April 17, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Current Articles | Archives

Friday, April 17, 2026

April 17, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 3:12 PM :: 170 Views

Hawaii Highest Tax Burden in USA

Judge Tosses Trump Admin Suit Designed to Block Hawaii from Suing 'Big Oil'

State Agribusiness Development Corporation Takes Next Steps on Wahiawā Dam Acquisition

2A: Hawaiʻi hit with permanent injunction over non-resident carry ban

SB2471: Genius legislators vote to Stop Unions from Spending Money on Elections

ASD: … several unions have opposed the ‘Stop Corporate Personhood’ measure out of concern that the bill still limits their ability to engage in elections.

Jeffrey Masatsugu, representing the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 50, submitted testimony last week opposing the measure, writing that it is unclear whether trade unions will be prohibited from taking electoral action.

Masatsugu pointed to language in the latest versions of the measure that allow incorporated nonprofits to carry out “election activity” via candidate and noncandidate committees. Whether that applies to unions, however, is an open question, Masatsugu wrote, but the state statutes regarding unincorporated nonprofits can be interpreted to apply to trade unions, which would leave them unable to make political donations.

Two other construction unions — the Hawai‘i Building and Construction Trades Council and the Plumbers and Fitters UA Local 675 — also opposed the measure on similar grounds.

However, other prominent unions — including the Hawai‘i Government Employees Association, the largest union in the state — have remained mum on the measure one way or the other.

Nonetheless, the bill still has at least one staunch opponent: the state Department of the Attorney General, which has repeatedly warned that the measure will most likely provoke a legal challenge at cost to the state taxpayer.

Last week, the Attorney General also argued against the argument that stripping a corporation of its power is different from stripping it of its rights. In a letter, the Department of the Attorney General called that “an untested legal theory … that collapses in upon itself upon further examination.

“The operative theory behind this bill is that states have the ability to define corporate powers and can strip certain powers to speak based upon the content of that speech,” read the AG’s letter. “This bill then contradicts its own theory by saying that foreign corporations authorized to transact business in Hawai‘i … are also subject to the provisions of the bill. However, Hawai‘i has no ability to define the corporate powers of foreign corporations.”

Nonetheless, the bill passed third reading in the House on Tuesday with only two representatives — Republicans Garner Shimizu and Elijah Pierick — voting against it ….

SB2471: Text, Status

As Explained in 2016: HCR29: Legislators Vote to Abolish ERS, End Free Speech for Star-Advertiser

Read … House passes anti-corporate-election-spending bill

$600M? Lawyers Grab for 15% of Maui Fire Settlement

M: … apparently these fine barristers also wanted $1M to cover the GE Tax on the $20.25M they want for a $135M slice of the Lahaina settlement payout – that may have been the point of contention causing the judge to reject. They will now come back for the $20.25M without asking for the extra $1M ….

DO THE MATH: $20.25M = 15% of $135M

DO THE MATH: 15% of $4B = $600M. This is triple what the insurers got.

Read … Hawaii Judge Denies $20.25M Attorney Fee Request After Maui Fire Settlement - Mealey's

Hawaii conveyance tax bill heads to conference committee

PBN: … The bill would shift Hawaii to a marginal rate system and impose significantly higher taxes on properties (including apartment buildings) selling for more than $2 million ….

Read … Hawaii conveyance tax bill heads to conference committee - Pacific Business News

State of Retaliation: DLNR Bureaucrats Seek Final Revenge in Court

CB: … A former top executive in the state land management bureaucracy is suing his ex-boss Dawn Chang and the Department of Land and Natural Resources alleging he was forced out of his job.

Former Land Administrator Russell Tsuji, a lawyer and veteran DLNR manager, alleges in his lawsuit filed Tuesday that DLNR Chair Chang showed “personal animus” against Tsuji, and referred to him as a mole for Big Island state Sen. Lorraine Inouye….

Tsuji had suffered what is often called a warning stroke in 2021, and last year was granted a workplace accommodation under the Americans With Disabilities Act that included a hybrid telework schedule to help him manage his blood pressure. He also qualified for intermittent leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Three days after Tsuji’s accommodation was approved, according to the lawsuit, Chang relieved Tsuji of his regular duties and placed him on a special assignment that required extensive travel to each island to inspect hundreds of state properties….

Tsuji is a former deputy attorney general who ran the Land Division for two decades, and also served for a time as a member of the state Campaign Spending Commission.

Gov. Josh Green appointed Chang as chair of the Department of Land and Natural Resources — making her Tsuji’s boss — in late 2022. According to the lawsuit, Tsuji and Chang did not get along.

The lawsuit alleges that starting in early 2023, Chang “engaged in a pattern of conduct intended to embarrass, harass, and create a hostile and intolerable work environment” for Tsuji.

Tsuji filed a discrimination complaint against Chang in 2024, and the lawsuit alleges a pattern of escalating retaliation followed. ….

Chang is on medical leave, and attempts to reach her for comment by phone and email were unsuccessful….

