Residential electric bills in Hawaii and Connecticut are twice those in New Mexico, Utah
Legislature Delivers Progress for Housing
BWS Approves Kalaeloa Desalination Plant
20 Year Sentence? Federal trial begins in Affordable Housing Scam
HTH: … A federal trial is set to start today for two Hilo attorneys accused of receiving Hawaii County affordable housing credits and land conveyances worth at least $10.98 million, with no intention of developing affordable housing.
A flurry of last-minute motions heard Monday delayed jury selection to today for the trial of attorneys Paul Sulla Jr., 78, and Gary Zamber, 55 — along with 64-year-old businessman Rajesh Budhabhatti — in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Jill Otake in Honolulu….
Alan Scott Rudo — a former housing specialist in the county Office of Housing and Community Development from 2006 to 2018 — pleaded guilty in August 2022 to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud by awarding affordable housing credits to false limited liability companies established by the alleged co-conspirators, and then selling those credits to other developers for a profit.
Rudo’s alleged share of that profit was at least $1.8 million. As part of his guilty plea, Rudo agreed to forfeit his interest in the recovered funds and housing credits, in addition to real estate connected to the charges. He also has agreed to a monetary judgment of more than $2.1 million against him.
According to court documents and information presented in court, Rudo solicited and accepted multiple bribes and kickbacks from Sulla, Zamber and Budhabhatti while working for the OHCD.
Sentencing for Rudo, who agreed to testify for the prosecution, has been delayed numerous times. He’s now scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 13 before Otake….
Conspiracy and committing honest services wire fraud carry a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment for each offense and a fine of $250,000 upon conviction.
Money laundering carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, which prosecutors say is more than $1 million….
BACKGROUND:
read ... Federal trial begins for men accused of housing credits scam - Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Governor says feds could seize military training grounds in Hawaii
HNN: … Gov. Josh Green began laying out his wish list for negotiations over military training lands after the state land board Friday rejected the final environmental impact statement for the huge Army lease at Pohakuloa.
But the governor said the negotiations are sensitive and military could seize the lands it thinks it needs.
Rejection of the Pohakuloa EIS did not formally end the Army’s effort to get a new lease. Its current 23,000-acre lease has four years left.
After the land board rejection, the Army is willing to negotiate and, on Hawaii News Now Sunrise Monday morning, the governor says he sees opportunities.
But he also says the Army still has a lot of leverage.
“Now we have to be aware that the federal government could use nuclear options on us and actually seize land,” he said. “And so, we’re going to always try to avoid that. I don’t think anybody wants that.” ….
Hawaii’s congressional delegation Friday night issued a joint release calling for a compromise: “We believe there can be a path forward that accounts for the critical importance of Hawaii’s role in our country’s national security strategy and fundamentally respects and responds to the needs of the people of Hawaii.”…
The governor said negotiations have already been ongoing. Not only was the rejection of Pohakuloa’s EIS expected, but those for state leases at Makua, Kahuku and Poamoho are also coming up….
NR: Governor Josh Green, M.D. | Office of the Governor – Statement – BLNR ruling on Pōhakuloa Training Area
read … Governor says feds could seize military training grounds in Hawaii
Crunch Time: Bills Die as Clock Ticks (again)
SA: … At about 6:10 p.m., 20 minutes before the extended deadline, Kila and Lee were outside conference Room 225 huddling with House Finance Committee Chair Rep. Kyle Yamashita.
Back in the conference room at 6:21 p.m., Lee got up from the table and said, “Sorry, I gotta go,” as he hustled off to vote on another bill in a different room, promising to be back.
Precious time ticked off the clock.
“Two minutes,” someone in the room exclaimed, prompting Kila to declare, “Two-minute warning.”
Moments later, Rep. Chris Muraoka chimed in, “We got one minute.”
At 6:29 p.m., with Lee back in the room, Kila reconvened the meeting on the transportation bills to take up HB 960 related to harbor improvements. Kila began reading the agreed-upon material language for the CD 1 and a half minute or so after the deadline, Lee interrupted and said, “That sounds good. Take the vote right now.”
HB 960 was recorded as making the cut despite voting after the deadline based on legislative timekeeping.
After the vote, Kila asked Lee if there were any other bills on their list that could be put to a vote.
“Oh, sure,” Lee replied. “How much time we got?”
Kila proceeded to take up HB 697, the speeding-camera expansion legislation, and committee members voted 4-0 on the House side and 3-0 on the Senate side to approve a CD 1 at about 6:34 p.m. Kila later said he didn’t realize the deadline had slipped by. The bill was not allowed to advance.
House Speaker Nakamura said in a statement that in order for a bill to proceed out of a conference committee, it needs to be voted on prior to the deadline.
“Deadlines are necessary for the legislative process to ensure passage of timely legislation, prudent allocation of resources, and structured administration,” she said.
Still, some lawmakers scrambled several minutes after 6:30 p.m. in a fruitless effort to position bills for final votes before this year’s session adjourned.
