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First Read: Maui council committee approves bill to phase out vacation rentals -- ‘with reservations’
MN: … Two members of the Council’s majority — Chair Alice Lee (with reservations) and Council Member Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins — voted “aye” along with minority members Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, Tamara Paltin, Shane Sinenci and Gabe Johnson. Committee Chair Tasha Kama and Council Members Yuki Lei Sugimura and Tom Cook voted “no.”…
Before the committee’s final vote, committee members each took a couple of minutes to explain their votes for or against passage of Bill 9, as amended. The bill anticipates the creation of a temporary investigative group to address problems with the measure as they arise.
Cook did not support the bill, saying he supports housing for residents, but expressing concern for those whose livelihoods are tied to vacation rentals.
In its final committee version, the bill “didn’t end up with enough tools” to provide a clear path forward for property owners to seek a change of zoning, Cook said. The measure doesn’t have “actionable” procedures for rezoning or obtaining conditional use permits.
“Right now, today, a lot of people, this bill has lit the fuse for the next five years,” he said. “They can keep doing what they’re doing and then they’re going to lose the right to use a property like that.”
Sugimura expressed disappointment that the majority of council members did not support amendments, proposed and then withdrawn by Cook. One of his proposed amendments would have excluded properties in resort and shoreline areas and those that received County approvals for transient vacation rental use.
Lee, who voted “aye” with reservations, called the bill “half-baked,” and said it was “hastily put together by a lot of inexperienced people.” She raised concerns about unaddressed impacts and the unlikelihood of a quick zoning change process.
“There’s no clear path forward, and we know that it would take a miracle to expedite the change in zoning process,” she said. “We have projects that we’re dealing with that have been in the process for over 15, 16 years for a change in zoning. So let’s not fool the people out there. We have to come up with something substantive and concrete.” …
Uʻu-Hodgins acknowledged the likelihood of legal challenges: “I do know and understand that we’re probably gonna get sued, so best of luck to you folks and best of luck to all of us.”
Earlier, she expressed frustration with trying to make sense of Bill 9.
“That is, how it’s going to be actually applied and not just in theory, which is what I think we got,” she said..”We got a bill that’s gonna operate in theory. In theory, this is gonna provide housing. And in theory, this is gonna work. And I’m supportive of that concept and I’m supportive of that theory. But what I wanted to see from you folks was all the other tools that you said belong in the toolbox, that this is just one tool.”
Uʻu-Hodgins said she hoped the creation of the temporary investigative group would “figure out all the nitty gritty and how this is really going to help our people. I feel like we’re doing it backwards, so that part makes me slightly uncomfortable.”…
On Wednesday, committee members asked numerous questions about the bill and its implications for Maui County’s housing shortage, economy, jobs and tax revenue. The panel came of short of completing its work Wednesday. On Thursday, the committee also spent time consulting with county attorneys in a closed executive session.
With the numerous questions asked Wednesday, it wasn’t clear which way the full committee would vote ultimately.
“There’s a lot of questions that are being asked,” Rawlins-Fernandez said Wednesday afternoon, with the Council Chambers gallery dotted with an audience wearing red “Lahaina Strong” T-shirts. “Really, a lot of people took off from work (selling meth) to be here, and I feel like it’s disrespecting everyone’s time to be going down all these different rabbit holes that aren’t really relevant to Bill 9.”
Later, she said: “At this point, it feels really like just stalling, and I really want us to just get on with it.”
Kama indicated that she had wanted to give council members the opportunity to “exhaust” all their questions from administration and other resources before beginning deliberations on the bill itself….
Read … Update: Council committee votes 6-3 to approve vacation rental phase-out bill : Maui Now
Meth, Tats, and Murder: Gang Controls Guards at OCCC
CB: … Four inmates were packed into Cell 201 in the gang module of Hawaiʻi’s largest jail, and some of them were angry. For days, cellmate Chris Vaefaga had been deep in a methamphetamine binge, and he wasn’t showering. He had also urinated on himself.
Nobody talked to corrections officers about the problem. Involving the guards was forbidden in that part of the jail. Instead, one of Vaefaga’s cellmates approached a leader of the prison gang known as Murder Inc., told him what was happening, and asked to be moved.
The response was quick and ferocious. Within the hour, Aaron “Rona” Tuitelapaga and his brother, Bronson Tuitelelepaga, entered the cell with a crew of accomplices and attacked Vaefaga, according to grand jury testimony in the case.
Vaefaga screamed for help as his attackers beat him and stomped on his head, but jail staff did not intervene. Inmate witnesses said his face was battered and he was “bleeding all over the place.”
Reputed gang enforcer Manu Sorensen then summoned another inmate with a tattoo machine and used it to cover Vaefaga’s “patch,” a gang symbol tattooed on his neck that identified him as a member, according to court records….
Vaefaga, 36, died later that day of blunt force head trauma that caused bleeding in his brain, but remained on his bunk for hours after his death. Another inmate finally used a contraband cellphone to text a woman on the outside, instructing her to call the jail and tell the staff about Vaefaga’s death….
Subia also said nationally accepted correctional protocols prohibit inmates from entering each other’s cells, yet inmates in the OCCC case reported gang leaders actually assigned inmates to cells in Module 13, and moved them as needed.
