Election Commission
Act 11: Why Grassroot is suing the State of Hawaii
Kauai: The Shocking Story Behind the “Fake Filtered Cult Leader” Case
Going down: Hawaii’s elevator mechanic and inspector shortage
Families in Hawaii Have Just 9% of their Income Left After Taxes and Basic Expenses
McMahon touts Hawaii education programs amid push to reduce federal oversight
To Make Corruption Scandals Go Away, Green to pick 1st deputy Attorney General for top job
SA: … Gov. Josh Green plans to nominate First Deputy Attorney General Matthew Dvonch to serve as Hawaii’s attorney general after Anne Lopez’s term ends Dec. 7, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation who are not authorized to comment.
Green told Lopez on Wednesday that he would not be renominating her to a second four-year term. The decision came less than four months after Lopez’s Special Investigations and Prosecution Division secured indictments against Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and four others following an investigation of an alleged bribery conspiracy to secure state money for COVID-19 testing during the pandemic….
(CLUE: You thought Lopez wasn’t doing enough. Green thinks she was doing too much.)
Dvonch, 43, has served as Lopez’s deputy since January 2023 and is a veteran of the department and public service. His nomination will be subject to state Senate confirmation.
If confirmed, he will oversee one of the highest-profile prosecutions in department history. An Oahu grand jury indicted Luke, state Airports Administrator Ford Fuchigami, former director of the state Department of Human Services Ryan Yamane and former Public Utilities Commission chair Leo Asuncion Jr.
A lobbyist also charged in the case, Tobi J. Solidum, has evaded capture by law enforcement. A no-bail warrant was issued for his arrest.
(TRANSLATION: Dvonch has agreed to make it all go away. Green only has to last until 2029 when he dreams that President Gavin Winsome will nominate him HHS Sec’y.)
Read … Green to pick 1st deputy Attorney General for top job, sources say | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Maui Quacks Won on Tide of Support for Illusory Bill 9
CB: … In South Maui, former council member Kelly King represented another win for progressives (quacks)….
Some people were surprised by King’s 47% to 42% victory given her prior loss and the deluge of money that PACs and other donors poured into Cook’s bid for reelection, according to Colin Moore, political analyst and director of the Public Policy Center at the University of Hawai‘i Mānoa….
The shifting political tides could have a major impact on the implementation of Bill 9, the legislation that lays out (Duckburg Mayor) Bissen’s plan to phase out thousands of short-term vacation rentals.
(CLUE: Bill 9 is just an electoral illusion. A court will rule that the County cannot take property without compensation and the County doesn’t have money to buy those units or their entitlements.)
“In some ways, this election was a referendum on Bill 9,” Moore said. “The voters clearly supported it because most of the progressives who ran and those who won — including the mayor — were for it.”
(And Bill 9 has been there just long enough for these quacks and frauds to get elected. Now, it will be wiped off the books by Court order.)
Almost immediately after Bill 9 was approved and signed into law late last year, council members began disagreeing on how to craft another bill — introduced by Cook — that could potentially allow roughly 4,500 of the roughly 7,000 affected units to be rezoned to allow for short-term rental use. The rezoning bill was ultimately approved by the council in June, but prior to the final vote, Rawlins-Fernandez, the Molokaʻi representative who ran unopposed this election, said the legislation catered to lobbyists and rental property owners and betrayed the many Maui residents who supported Bill 9 because they wanted to reclaim housing for residents.
(TRANSLATION: We quacktivists are keeping this illusion on the books until we are elected.)
“It’s an election year,” Rawlins-Fernandez said at the time, noting how candidates were receiving questionnaires asking how they planned to rebuild public trust. “We’ll continue to fight alongside our residents that are fighting for housing, to provide shelter for our residents, and making this place our home, not just somewhere to exploit and make business profits off of.”
Despite criticism from those who said the legislation would negatively affect the local economy and lead to lawsuits against the county, Bill 9 appears to have maintained support. It has also given progressive (quack) candidates a concrete issue to rally (flock) around, Moore said….
Read … Voters Bring On New Faces To Tackle Old Issues In Neighbor Island Councils - Honolulu Civil Beat
Maui County to begin clearing vegetation and debris from 115 acres at Kapūʻali in Launiupoko after homeless drug addicts light 12 fires
MN: … The Maui Emergency Management Agency will begin a wildfire risk reduction project Monday on about 115 acres of county-owned land at Kapūʻali, also known as “Cut Mountain,” in Launiupoko.