“We have a bill,” declared Sen. Stanley Chang at about 6:35 p.m. in Room 225 after voting on SB 26, related to affordable housing. Two minutes later, Chang repeated the exercise for SB 1229, also related to affordable housing. Neither bill was deemed to have met the deadline.
Kouchi did not respond to a request to comment on the extended deadline and whether consideration was given to a second extension.
read … It was crunch time again at the Legislature | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Miske Family Schemes to Grab Illicit Fortune
HNN: … Miske’s 9-year old granddaughter has come forward through a guardian, her maternal grandfather….
ILind: The Miske case is winding down but not yet over
read … Mike Miske’s 9-year-old granddaughter part of legal battle over his fortune
Will You be Fooled? Fake ‘Water Shortage’ Latest Trick to Keep Lahaina Fire Victims from Rebuilding
MN: … A resolution to look at imposing a moratorium on issuing permits for new private swimming pools in West Maui is scheduled to be heard Friday at the Maui County Council.
(The purpose is to use the fake ‘water shortage’ to block fire victims from rebuilding and to block construction of affordable rental units.)
The public meeting will take place at the Kalana O Maui Building in Wailuku at 9 a.m. Friday.
(Will you be fooled?)
According to Maui County Council, supplying water to support stable housing for West Maui residents is an urgent priority and a private swimming pool is an amenity that requires a large quantity of potable water without serving any essential housing needs. In addition, the West Maui community has access to public swimming pools and beaches for recreation and exercise.
(The purpose is to use the fake ‘water shortage’ to block fire victims from rebuilding and to block construction of affordable rental units.)
County Council member Tamara Paltin introduced the resolution. She said she’s asking for the interim measure in light of the state Commission on Water Resource Management beginning to oversee the allocation of water resources in West Maui.
(The purpose is to use the fake ‘water shortage’ to block fire victims from rebuilding and to block construction of affordable rental units.)
Paltin, who represents West Maui, said that during a state Commission on Water Resource Management meeting on Maui, the issue of whether to allow swimming pools in West Maui came up many times….
(The purpose is to use the fake ‘water shortage’ to block fire victims from rebuilding and to block construction of affordable rental units.)
There appears to be some questions about the Department of Water Supply saying individual pools have a proportionally minor impact on the amount of water available for affordable housing. In an April 15, 2025 letter, department director John Stufflebean said 32 average-sized pools would use about the same amount of water as a typical single-family dwelling….
(Oooops! Don’t let a few facts get in the way of an agenda.)
read … Maui County Council to consider moratorium on private swim pools in West Maui
Honolulu Can Fine Airbnb, Vrbo for Illegal Vacation Rentals. It Never Has
CB: … Like other tourist destinations, Honolulu passed a law to hold booking platforms accountable for illegal listings. But the city hasn’t cited any company….
Takeuchi Apuna acknowledged that it’s challenging to combat illegal vacation rentals. But she contended that the law holding platforms accountable wouldn’t help much.
To find illegal listings, the permitting department uses software to track registrations and scan booking websites. When it finds one, the department asks the operator to remove it. If that doesn’t work, the department asks the booking platform to do so.
Yet the city has asked companies such as Airbnb to remove listings only about a dozen times, starting last year. The removal requests include a listing at 2154 Auli’i Street that has racked up almost a million dollars in fines since 2021; the city is now on track to try to seize the property to collect those fines.
Takeuchi Apuna said that with dozens of platforms available, including some catering to niche travelers, a scofflaw can simply list a rental somewhere else if a platform removes their listing. Despite having the power to penalize platforms, she said, “We believe that we will be more effective if we partner with them rather than enforce against them.”
Takeuchi Apuna said the city has been slow to crack down on short-term rentals because there are just two full-time short-term rental investigators and because the department has had to improve the software that matches rental listings and registered units. The department also had to rewrite its rules on short-term rentals after the City Council streamlined registration last year. …
read … Honolulu Can Fine Airbnb, Vrbo for Illegal Vacation Rentals. It Never Has
ACLU: Keep Mentally Ill Homeless on the Streets
CB: … (Skip six useless paragraphs blaming Trump for mentally ill homeless in a desperate effort to politicize homelessness.) .…
… Senate Bill 1322, which recently passed the Legislature and has been enrolled to Gov. Josh Green, risks mirroring at the local level what has been brewing in the federal sphere.
(TRANSLATION: Look! Trump! Looook!)
Proponents have framed SB1322 as a “housekeeping” measure. In truth, the bill loosens guardrails to detain, hospitalize, and medicate individuals against their will.
(The ACLU’s deinstitutionalization program ended guardrails against medicating the mentally ill with street drugs. We now incarcerate them in a cardboard box that smells like piss. The addictive force of street drugs allows us to medicate them against their will without getting our precious little lawyer hands dirty.)
It allows extraordinary and potentially unconstitutional violations of autonomy without adequate due process safeguards or investments in housing and health care….
(TRANSLATION: SB1322 would stop us from obstructing efforts to treat the mentally ill.)
SA: Newsom urges cities to ban homeless camps across California | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
read … Don’t Loosen Guardrails On Hospitalizing Individuals Against Their Will - Honolulu Civil Beat
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