Tax Cuts: Pause versus Stop

Legislators should cut budget, not hike taxes

Grassroot keeps close tab on legislative session

'There’s no such thing as a free lunch'

More local food starts with housing

Firearm Instructors: HPD’s Hidden Secret?

Pentagon Reevaluates HPU Tuition in Crackdown on Academic Wokeism

Hawaii Congressional Delegation How They Voted February 13, 2026

$35K Bribery Case: AG Caught Lying About Special Prosecutor, House Speaker

CB: … Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke’s recent statements inserting herself into the $35,000 scandal make it imperative that Gov. Josh Green immediately appoint an independent special prosecutor….

At her Friday press conference, the AG stated categorically that she does not have the authority to appoint a special prosecutor. This statement directly contradicts her own office’s written testimony made before the Senate Ways and Means Committee on March 2, 2024, less than two years ago.

There the office wrote in opposition to a proposed bill (Senate Bill 2107) which would have amended HRS 28-8 to specifically authorize the AG to appoint special counsel when “the investigation or prosecution of a person or matter may present a conflict of interest for the Department.” That written testimony by the AG’s office, made two years after the creation of the SIPD unit, specifically acknowledged that the AG did, in fact, have the authority under HRS 28-8 to “appoint special deputy attorneys general” when the office has a conflict, and more importantly, explained just how its authority would work should the need arise.….

A fourth potential conflict of interest or the appearance of a lack of neutrality is the troubling and still unresolved affair surrounding the attorney general allegedly having conversations with House Speaker Nadine Nakamura.

In direct contradiction to numerous press releases issued by the Attorney General’s Office stressing that any discussions or disclosures during an ongoing criminal investigation is inappropriate in order to “preserve the integrity of the investigation,” it appears the AG did just that.

In a letter to Nakamura dated Feb. 2, five representatives detail how Nakamura informed all the members of the House, in a letter dated Jan. 30, that:

“Today, the House passed House Resolution No. 8, which urges the Attorney General to prioritize and expedite the state investigation. I have spoken with the Attorney General, and she has committed to doing so. While the Attorney General has made clear that she cannot disclose specific details about the investigation while it is ongoing, she has also committed to providing general status updates to members regarding the process at appropriate time. I will keep in regular contact with her until this matter is resolved.”

According to this letter, House members were also informed by Nakamura that she had been told by the AG or a member of her office that the investigation was not expected to be concluded until August.

This allegation of communications between the AG and Speaker Nakamura was repeated in a written letter by Reps. Della Au Belatti and Kanani Souza to Green on Feb. 2. Green has yet to respond to that letter.

In response, the AG issued a press release categorically denying ever having told the Speaker the investigation would be concluded by August, while not addressing the overriding issue of whether there had been communication between the two….

KNN: Ongoing probe into possible public corruption addressed by Hawaiʻi attorney general : Kauai Now

read … Governor Must Appoint An Independent  Prosecutor In Bribery Case - Honolulu Civil Beat

Luke is Finished: “Whoever is elected lieutenant governor this November, the political sky is wide open.”

SA: … Democratic and nonpartisan elected officials across the state are quietly calculating the financial and political costs of challenging Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke by the June 2 filing deadline while suspicions swirl whether Luke is the target of an ongoing investigation by Hawaii’s attorney general.

(TWO WORDS: Derek Kawakami.)

“Believe me when I say they’re all thinking about it,” said one well-connected political insider who did not want to be identified. “It’s neighbor islanders, council members and mayors. Whoever is elected lieutenant governor this November, the political sky is wide open.”…

(TRANSLATION:  A Dem is elected President in 2028, Green is appointed to HHS.  LG then becomes Gov, and runs for ‘re’-election in 2030 as an ‘incumbent’, lol!  Serves 10 years.)

“For Luke, she could be entirely innocent of this. But it will still be a politically poison drip that’s really hard to get around. If she draws a strong challenger, it’s going to be even harder.”

(TRANSLATION: Luke is the only person who doesn’t know that she’s doomed.)

(BACKGROUND: Kawakami, 47, has made no secret of his aspirations to jump into bigger contests, musing publicly over the years about a future run for lieutenant governor or governor.)

RELATED: Election 2026: 126 Candidates Pull Papers to Run (Nobody has yet pulled papers for Gov or Lt Gov.)

SA: Editorial: Investigation into Sylvia Luke needs full transparency | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Shapiro: Whatever the legal outcome, Luke likely finished politically | Honolulu Star-Advertiser  -- You can bet ambitious Democrats like Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami see an opportunity to replace her on the ticket with Green in November, if she even makes it that far.  Having his No. 2 under a cloud is untenable for Green, who made the point sharply by canceling a trip to the National Governors Association meeting to avoid leaving Luke in charge. This can’t go on until the election, and he’s expected to discuss the situation with legislative leaders soon.  Green can’t fire her; the LG can be removed only by resignation or impeachment by the Legislature. 

read … Questions over Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke likely to inspire challengers | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

100% Fake:  ‘Green Fee’ Money will not pay for ANY ‘Green’ Projects

SA: … Gov. Josh Green is proposing to use debt instead of new special tax revenue to pay for an initial 18 “Green Fee” environmental improvement projects costing $42.2 million.

TRANSLATION: 100% Fake:  ‘Green Fee’ Money will not pay for ANY ‘Green’ Projects

The plan, which has aggravated some state lawmakers, would increase Green Fee project costs due to the interest on such debt while also freeing up a stream of cash specifically created for such projects to instead potentially fund other state needs.

TRANSLATION: 100% Fake:  ‘Green Fee’ Money will not pay for ANY ‘Green’ Projects

“It’s like they’re labeling it (Green Fee funding), but that’s not any Green Fee money,” Dela Cruz said at the briefing. “Why would you be misleading like that?”…

TRANSLATION: 100% Fake:  ‘Green Fee’ Money will not pay for ANY ‘Green’ Projects

Dela Cruz (D, Mililani-­Wahiawa-Whitmore Village) also characterized the administration’s bond funding plan as a shell game making actual use of the new additional tax revenue hard to track because it wouldn’t directly be used to repay bonds over 20 years.

TRANSLATION: 100% Fake:  ‘Green Fee’ Money will not pay for ANY ‘Green’ Projects

Sen. Troy Hashimoto (D, Wailuku-Kahului-Waihee) expressed a similar view to Nasir and Colby. “You’re just taking the cash then and putting it somewhere else,” he said….

TRANSLATION: 100% Fake:  ‘Green Fee’ Money will not pay for ANY ‘Green’ Projects

read … Initial ‘Green Fee’ projects are caught in funding dilemma | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

HI-5 Tax is $74M DoH Slush Fund

SA: … Falling redemption rates have led to the Health Department amassing $74 million from deposit revenue on unredeemed containers…. redemption rates under the program by fiscal year 2009 peaked at 79% and have decreased since then, sinking to about 60% in 2022 and 52% in 2025….

HB1928: Text, Status

2025: Twenty Years of Hawaii Recycling Fraud

read … Revamped HI-5 program proposal draws mixed testimony | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

HECO net metering program costs all ratepayers $80 million per year

IM: … the HECO net metering program costs all ratepayers $80 million per year….

“If you look at that 12-cent solar going in, you look at a little bit more expensive wind and look at oil coming in somewhere around 17-cents. That's a little bit more than one-third of the cost of electricity.

“So, something you keep in mind is that two-thirds of the cost of electricity is the distribution, the transmission, the upgrades to harden, the grid, make it resilient and manage and run the entire operation. 

“That two-thirds is not really going to change depending on the technology that we've put on to generate the fuel, so we're talking about how big a change can we make, and something it's about one-third of our cost, so even if you change it by 10 or 15%, that's 10 and 15% of one third so it's hard to see big movements by small changes in the cost of production. “

Rocheleau was asked if the KIUC ownership model was the reason rates are lower on Kauai.

