Lawsuit : Bissen insiders Stole $45K from County days after Lahaina Fire

Will ‘Kona Low’ rebuild be as slow as Lahaina?

UH Mānoa chancellor search: finalist campus visits set

Conveyance Taxes are Just for the Little People

CB: … Under current law, a conveyance tax applies whenever real property is sold or changes hands. However, in Hawai‘i, major landholdings often change hands when investors purchase the company that owns the land instead of the property itself.

In this case, no deed is recorded, so no conveyance tax is paid. This is known as a controlling interest transfer.

(CLUE: With joint stock corps and infinite shell companies, there is no way to stop this.)

This is not a rare technicality; it is a well-established practice in large corporate transactions. Major landholdings can change hands through entity sales, where the economic reality mirrors a traditional property sale, but the tax does not apply.

The result is a system where local buyers pay the conveyance tax, while large, often out-of-state investors can legally structure around it.

A prime example is Larry Ellison’s Lanai Island Holding’s acquisition of Castle & Cooke Resorts and related subsidiaries from David Murdock for more than $300 million.

By transferring ownership of the companies that held the land, rather than transferring the land titles directly, the transaction bypassed the Hawai‘i conveyance tax entirely. This transaction cost the state over $5 million in conveyance revenue.

This session, I sponsored House Bill 1918, which advanced through the House Water and Land Committee but died in the Ways and Means Committee when it got to the Senate. The bill treats the transfer of a controlling interest in an entity that owns real property as a taxable event. When ownership of the entity effectively transfers control of the land, the conveyance tax would apply — just as it would for you and me in a direct sale….

(BETTER IDEA: Level the playing field by abolishing conveyance taxes.  Make socialists get honest work.)

Read … Close The Loophole Before Raising Taxes On Local Families - Honolulu Civil Beat

Soft-on Crime Crowd Comes up with new Trick to Block Oahu Jail construction

SA: … A state plan to replace Oahu’s dilapidated jail may be diverted by a legislative initiative to make the long-envisioned new facility more of a restorative place.

(TRANSLATION: Keep using OCCC in hopes that a federal consent decree will order a massive release of criminals onto the streets.)

Hawaii’s Legislature has requested that a 13-member advisory committee be established to recommend “alternative models for rehabilitation and restorative justice on Oahu” and to incorporate findings from a 2025 University of Hawaii study into existing plans for a new jail to replace Oahu Community Correctional Center.

The state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation insists that its plan already includes elements from the study, which DCR commissioned, and that delaying what already has been 10 years of work will increase costs to replace the obsolete and overcrowded 954-bed jail in Kalihi….

(Which is exactly the purpose.)

On Friday, a resolution that Sen. Carol Fukunaga introduced on March 16 to form the advisory committee was adopted by the House following two House committee hearings and adoption by the Senate on April 7.

Members of the committee are to include representatives from the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Lili‘uokalani Trust, the O‘ahu Council of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, Alu Like Inc., Papa Ola Lokahi, a mental health specialist, two corrections officers and two former inmates….

(IDEA:  The inmates could suggest escape pathways to design into the new facility.)

ACLU:  Let arrestees back out without any bail

Read … New design urged for replacing Oahu jail | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Loss of land in storm complicates recovery for ‘Īao Valley residents

HJI: … The loss of a large swath of their property makes rebuilding complicated for the Bashaws, whose home once stood 80 feet from the edge of the river. Now they’re hoping some of the soil they lost can be returned. 

“There’s a lot of mud and rocks that are being collected down at the causeway,” Carrie Bashaw told Maui County officials at a March 29 meeting. “Can that be brought up and reinforced on the land so that we can then survive?”

Many ‘Īao Valley residents lost portions of their land to the fast-moving, high-flowing river last month. Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said at that meeting the county was looking at bringing soil runoff back to restore people’s properties.

“There’s a lot of sediment that needs to go someplace,” he said. “It may as well go back up the river.” …

Read … Loss of land in storm complicates recovery for ‘Īao Valley residents - Hawaii Journalism Initiative

Hawaiʻi Drivers Say Uber AI is Shortchanging Them

CB: … Hawaiʻi rideshare drivers are joining their counterparts across the nation who say they find themselves weighing whether to pick up a rider against the cost of gas, insurance and payroll taxes — and of missing out on other fares while stuck in traffic.

Now some of them are pushing back, petitioning Hawaiʻi officials to follow the lead of places like New York City, Washington and Massachusetts that have set minimum pay standards and required Uber and Lyft to disclose more about how they calculate driver compensation.

“It’s not just about the money,” Fernandez said. “We want transparency.” …

Read … Hawaiʻi Drivers Say Uber AI is Shortchanging Them - Honolulu Civil Beat

LEGISLATIVE AGENDA:

1. Big Q: Are you excited for the new Aloha Stadium redevelopment? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

2. Hawaiʻi's key bills: Vehicle registration, film tax credits

3. Editorial: Don’t let vape law go up in smoke | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

4. Bill proposes stricter requirements for companies collecting donations for charities | Hawaii News Now

5. Restoring Hope in Housing - Hawaii Business Magazine

6. Beth Fukumoto: Lawmakers Shouldn't Be Afraid To Test Citizens United - Honolulu Civil Beat

7. Column: Say no to outdoor advertising signs that will ruin public views

8. State unemployment rate rises but still lowest in the country

QUICK HITS:

1. 'Godzilla' El Niño And Recent Floods Bring more Global Warming Hype To Hawaiʻi - Honolulu Civil Beat

2. National Weather Service predicts El Nino this summer | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

3. Sea-level rise may increase water contamination in Waikiki, UH study finds | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

4. Update about February cybersecurity incident at University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center : Big Island Now

5. ‘Shared vision’: Blessing ceremony hosted for new Lima Ola Community Garden in ‘Ele‘ele : Kauai Now

6. Kawaihae Harbor Improvements Detailed In Draft Environmental Assessment

7. HI-SEAS Habitat Project Plans Return To Mars-like Mauna Loa

8. Victoria Hanes takes reins as new CEO of HICHC - Hawaii Tribune-Herald

9. West Kaua‘i Residents Want This Remote Beach Park Reopened - Honolulu Civil Beat

10. Hawaiian monk seals are most at risk from plastics, study finds | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

11. Hawaii Sustainable Expo draws 1,500 to green energy event