The Unity House Scandal Never Really Ended — decades later, it might bankrupt Hawaiian Electric
Spreading Aloha Through Saying Goodbye
Lien on Me
Hawaii Family Forum Legislative Week in Review
Planned Parenthood Hawaii Begins Promoting Sex-Change Telehealth
Hawaii Needs Constitutional Convention to Smash Administrative State
Shapiro: … For Democrats to understand how they got from those successes to today’s irrelevance, they should honestly look at how they morphed from purposeful rebels to an establishment consumed by pushing cumbersome rules for every little thing.
Too many rules that make it difficult to get anything done go against the grain of the independent streak that defines Americans. Intrusive bureaucracies created since the 1960s invited rebellion.
Democrats embraced rulemaking in a futile attempt to forever lock in the gains they made on the party’s core interests — equality, environmental protection, voting rights, strong unions, public health, humane immigration.
But as they’ve learned with horror the past six weeks, you can’t lock in anything forever in a system so dependent on unwritten norms and force-fed rules, which are being easily smashed by the sledgehammers of Trump and Elon Musk.
Even if the slow-moving courts and paralyzed Congress eventually block the administrative destruction, the damage already done to our federal institutions could take decades to repair.
Democrats should take note that the wrecking-ball approach doesn’t seem to be bothering swing voters who went with Trump partly out of disdain for the administrative state — at least not until their Social Security checks aren’t sent, their taxes get bollixed and their mail stops.
Hawaii Democrats feel comfortably safe, but they shouldn’t get too complacent. If the opposition gets its act together and an electorate tired of big pay raises for the rulers and zilch for the ruled says “yes” to a constitutional convention after 40 years of “no,” things could get interesting….
read … David Shapiro: Dems love making rules; Trump loves to break them | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Child Care Cost Pushes Parents out of Hawaii
SA: … When Valmoja, 29, transitioned from a part-time to full-time employment with the state Department of Education, her increased earnings led to a loss of eligibility for many benefits, including reduced-cost preschool and food assistance.
“My firstborn never went to preschool because I didn’t even think I could afford it,” she said. Determined to give her younger children access to early education programs, she enrolled them in Kama‘aina Kids, where tuition ranged from $1,500 to over $2,000 per month.
Initially, subsidies reduced her payments to $200 per child, but when an administrative error was corrected, she faced an $800 monthly expense and had to withdraw them from the program. She later enrolled her children at Na Maka Kindergarten Prep School, paying $600 per child with subsidies. But after taking the full-time job, her benefits decreased and she struggled to cover the costs. After three months, she had to withdraw her children again….
“We lived in low-income housing and our rent went up significantly, so we decided to move out into another rental. Having to pay for a preschool that is half of our rent as well is really hard,” she said. “I also couldn’t afford, shamefully, the school supplies, uniforms, backpacks. I tried to send them to kindergarten prep school, which I so wish I could afford until this day. It’s sad and it’s hard. I feel defeated. It totally sucks.”…
In 2023, center-based infant care in Hawaii averaged $22,585 per year, which is 18% of a married couple’s median income of $125,643, far exceeding the 7% threshold recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for affordable child care, according to Child Care Aware of America.
Single-parent families face even greater challenges, with infant care costs consuming approximately 52.5% of their median income….
Kane and her boyfriend have seriously considered moving out of state due to the high cost of living and the desire for better options for their children….
read … Parents seek flexibility in preschool subsidies | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
HB1494: There’s Still Time to Kill Aloha Stadium Boondoggle
SA: … Stanford Carr, a local developer leading a team tentatively selected in October to receive $350 million from the state to help build a stadium to be surrounded by new housing, entertainment and other facilities on 98 acres of state land where Aloha Stadium sits today, told the Senate Ways and Means Committee at a Feb. 26 hearing that much work remains preliminary because project agreements with state administrators are still being negotiated.
Such documents include a ground lease, a development agreement, an arrangement to share infrastructure costs, and a stadium operating agreement.