PDF: DLNR lawsuit Russell Tsuji v DLNR | DocumentCloud

Read … Harassment At Center Of Lawsuit Against Top Hawaiʻi Land Official - Honolulu Civil Beat

Lawsuit Demands More Information On Hiring Of UH President Wendy Hensel and her pet ‘advisor’

CB: … The University of Hawaiʻi violated the Sunshine Law when it hired new president Wendy Hensel in 2024 and her special adviser a few months later and shut the public out of Board of Regents meetings where the job applicants were interviewed and decisions made to hire them, according to a lawsuit filed this week in state court.

The suit by the Public First law Center also alleges that the regents’ evaluation of Hensel’s first-year performance was illegally conducted in secret this past October.

The public interest law firm is not asking the court to invalidate Hensel’s hiring or that of her special adviser, Kim Siegenthaler. But it does want the court to order UH to release minutes and recordings of executive sessions where the discussions and decisions took place as well as other open meetings improvements….

Read … Lawsuit Demands More Information On Hiring Of UH President Wendy Hensel - Honolulu Civil Beat

Family Suing Kamehameha Schools Can Stay Anonymous For Now

CB: … One of the families suing Kamehameha Schools will be allowed to remain anonymous, at least for now, as the case challenging the school’s admissions policy giving preference to Native Hawaiian children proceeds, a federal judge has ruled.

In an order filed earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Micah Smith wrote that the family, identified only as B.P. and I.P., “have not made a strong showing” that they have a reasonable fear of harm and could face retaliation for participating in the case.

Still, the volume of threats levied against the leaders of Students for Fair Admissions, the organization suing Kamehameha Schools, was enough to conclude that the family could face at least some hostile or threatening messages and online comments if their identities are revealed.

“That makes their stated fears of being the subjects of online messages of that sort reasonable, even if not by a wide margin,” Smith wrote….

Read … Family Suing Kamehameha Schools Can Stay Anonymous For Now - Honolulu Civil Beat

Incumbents Lead The Money Race For Congress. Will Outside Groups Wade In?

CB: … Hawaiʻi’s U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda have significantly more campaign cash than their challengers as races head toward mid-summer primaries ….

Read … Incumbents Lead The Money Race For Congress. Will Outside Groups Wade In? - Honolulu Civil Beat

Honolulu council chair Tommy Waters’ reelection eligibility challenged

HNN: … A registered voter sent an objection letter last month to the city clerk asking for a review of Waters’ eligibility. The letter submitted a written challenge to Waters’ filing paperwork seeking another term and asked for a review to determine if his candidacy complies with term limit provisions.

The city clerk responded days later that Waters is eligible because he was elected in a special election with Trevor Ozawa after the state Supreme Court invalidated the 2018 results. The issue revolved around absentee ballots that were not picked up by the city clerk’s office by the deadline.

Waters said the rule limiting candidates to two consecutive four-year terms does not apply in his case because of the delay. He didn’t take office on the usual inauguration day, Jan. 2, 2019 rather, he was sworn in on May 6, 2019, four months later.

“I didn’t have a full term,” Waters said on Spotlight Now when he announced his plans to seek re-election….

Read … Honolulu council chair Tommy Waters’ reelection eligibility challenged | Hawaii News Now

Two More Expensive Eminent Domain Suits for HART

SA … The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation will pursue legal action against two downtown area property owners to obtain land for two planned rail stations along the over-$10 billion Skyline extension into Kakaako, rail officials say.

The HART board of directors Thursday approved two resolutions to pursue eminent domain on portions of private properties respectively owned by Pacific Guardian Center, or PGC, at 733 to 735 Bishop St., and Servco Pacific Inc. at 616 Keawe St.

HART says the pending condemnation cases will be filed in 1st Circuit Court, after prior attempts to negotiate permanent access to the properties in question failed….

Read … HART OKs eminent domain for large properties

Hearing set for two East Hawaii men accused of smuggling fireworks

HTH: … Two East Hawaii men accused by federal authorities of illegally importing fireworks into Hawaii from the mainland U.S. and distributing them are due in court Monday in Honolulu.

Darrel Goo, 52, of Keaau and Cy Tamura, 45, of Hilo have a 10:30 a.m. preliminary hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kenneth Mansfield. The prelim originally was scheduled for Jan. 20….

Neither defendant entered a plea at their initial court appearance on Dec. 30. Both remain free on $50,000 bail.

According to a federal complaint, the combined weight of fireworks seized after search warrants were served on Goo’s and Tamura’s residences exceeded 18.5 tons. Authorities also allege the pair illegally brought fireworks into the state for distribution since at least 2017….

Dec 2025: Two Hilo-Area Men Arrested for Years-Long Operation to Transport and Distribute Illegal Fireworks on Big Island

Read … Hearing set for two East Hawaii men accused of smuggling fireworks - Hawaii Tribune-Herald

LEGISLATIVE AGENDA:

QUICK HITS: