October 26, 2025 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Sunday, October 26, 2025

October 26, 2025 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 3:34 PM :: 796 Views

Spend That Money, Vought Is Watching

Honolulu’s “No Firearms” Transit Signs Are Misleading

Kamehameha Schools Admissions Policy: Political, not Racial

SA: … KS does not practice “affirmative action.” The school serves those of Native Hawaiian ancestry because they are a specific political class — descendants of those who lived on and held sovereignty over these islands long before the arrival of Americans. …

While past defenses citing racial injustice, which certainly exists, have been powerful, this seems to hold no sway with the current Supreme Court.

Today, KS’ argument must be that Native Hawaiians are part of a political class, due to Hawaiians’ historic sovereign status: They belong to a nation usurped without the consent of the Hawaiian people.

Kamehameha Schools was founded in 1887, six full years before the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom. As she observed the shifting trends in land ownership and power within the islands, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, a descendent of the Kamehameha royal line, founded the trust to ensure that Native Hawaiian children would have access to a quality education.

Eleven years after the trust and school were founded, the then-Republic of Hawaii was annexed as an American territory. However, the trust’s legacy wealth and land holdings were not seized, and the autonomy of Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate was preserved. This vestige and manifestation of sovereignty is the legal basis for KS’ continued legacy operations.

Contrary to SFFA’s claim that KS’ preference for students of Hawaiian ancestry is “discriminatory” and “unlawful,” the institution serves Hawaiian students not because of their race, but as descendants of those who were citizens of a pre-overthrow, pre-annexation nation. To ignore this and characterize the aims of the school as exclusionary is a misrepresentation.

As Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee and Kamehameha Schools graduate Brickwood Galuteria states, “This is not ‘affirmative action.’ It is an act of indigenous equity — rooted in Hawaii’s unique constitutional and legal recognition of Native Hawaiians as the indigenous people of this land.” …

G: A Hawaiian princess bequeathed her inheritance to her people. The schools they set up are being sued | Hawaii | The Guardian

read … Editorial: Kamehameha’s admission policy must be defended | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Lahaina Rep Elle Cochran AWOL: Missed 1,202 Votes At The Hawaiʻi Legislature

CB: ... Maui Rep. Elle Cochran was pretty much a no-show last session, missing 51 of 60 floor sessions. What Digital Democracy tells us is when you add in her committee meetings, she missed 1,202 votes — almost twice as many as the No. 2 non-voter. … She did not respond to a request for comment this week.

She continued to receive the same $225 per diem paid to all neighbor island legislators, as required by state law, including others who stayed away from the State Capitol and missed numerous votes.

While Cochran, a Democrat, was the runaway leader in missed votes, five of the top 10 were Republicans, even though they hold only 12 of 76 legislative seats.

That may be because for every that bill reaches conference committee, one Republican is assigned to that committee. And since there are so few minority party lawmakers, they end up on an inordinate amount of conference committees.

GOP Sen. Kurt Fevella, for instance, was assigned to 201 conference committees last session. He was No. 3 on the list with 391 missed votes….

Speaker Nadine Nakamura didn’t miss a vote, and neither did last session’s money chairs, Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz and Rep. Kyle Yamashita, neither of whom serve on any other committee. Senate President Ron Kouchi, however, managed to miss 14. which kept him off the Top 10 List for steady voting….

read … Perfect Attendance To AWOL: Missed Votes At The Hawaiʻi Legislature - Honolulu Civil Beat

Still Haven’t Learned: Hawaii Democratic Party wants Special Session to Protect Trannies

CB: … Hawaiʻi Democrats are urging state officials to hold a special session next month to protect ~~families from immigration raids and to ensure access to reproductive and~~ transgender health care. The State Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, which includes nearly 100 party leaders from across the state, voted Oct. 11 in favor of the resolution.

(TRANSLATION: We still haven’t learned why we lost to Donald J Trump.)

“This resolution represents the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi’s commitment to openness, fairness, and compassion,” according to a press release. “Every ~~person from immigrant families to those~~ (tranny) seeking essential medical care should feel safe, and supported by our communities.”…

Copies of the resolution (the full text can be viewed here) were sent to the four members of Hawaiʻi’s congressional delegation, the governor, state House and Senate leaders, and the mayors, councils and police chiefs of all four counties. No word yet on whether the governor or the Legislature will actually call for a special session….

PDF: Safeguard Reproductive and Transgender Health Care

FLASHBACK: "Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you"

WIKI: Kamala is for they/them -- According to an analysis by Future Forward, the Kamala Harris campaign's main Super PAC, "Kamala is for they/them" was one of Trump's most effective 30-second attack ads, shifting the race 2.7 percentage points in favor of Trump after viewers watched it.

MI: Why Are Fewer Young People Identifying as Trans?

NW: AOC Removes Pronouns From X Bio: What We Know - Newsweek

read … The Sunshine Blog: The Public Wins A Couple Of Rounds - Honolulu Civil Beat

69% Of Hawaii Drownings Are Visitors As Maui Rate Doubles

BH: … Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death for Hawaii visitors. From 2020 through 2024, 97 people drowned on Maui compared with 183 on Oahu, 42 on Hawaii Island, and 40 on Kauai. Adjusted for the population, Maui’s rate is more than double Oahu’s….