Carr said that producing more detailed plans and feasibility assessments will cost tens of millions of dollars and will proceed after agreements are finalized….
Carr and state administrators aim to finalize the agreements by June 30, or possibly earlier….
At this earlier hearing, Carr said there were a lot of project feasibility shortfalls. At one point, in response to a question about what would happen without the casino bill passing, he said, “Realistically we would be pencils down and walk away from the project.”
At the more recent hearing, Carr restated his view to say the casino bill, which did not advance, would have provided a jolt of adrenaline for surrounding real estate development that helps support the project’s centerpiece that is expected to have more operating expenses than revenue.
“A stadium is a black hole,” he said. “It’s like owning a boat.”
Profits from real estate development surrounding a new stadium are intended to provide a financial return for the development team’s investment in a new stadium and support long-term operations and maintenance.
Development around a new stadium is expected to be done in four phases over 25 to 30 years, Carr said.
The development team also has the potential to receive sponsorship revenue, which could be tied to a name for a new stadium, that helps offset stadium development or operating costs.
Sen. Donna Kim (D, Kalihi-Fort Shafter-Red Hill) questioned the viability of a $650 million stadium, which Morioka called aspirational, given that the development team needs to potentially raise over $200 million just to build a basic $450 million stadium.
“It’s clear that the Legislature provided $350 million, and yet you folks are going beyond that, which is aspirational. But is the aspirational going to eventually derail this whole project after all of this time?” she said. “That’s what it seems like.
“You’re pulling at straws like a casino,” Kim continued. “You’re going to get more money here, get more money there. But I think the reality has got to be, can you build us a $350 million stadium?”
Morioka said the basic stadium and more aspirational version are both being explored at what is still a relatively early stage….
MEANWHILE: HB1494: ‘Stop all Procurement’ for Aloha Stadium Boondoggle
HB1494: Text, Status (Crossed over to Senate, double referral.)
read … Oahu developer mulls design, funding options for Aloha Stadium
Bills To Loosen The Grip Of Special Interests Are Still Alive — So Far
CB: … Three measures to finally upgrade Hawaiʻi’s public campaign financing survived crossover at the Legislature ….
read … Bills To Loosen The Grip Of Special Interests Are Still Alive — So Far
Make Spot The Robot Dog Earn Its Keep
Cataluna: … In 2021, HPD proudly introduced its new robot dog, named Spot, designed and sold by Boston Dynamics. From the overhype tone of that first press conference, it was clear it was just a matter of time before the uselessness of the expensive purchase was going to become painfully obvious….
read … Lee Cataluna: Make Spot The Robot Dog Earn Its Keep - Honolulu Civil Beat
OHA home ownership program attracts interest
SA: … The Access to Home Ownership program, or AHO, launched Feb. 20 and is currently in its initial phase, according to OHA spokesperson Bill Brennan. The pilot program will use $1.5 million to cover a portion of home loans to eligible borrowers with financing by American Savings Bank.
The loan guarantee would eliminate monthly mortgage insurance premiums typically required for mortgages with low downpayments, according to an OHA news release. Other benefits include a low downpayment option and a below-market interest rate.
In order to be eligible for the AHO program, applicants must be a Hawaii resident and verified through OHA’s Hawaiian Registry Program. The program also is limited to first-time home buyers who will be using the home as their primary residence.
Applications will be received on a rolling basis and will be open as long as AHO program funds are available, according to the release.
As of Tuesday, there were 138 applicants for the program, including 91 on Oahu, 19 on Maui, seven on Kauai, 19 on Hawaii island and two on Molokai, according to Brennan.
In the first week of launching, the AHO program received approximately 240 inquiries and has been averaging about 20 inquiries per day since then, Brennan said. In addition, the AHO page on the OHA website received about 865 visits in its second week.
Brennan stressed that since the program is new, patience is required in seeing just how effective it will be in making home ownership more feasible for potential home buyers.
(CLUE: “Friends and family program.”)
read … OHA home ownership program attracts interest | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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