VIDEO: Rep Elle Cochran Calls for Trump Administration to Investigate Lahaina Corruption
Hawaii’s energy future: Red tape is in the way
Mystery: Is Kouchi Really Planning to Retire from Senate?
CB: … “It’s very clear (Kawakami) wants to be governor or lieutenant governor,” University of Hawaiʻi political scientist Colin Moore said, “but if Ron Kouchi is actually going to retire, then I think (State Senate) would be a logical place for (Kawakami) to stay for a while and wait it out.”
Last year Kouchi held a pricey Honolulu fundraiser for Kawakami at The Pacific Club with $1,350-a-head tickets. In advance of the event, Kawakami declared his intent to run for Kauaʻi’s only Senate seat.
Kouchi, who has held that seat since 2012, said he agreed to support Kawakami’s bid for his office since campaign finance rules required Kawakami to declare candidacy for a specific office before he could fundraise. But Kouchi said he never agreed to vacate the seat and he’s still weighing whether to seek reelection in 2026.
“It’s my hope that if I decide to run for reelection then he will pursue a different course of action,” Kouchi said, “but he has the right to do whatever he would like to do. But I told him I will certainly let him know when I decide.”
Kawakami, for his part, said he “would never” run against Kouchi.
“Our families are very close,” he said. “I consider him a mentor.”
As Senate president, Kouchi holds an influential role in state politics. The talk in Kauaʻi political circles is that many people on the Garden Isle would be disappointed to see him retire while he presides over the Senate with the power to cast tie-breaking votes.
“From the standpoint of wanting to ensure that my island has the best chance and the most opportunities for our community,” former Kauaʻi Councilman Mason Chock said, “it’s important that he stays in that seat as long as he can.”
Kouchi’s looming decision could also drive the candidate field for the Kauaʻi mayoral race.
Chock, the highest vote-getter in Kauaʻi council history, has begun putting out feelers for a potential campaign in 2026. He said he has not ruled out a run for Kauaʻi’s only state Senate seat. He’s also contemplating a bid for Kauaʻi mayor.
The Kauaʻi mayor’s race is on track to be a showdown between Bernard Carvalho, the longest-serving mayor in Kauaʻi history, and Mel Rapozo, a retired Kauaʻi police officer. Both of them are longtime public servants who represent Kauaʻi’s more conservative old guard. Both are also currently serving on the Kauaʻi County Council.
Candidate filing doesn’t begin until February ….
read … Could Kauaʻi’s Mayor Ride Wave Of Strong Fundraising To Statewide Office? - Honolulu Civil Beat
How Much Say Should Gays Have Over What Your Kids Learn In Public Schools?
CB: … A century ago, the Supreme Court handed down one of its most important cases about education. On June 1, 1925, the court struck down an Oregon statute requiring all students to attend public school – a law critics argued was meant to limit faith-based schools, at a time when anti-Catholic bias was still common in parts of the United States.
The majority opinion in Pierce v. Society of Sisters of the Holy Name of Jesus and Mary included a now-famous dictum about parents’ rights to shape their children’s upbringing. According to the court, “the child is not the mere creature of the state; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations.”
Soon, the Supreme Court is expected to release another decision around parental beliefs and education: Mahmoud v. Taylor. The plaintiffs are parents who want to excuse their children from public school lessons involving storybooks with LGBTQ+ characters – lessons they assert contradict their religious beliefs….
Mahmoud raises questions not only about religious freedom, but also about educators’ (gays) ability to determine curricula, and public education in a pluralistic society….
read … How Much Say Should Parents Have Over What Their Kids Learn In Public Schools? –
Hawaii passes bill expanding insurer of last resort, revives hurricane fund
IBM: … A property insurance bill that reactivates the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund (HHRF) and expands the authority of the state’s insurer of last resort has been approved by the Hawaii Legislature and is awaiting the signature of Gov. Josh Green.
The governor recently signed a separate law extending notification periods for property insurance cancellations.
Senate Bill 1044 would extend the Hawaii Property Insurance Association’s capacity to write policies for certain properties struggling to secure coverage. Eligibility will be determined by either the association or the insurance commissioner.
The expansion is intended as a temporary measure and will be subject to a five-year limit. The legislation also requires the state’s insurance commissioner to study longer-term insurance solutions. …
KITV: New bill could offer insurance relief for Hawai‘i condo and homeowners | Business | kitv.com
NR: 2505078_ATG-Sixth-Proclamation-Relating-to-Condominium-Insurance-Stabilization.pdf
read … Hawaii passes bill expanding insurer of last resort, revives hurricane fund | Insurance Business America
Hawaii Expands Lobbying Law to Cover Procurement Activities
HK: … A bill recently signed into law by Hawaii Gov. Josh Green significantly expands the scope of the state's lobbying law to cover procurement activities. When the law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2027, its expanded scope will have significant implications for state contractors and companies seeking to do business with Hawaii governmental bodies.