On the day of the attack, gang leaders instructed a prisoner to clear out of Vaefaga’s cell after the beating, and assigned a gang member to move in to ensure Vaefaga did not report the attack, according to court records….
Lea Lani Kinikini said the system has not done enough to protect her brother, and the influence of the gangs — particularly the gang known as Murder Inc. or Westside — has been rapidly growing inside the system.
“This whole thing has made visible what is going on at OCCC, which in my brother’s view is the gang is controlling the ACOs,” she said, referring to adult correctional officers. “They’re influencing movements, and that’s why he hasn’t felt safe.”
“It’s an institution that has been captured,” she said….
Those details of the killing on July 6, 2023, at the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center are emerging in grand jury testimony and pretrial motions for the trial scheduled to begin Monday of Sorensen, Aaron Tuitelapaga and Bronson Tuitelelepaga, who are each charged with manslaughter (the two brothers spell their last names differently).
The case has provided a rare glimpse of the control exercised by gangs in parts of Hawaiʻi’s prisons and jails…
Read … Oʻahu Jail Killing Shines A Light On Prison Gang Mayhem - Honolulu Civil Beat
Media executives, police chief spar over access to scanners
HNN: … The Honolulu City Council is trying to pressure the Honolulu Police Department to release more information about emergencies and criminal activity.
Television executives told the council’s Public Safety Committee Thursday that delayed and incomplete updates from HPD make it harder to keep people safe.
But interim Chief Rade Vanic seems adamant that he won’t let broadcasters listen to police radio scanners.
“We want to be good partners with them,” Vanic said. “That’s my position, and that will continue to be my position as long as I’m in this position.” …
Vanic said the department was beefing up its information and communications staff, and pointed to email media alerts and posted dispatch logs.
But television executives say the alerts are delayed, vague and often incomplete.
KHON general manager Kristina Lockwood said the July alerts did not include the evacuations due to the Maili wildfire and an incident that closed down a freeway.
“The information we’re getting from HPD is limited,” she said. “It’s in pieces. It’s not consistent. And so, we want more, and having access to the police scanners would allow us that.” …
Read … Media executives, police chief spar over access to scanners
Hawaiʻi crisis: State ranks highest for unsheltered, homeless youth
KHON: … “A high share of youth who are not working, not getting education and generally stagnating in life can spell trouble for the future,” said Chip Lupo, an analyst for the report.
Hawaiʻi had the fifth-lowest youth labor force participation rate in the U.S. That means fewer young people are working or actively looking for work in our state. Hawaiʻi ranked 20th in education and employment combined to place us above average in that category.
Still, there was one area where Hawaiʻi led the country: the percentage of youth without a high school diploma. Hawaiʻi ranked 51st in that category, the lowest in the U.S. That means we had the smallest share of youth lacking a high school diploma.
Hawaiʻi placed 46th in health, one of its weakest areas in the overall rankings. Health indicators included youth obesity, drug use and other physical and social health risks. The state’s low ranking suggests major challenges remain in supporting youth health and well-being.
Despite having one of the lowest youth poverty rates in the U.S. — we were ranked 48th — Hawaiʻi still faced severe issues with homelessness and youth health that really brings down our ranking….
LINK: STUDY
Read … Hawaii crisis: State ranks highest for unsheltered, homeless youth
Alarming increase in Honolulu police shootings
KITV: … It's a grim situation Kekoa Carvalho knows all too well.
"I was high. I was drunk, you know, I was suffering a lot mentally," Carvalho said. "And I made a decision where I was in the middle of road in my boxers five o'clock in the morning, calling out somebody, you know what I mean, and sheriffs all coming to my house. It was crazy."
He was one of the fortunate ones to survive.
"I lost friends, I lost homies, I lost family members that is lost like that," Carvalho said. "They're reacting off what they think at that moment what is the best thing to do because of their feeling, their emotions, you know, making impulsive decisions."
Nov 2023: TOMMY KEKOA CARVALHO INDICTED FOR MURDER OF STATE HOSPITAL NURSE
Read … Alarming increase in Honolulu police shootings | News | kitv.com
Hawaiʻi ranks as 7th most dangerous US state for motorcycle riders
MN: … Hawaiʻi shows a motorcycle fatality rate of 106.93 deaths per 100,000 registered motorcycles, making it the most dangerous state in the Pacific region. The Aloha State’s rate is over 16 times higher than the safest state, Montana (6.61). Hawaiʻi stands as the only Pacific state in the top 15 most dangerous rankings….
Read … Hawaiʻi ranks as 7th most dangerous US state for motorcycle riders : Maui Now
Crucial Insurance Deadline Looms In Two Weeks For Maui Fire Victims
CB: … Homeowners and renters with property lost or damaged in the 2023 wildfires risk losing key insurance benefits if they miss Aug. 8 deadline to file claims or request extensions…
Read … Crucial Insurance Deadline Looms In Two Weeks For Maui Fire Victims - Honolulu Civil Beat
Lawsuit Claims Housing Authority Broke Promises To Displaced Tenants
CB: … The two remaining tenants at a Kalihi public housing complex slated for demolition, facing eviction, are alleging in a lawsuit that the Hawaiʻi Public Housing Authority and its executive director did not help them find comparable housing to move to as the law requires….
SA: KPT tenants sue to smooth relocations during $212M renovation
Read … Lawsuit Claims Housing Authority Broke Promises To Displaced Tenants
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