Despite the high rate of drownings, Maui County still operates only a dozen towers along its iconic coastline. A lifeguard tower planned for Black Rock near the Sheraton Maui Resort has been delayed since 2019. County officials say construction could begin in 2026, while everyone is asking what could have taken this long. In the meantime, the beach continues to experience repeated incidents….

MN: County Council to look at Maui’s high drowning rate | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News

read … 69% Of Hawaii Drownings Are Visitors As Maui Rate Doubles - Beat of Hawaii

Task force aims at permitting reform

SA: … Three House-led committees comprising state and county governments, private developers and environmental interests, among others, face tight December deadlines to make recommendations before the start of the legislative session in January on complex issues to spur economic development across the state regarding permitting, cesspool conversions and historic preservation regulations.

The issues have challenged county and state governments sometimes for decades, but a new law signed in May by Gov. Josh Green allows for the committees to meet in private and bring together sometimes competing groups such as private companies, environmentalists and historic preservationists to come up with short-, medium- and long-term solutions.

The permitted, interactive groups — known as PIGs — allow for private, hours-long discussions that have given different sides the time to hear various perspectives that have so far been productive, said state Rep. Susan Keohokapu-Lee Loy (D, Hilo), who chairs the 17-member, Building Permit Permitted Interaction Group….

Rep. Greggor Ilagan (D, Hawaiian Paradise Park-Hawaiian Beaches-Leilani Estates) chairs the House Economic Development and Technology Committee and now chairs the new Simplifying Permitting for Enhanced Economic Development (SPEED) Task Force that oversees all three committees.

Each of the committees’ recommendations will be made public in December and people will be able to weigh in before the task force makes its final recommendations before the upcoming legislative session begins in January, Ilagan said.

In the public hearings, Ilagan said, “we’re going to discuss, debate and vote on the recommendations toward the overall goal to simplify the permitting process to make it easier for the community.

“We want to make it easier to do business in Hawaii and change that climate for residential permitting and commercial permitting,” Ilagan said….

read … Task force aims at permitting reform | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Green Most Popular Democrat Governor in USA

Borreca: … Green recently said Hawaii is in a “mild recession” because tourism, the state’s major industry, along with rising inflation and the impact of U.S. trade policies and tariffs, are hurting local economic projections.

The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) says those estimates could slow job growth as costs for consumers increase with low-income households taking most of the brunt of the decline. Economists say the construction sector remains a source of strength….

The MorningConsult survey adds that, “For the first time since late 2023, Josh Green of Hawaii is the most popular Democratic governor in the country, edging out Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Ned Lamont of Connecticut and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who all join him in the top 10.”

While Green is proud of his ranking, he noted in an interview with me that Hawaii fits into the national political picture.

“It is a very delicate situation, to say the least, but I am told that Hawaii is considered important to the administration and our leadership team is respected in D.C. Big issues on the near horizon include the military land leases and a major benefits package for Hawaii if they choose to condemn any land for national security reasons, health care funding and energy support,” Green said….

read … On Politics: Gov. Green goes to Washington over military, health, energy | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Development in Ala Moana-Kapiolani corridor stalls

SA: … What had been one of urban Honolulu’s hottest spots for condominium tower construction in recent years, an Ala Moana transit-oriented development zone, has become pretty cold.

For the first time in about a decade, construction cranes helping put up new high-rise buildings no longer stand in the area, after the most recent addition to the district — a two-tower complex called The Park on Keeaumoku — opened in September.

…at least six high-rise projects, most of which received city development approvals in recent years, have been stalled….

Allen Leong, a KCR representative, said the project was put on hold because of high interest rates deterring homebuyers and uncertain construction costs threatened by federal tariffs on foreign materials….

The Park on Keeaumoku, which opened in September after launching sales in 2021, has about 150 unsold units among 972 units in the two towers, at prices from $349,147 to $1.6 million….

read … Development in Ala Moana-Kapiolani corridor stalls | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Rail: An elevated trip to bankruptcy

SA: … And if you believe me, that makes one of us. …

If not setting up for us, then for our kids, and if not for them, then for their kids and, if not for them … well, for somebody, someday, hopefully….

An elevated trip to bankruptcy….

Yep, a sustainable hole to dump our tax money in….

Said he with a humorless straight face….

read … Volcanic Ash: Rail’s sustainable legacy is an endless supply of one-liners | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Hawaii Pro Golf Tour Events Drying Up

SA: … At one point in the 1990s, the state hosted 11 pro tour events a year on four islands — all televised.

Now it is down to four, or three, depending on if you include The Sentry, which the PGA Tour said last month will not be held at Kapalua because of the course’s condition due to an ongoing drought on Maui and conflicts over available water.

Why does this matter to the rest of us, whether we love golf or not?

That’s the one easy answer in a scenario otherwise bereft of them. When we talk about golf and Hawaii, we are talking billions of dollars — $3.4 billion a year.

The golf industry makes an annual direct economic impact of $1.8 billion, as well as $1.6 billion “from indirect economic impact from core industries,” according to the 2024 Hawaii Golf Economic Impact Report, prepared by the Aloha Section PGA of America, and verified by the state’s Department of Business and Economic Development and Tourism….

read … Rolfing calls losing Sentry ‘dire’ to future of golf in Hawaii | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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