 “KIUC being a little bit smaller and being a co-op, they bypassed a good bit of the rooftop solar and went directly to the utility scale solar at a time where that was really cost-effective, and so I think part of the reason they're seeing, and I think their costs were not the lowest on the island last month, like crept back up a little bit. Or It's a bad solar month.

 “They went directly to the utility scale solar, where all ratepayers benefit equally from it. And they put in a lot of systems at a time where those costs and tax benefits very good, so they kind of based some good decisions along the way I think that help.” …

read … Why Isn`t Renewable Energy Decreasing Electricity Rates | Ililani Media

Rhoads Suppresses Voters: Keep the Lines Long on Election Day

CB: … Another bill passing the Senate Judiciary on Friday the 13th would require that the state’s chief election officer could only be fired for cause as long as that person has already passed the standard state probationary period.

Discussion of the bill raised a few sparks. Sen. Brenton Awa pressed Scott Nago, the chief election officer, on why he’s not allowing for more access to voting on Election Day. You know, more voter centers and the like.

That’s a county issue, the always mild-mannered Nago replied, not the state’s kuleana.

(IQ Test: Are you impressed by this answer?)

Awa, who can be anything but mild-mannered, was not satisfied. He said Nago was the same as the coach of a football team, but “our offense just continues to sputter on election day.”

That prompted Rhoads to admonish Awa for bringing up something that was beyond the scope of the bill they were hearing. Rhoads also said people could just mail their ballots in instead of waiting for hours in line. Awa countered that voting in line was an important tradition.

Unfortunately, The Blog fears there will be more long lines on election days this August and November. While the House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee has passed a bill to give the counties money so they can set up and staff more voter services centers, Rhoads killed the Senate version of the bill.

(TRANSLATION: Rhoads wants to keep the lines long.)

Why? Because the county clerks of Maui, Oʻahu and the Big Island told the committee it would need a lot of money to hire a lot of people to man the stations, and that they would need to have computer skills as well — a tall order to get in place in time for the Aug. 8 primary….

(IQ Test: Are you impressed by this answer?)

BACKGROUND: Long Lines Suppress Republican Votes on Election Day:  City Clerk Plans to do it Again

read … The Sunshine Blog: Stemming The Flow Of Campaign Cash, Hawaiʻi Style - Honolulu Civil Beat

SB2480 Jungle Primary: Only Democrats Allowed in General Elections

HNN: … A bill to eliminate non-Democrats from the General Election Ballot in Hawaii is making headway at the State Legislature.

Senate Bill 2480, according to its webpage description, “allows voters in a primary or special primary election to vote for any candidate for any office without regard to the voter or candidate’s political party preference. Advances the top two candidates in a primary or special primary election, regardless of political party, to the general election.”

(TRANSLATION:  Republicans and third parties will be excluded from the General Election.)

CB:  SB2480 to switch Hawaiʻi to a “jungle primary” that would mean the top two candidates advance to the general election regardless of party

SB2480:  Text, Status

read … Lawmakers explore controversial rule changes for primary elections

Who is Financing Josh Green’s Presidential Aspirations?

CB: … A political action committee Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green launched last year to push back against U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine skepticism and support candidates who believe in science-backed medicine raised nearly $500,000 during 2025, according to federal campaign spending records. 

(FASCINATING FACTOID: Josh Green says he might run for President.)

Some of the biggest donors to Green’s Heal America PAC, however, appear to have little to do with health care. They include a California-based real estate investment firm, sports bettors and the car-share company Turo.

Combined these special interests account for almost half of the PAC’s total contributions. Some of them also have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying at the Legislature….

The top donor by far was DHL Mahi Associates, which reported giving $150,000 to Heal America in September. The company is part of ProspectHill Group, a San Francisco-based real estate investment firm led by Gregory Hartman, a major donor to Green’s gubernatorial campaigns. Over the past decade his companies have purchased stakes in the Queen Kapiʻolani Hotel in Waikīkī and the Mauna Lani resort on the Big Island. 