H.B. 412 was introduced as part of a broader ethics reform package, which also included changes to the administrative enforcement process for violations of Hawaii ethics and lobbying laws and provisions related to campaign contributions by registered lobbyists. H.B. 412 includes three major changes to Hawaii state lobbying laws ….
read … State Lobbying Update: Hawaii Expands Lobbying Law to Cover Procurement Activities | Insights | Holland & Knight
City Attorney Delays Raise Price Tag In $3.25M UPW Garbage Settlement
CB: … A $3.2 million payout approved Wednesday by the nine-member Honolulu City Council resolves a total of 13 civil cases, grievances and claims from the UPW — one of which goes back to 2009. …
But that final payout includes tens of thousands of dollars in fees and fines the city accrued because officials repeatedly missed deadlines and payments, ignored subpoenas and failed to provide documents despite court and arbitrator orders to do so….
The dispute settlement process between the city and UPW requires grievances to be filed with the Hawaiʻi Labor Relations Board followed by arbitration.
The earliest grievance from 2009 ended up going through seven different rounds of arbitration.
In 2013, UPW said bulk item trash collectors had been improperly denied overtime, and overtime pay also underpinned a 2015 case involving green waste collectors.
The 2015 green waste collector overtime case was still being arbitrated in December 2018, when Honolulu arbitrator Thomas Cestare wrote, “this is not a complicated case and it should have been finished long ago. It’s simply madness to waste taxpayer money to continue in this fashion.”
Cestare did not conceal his frustration writing that the city “has failed to live up to its agreed upon obligation to timely respond to any of the various arbitration decisions or court orders.”
But it wasn’t over yet.
In November 2019, UPW obtained a judgment against the city and the parties were ordered to settle.
In September 2022, the union filed a motion to attempt to collect on the 2019 judgment that the city tried to quash.
But following the council decision Wednesday the saga may finally end, as long as $3.2 million is paid to UPW by 4 p.m. on June 13….
read … It's Your Money: City Attorney Delays Raise Price Tag In $3.25M Settlement - Honolulu Civil Beat
Man facing murder trial in death of daughter makes a plea offer
SA: … The man (HPD informant) whose murder trial in the 2021 death of his 18-month-old daughter, Kytana Ancog, had been set for June 16 has made a plea offer to the state.
Travis Rodrigues’ plea offer was mentioned during an Oahu Circuit Court hearing Wednesday to discuss trial setting. The state said it is still working on the offer, the court minutes say.
An offer had been submitted as early as January, and possibly earlier. Court minutes from a Jan. 3 hearing show the state acknowledged it had received an offer and is considering it, but informed the court it needs more time to see if the offer is viable….
2024: Lawsuit Exposing HPD Malfeasance in Kytana Ancog Murder: $250K settlement
read … Man facing murder trial in death of daughter makes a plea offer | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Schizo tweeker caught smuggling pound-quantities of meth into prison—2 dead
CB: … Patricia Fay West, 57, who pleaded guilty last month to two felony charges after she was found trying to bring more than 6 ounces of meth into the Saguaro facility last year. A search of her home later turned up more than 2 pounds of the drug, according to court records.
West’s defense said that in handing down a sentence, the court should weigh the fact that West has a well-documented history of mental illness and should not have been hired in the first place.
“There is significant mitigation in the fact that CoreCivic hired a person known to suffer from a schizoaffective disorder and other mental illnesses to work unsupervised, in close daily contact with some of the most dangerous inmates in the country,” the sentencing memo said.
(CLUE: We have only her word. And nothing says credibility like schizo tweeker.)
Prison operator CoreCivic on Friday denied West told the company about her mental illnesses, and Hawaiʻi Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Director Tommy Johnson said he doubts West would have been hired if she had disclosed her mental health history….
West’s arrest was made during a crackdown on drug smuggling after the deaths of two inmates were blamed on methamphetamine use.
She was stopped at Saguaro prison on June 20 when a drug-sniffing dog called attention to her car. Inspections of cars and people entering the prison were being done that day “due to a large influx of drugs entering the facility,” according to court records….
(Checking for contraband! What a great idea. We should try that in Hawaii some day.)
read … Prison Meth Smuggling Case Raises Questions About Hiring - Honolulu Civil Beat
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