged In Arrest Mistake Victim Calls Racial Profiling - Honolulu Civil Beat
Four More Arrested In New Year’s Fireworks Explosion
CB: … A total of six people have been arrested in connection with the explosion that has killed five people….
Jessica Ferrer, 38, and Cedric Benigno, 35, were arrested on suspicion of four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and one count of reckless endangering. Daniel Combis, 32, and Sherri Ho, 29, were arrested on suspicion of two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and one count of reckless endangering.
All four were also arrested on suspicion of three fireworks-related class C felony citations — liability of homeowner, renter or person otherwise responsible for property for allowing anyone to possess or set off fireworks on the premises; a penalty for importing, purchasing, selling or making fireworks; and a citation for importing, storing, selling or possessing fireworks without a license or permit….
Gov. Josh Green and Attorney General Anne Lopez have proposed legislative changes would allow anyone charged in a fireworks incident causing serious injury or death to be charged with a class A or class B felony. Class A is the most serious offense and encompasses crimes such as murder and attempted murder.
The potential charges for those arrested in connection with the New Year’s blast —endangering the welfare of a minor and reckless endangering — are class C felonies. The fireworks citations can carry fines of up to $5,000….
HNN: HPD: 4 more arrested, 500 pounds of illegal fireworks recovered in connection with deadly Aliamanu explosion Police also said several people were “uncooperative with detectives” and others provided false statements.
read … Four More Arrested In New Year’s Fireworks Explosion
Did crews clear homeless camps along streams before storm?
SA: … By Wednesday evening state Department of Transportation crews had cleared more than 20 areas, including along waterways that feed into the Ala Wai Canal — a choke point for storm debris runoff — as well as a viaduct in Kaimuki/Kahala known to carry a lot of man-made debris to Kahala Beach. Those are two areas you mentioned later in your Auwe and about which Kokua Line receives frequent complaints. DOT crews also cleared multiple culverts under Nimitz Highway, along Nuuanu Stream at the H-1 freeway, and at Waipahu Canal Bridge, among other areas. Go to 808ne.ws/3PXWfdW Opens in a new tab to read the full list of homeless sites DOT crews cleared ahead of the storm.
Likewise, city crews cleared areas under their jurisdiction, especially in the urban core and including along Makiki Stream, where homeless encampments generate continuous complaints from nearby residents and businesses worried about flooding, crime and litter — some also express concern for the people living outside in inhumane conditions.
Besides clearing health and safety hazards from that stream on Wednesday, city crews “were also at places like the Manoa Stream and the Hausten Drainage Ditch near Kapiolani. I was personally at the Manoa Stream near Kaimuki High School with our crews yesterday and can attest to the amount of trash and debris they cleared away,” Ian Scheuring, a spokesperson for the Honolulu mayor’s office, said Thursday in an email.
read … Kokua Line: Did crews clear homeless camps along streams? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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