Seven months before donating to Green’s PAC, a state land board endorsed a Mauna Lani request to seek a $275 million mortgage from Goldman Sachs, a sign-off required to proceed with the loan because part of the resort sits on state-leased property. Much of that money, documents show, was dedicated to paying back investors, although about $5 million was set aside for improvements to the resort, including repairing water leaks and increasing energy efficiency….

Other major contributions to Green’s PAC came from the Sports Betting Alliance, which represents groups such as BetMGM, DraftKings and Fanduel; Anthony Marnell, CEO and president of Marnell Companie, a casino and gaming firm; and the car sharing company Turo. Combined, those three donors gave Heal America $65,000. 

More broadly, state ethics disclosures show that the Sports Betting Alliance and Turo together spent more than $150,000 on Hawaiʻi lobbying efforts in 2025. The Sports Betting Alliance reported that it supported bills to legalize sports wagering in Hawaiʻi while Turo opposed legislation targeting hidden fees in car rentals. Just last week a House panel approved legislation, House Bill 2570, that aims to legalize sports betting.

There’s also been crossover between the donations to Green’s PAC and the contributions he’s received while vying for a second term as governor. For instance, within two days of Marnell’s $20,000 donation, state campaign spending data shows three of his top executives contributed $16,000 to Green’s gubernatorial campaign….

In total, the Heal America PAC reported raising $488,000 in 2025 while spending about $204,000, mostly on start-up costs and consultants, including Democratic fundraiser Lori LaFave, who Green said is running the PAC’s day-to-day operations.

Green’s PAC has received major contributions from other prominent figures, including Jay Shidler, a Hawaiʻi-based investor and philanthropist who’s the namesake of the University of Hawaiʻi business school; Paul Yonamine, chairman emeritus of Central Pacific Bank, who’s working with Green to try to bring liquefied natural gas to the islands; and Eric Green, a conflict resolution specialist in Massachusetts who is also the governor’s uncle….

read … Special Interests Are Fueling Gov. Josh Green’s Anti-RFK Jr. Super PAC - Honolulu Civil Beat

Sugimura pulls papers for Mayor of Maui County; announces key endorsement

MN: … “I am deeply honored to have the trust and support of the hard-working men and women of the Masons union,” Sugimura said. “These are critical homebuilders for our community, and their endorsement validates our message that by streamlining our permitting process and investing in core infrastructure, we can lower the cost of living, create local jobs, and ensure that our children can afford to call Maui Nui home.”

Sugimura’s platform focuses on transparency and accountability, economic development and the “pipes, permits, and pavement” necessary to address Maui’s housing crisis.

Earlier this month Sugimura launched “Future of Maui Nui Survey,” an opportunity to create a community-first mayoral platform. The digital survey is accessible now at www.yukileiformayor.com/survey....

read … Sugimura pulls papers for Mayor of Maui County; announces key endorsement : Maui Now

Let’em fall into the Ocean: Bills to help property owners with coastal erosion deferred

HJI: … Every day, Kahana resident Spencer Schmerling is reminded that the shoreline fronting his condominium is shrinking. 

“Safety risks are increasing, and recent sand loss and seawall damage shows just how serious this has become,” Schmerling told state lawmakers via Zoom during a public hearing in Honolulu on Thursday. “This is not a single property issue. It’s a regional crisis.” …

State lawmakers are considering a pair of bills that would help property owners affected by coastal erosion, but they face opposition from state agencies concerned the measures would put natural resources and public beaches at risk.

House Bill 1846 would create regional shoreline mitigation districts where properties would be required to create their own coastal erosion and sediment management plans. That would then make it easier to review county and state permits for shoreline work.

House Bill 2205 would replace the current ban on private shoreline hardening measures with a policy of allowing “limited, carefully conditioned shoreline protection measures where necessary.” It also would allow emergency permits to be issued for erosion mitigation, and be valid for up to five years. 

The House Water and Land Committee deferred both bills on Thursday. ….

read … Hawaiʻi officials worry bills to help property owners with coastal erosion could put public beaches at risk - Hawaii Journalism Initiative

Don't Weaken Financial Disclosure For The Board Of Regents

CB: … When a board sits at the crossroads of public money and political influence, transparency becomes even more important….

read … Don't Weaken Financial Disclosure For The Board Of Regents - Honolulu Civil Beat

Air Force Plans New Telescopes on Haleakala

HJI: … Haleakalā has housed a growing number of defense and research facilities since the 1950s, when the exceptionally clear skies above the 10,000-foot summit caught the attention of astronomers. In 1956, the U.S. Army started a six-month star-tracking project at Haleakalā, one of the earliest programs there. The University of Hawai‘i followed with a satellite tracking facility in 1957. 

Today, six academic and four space surveillance telescopes sit on 18 acres at the summit.

Now the Air Force wants to build and operate up to seven more domed telescopes that would become known as AMOS STAR: the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site Small Telescope Advanced Research facility. One would be built on the rooftop of a current building, while six additional ground-mounted telescopes would be installed on new concrete pads. The site is less than 1 acre.

According to the draft report, the telescopes would “provide enhanced dedicated satellite tracking and communication capability.” The Air Force says advancing technology is crucial in the face of “growing challenges and threats in space, including the increasing amount of space debris and the proliferation of objects in orbit, which pose appreciable risks to operational safety, national security and global space assets.”

The Air Force Research Laboratory, which would operate the telescopes, is responsible for tracking about 48,900 space objects, including active spacecraft and pieces of debris in Earth’s orbit over the Pacific region. AMOS is one of two major telescope sites that it uses for this purpose. The other is in New Mexico.

“To expand these capabilities, additional telescopes are required at a site with favorable viewing conditions in the Pacific region,” the draft report says. “This region provides the optimal geographical advantages needed to monitor critical areas of space not adequately covered from other locations.”

Construction is expected to start around 2026 to 2027 and last about two years. The project’s cost is estimated at about $5.9 million. …

read … Air Force advances plans to build 7 more telescopes on Haleakalā as fuel spill cleanup continues - Hawaii Journalism Initiative

LEGISLATIVE AGENDA:

1. Big Q: What do you think of the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, due to budget impasse? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

2. Column: Protecting Hawaii’s future demands pause on tax cuts | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

3. Council member Batangan to hold town hall Feb. 27 | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News

4. State surf funding of $686K excludes charter schools

5. A Leader’s Journey: Jack Kittinger | PBS Hawaiʻi Presents - YouTube

6. Will Caron: Free Pressed - Honolulu Civil Beat

7. Kokua Line: Will recycling food waste be mandatory on Oahu? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

8. Senate rejects bill granting rights to watersheds, reefs | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

9. Column: Medical marijuana needs more study | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

10. Dave Reardon: Hawaii’s money matters come down to principal | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

11. Kukakuka with Naka: Recent leadership changes on Hawaii Island - YouTube

QUICK HITS:

1. A partial shutdown has hit. TSA is warning of long waits and missed or delayed flights. - MarketWatch

2. Popular ‘Understanding West Maui’ video series spotlights history, people who shaped the community : Maui Now

3. As artificial intelligence evolves at warp speed, Maui educators, students working to ‘stay on top of things’ - Hawaii Journalism Initiative

4. Youth hold anti-ICE protest in Waianae

5. Haʻikū association sets first meeting of 2026 : Maui Now

6. New Hawai‘i Police Chief To Hold Monthly Talk Story Sessions

7. Hawaii Finally Fixed Its Worst Airport Experience For 8 Hours a Day.

8. Beth Fukumoto: The Important Science Of Hakalau Forest - Honolulu Civil Beat

9. Pentagon mulls ending tuition assistance at HPU | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

10. Column: Patients central to health care reform | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

11. Oldest iiwi observed on Hawaii Island