From February 2024 through this past September, firefighters have responded to a dozen blazes at the property, near the intersection of Honoapiʻilani Highway and the Lahaina Bypass, according to the county.
Beginning Monday, work crews will remove hazardous vegetation and flammable debris to create defensible space for nearby communities, property and critical infrastructure. The county expects to finish the work by early next year.
Agency Administrator Amos Lonokailua-Hewett said the recent Olowalu fire, fueled by hurricane-force winds, shows the continued need for wildfire risk reduction in West Maui. Heavy rain this year has spurred vegetation growth, which adds to wildfire fuel, he said….
Read … Maui County to begin clearing vegetation and debris from 115 acres at Kapūʻali in Launiupoko after homeless drug addicts light 12 fires: Maui Now
Hawaiʻi Voter Turnout Drops While National Turnout Rises
CB: … Only 45.8% of ‘registered voters’ cast ballots, the lowest turnout for a general election in the Office of Elections records going back to 1959, and below even the previous low of 48.7% in 2022. The figure is unofficial until ballots with signature problems are cured, a process that ends Nov. 10.
That’s the opposite of what happened across the country, where motivated voters showed up. Turnout among ‘eligible voters’ rose from 46% in 2022 to about 49% this year, according to early estimates from the University of Florida Election Lab. In Hawaiʻi, by the same measure, it fell from about 41% to about 38%.
Voters wanted change, and neither of Hawaiʻi’s two largest parties offered it….
SA: Kokua Line: Did any Hawaii county exceed 50% voter turnout? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
CB: The Sunshine Blog: How Low Can We Go? - Honolulu Civil Beat
Read … Beth Fukumoto: Hawaiʻi Voters Wanting Change Didn’t Get It Tuesday - Honolulu Civil Beat
The More Politicians Addressing Hawaiʻi’s High Cost Of Living, the Worse it Gets
CB: … Several decades ago, Hawai‘i had higher incomes and higher GDP per capita than much of the continental U.S., and so it didn’t matter as much that everything was a bit more expensive here. These days, our incomes are about average — or just below.
“Once you account for cost of living,” Bond said, Hawaiʻi ends up “right down at the bottom.”
Comparing Hawaiʻi to Texas offers a pretty stark illustration of this. The median price of a single-family home there was around $300,000 last year. In Hawai‘i it was more than triple that — close to $1 million....
Shapiro: David Shapiro: Democrats must not squander chance to better U.S. lives | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Read … Addressing Hawaiʻi’s High Cost Of Living - Honolulu Civil Beat
The Public Could Gain Free Access To These Government Records
CB: … OIP is updating its nearly 30-year-old public records rules to eliminate charges for records requests that are in the public interest — essentially when the person or organization that obtains the record intends to and has the ability to share the information widely. OIP is also proposing to double fees for non-public interest requesters — law firms, commercial companies, internet sites that use government information — in an effort to better reflect today’s cost for staff time to process requests….
Read … The Public Could Gain Free Access To These Government Records - Honolulu Civil Beat
Stacked: New Committee to Talk About Giving More Money to OHA
SA: … The new panel and its predecessor, both called the Public Land Trust Working Group, stem from bills passed by the Legislature in 2026 and 2022, respectively.
Problems with the original panel, which met at least 17 times, included an even split of members representing the governor’s administration and OHA.
(Now OHA has stacked the committee so it will vote to give OHA more money.)
The new panel adds four members who are appointed by legislative leaders but can’t vote on panel decisions, plus one “nongovernmental community member” selected by the other 10.
OHA’s three members, appointed Nov. 2, are Kahele, who chairs the group, OHA interim Administrator and CEO Summer Sylva, and OHA Chief Advocate Leina‘ala Ley.
The governor in September appointed Ryan Kanaka‘ole, director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, Deputy Attorney General Craig Iha and Brian Furuto, deputy director of the state Department of Budget and Finance.
Senate President Ron Kouchi on Wednesday appointed Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole and Tyler Gomes, chief administrator of the Hawaiian Council.
House Speaker Nadine Nakamura in September appointed Reps. Kirstin Kahaloa and Mahina Poepoe.
The 11th member has yet to be selected, but OHA expects that will be done as part of initial work that also includes establishing a framework and schedule for work. The group’s first meeting is anticipated in the coming weeks.
Under Act 32 established earlier this year to reform the panel, a preliminary draft of findings and recommendations is due by June 1, 2028, followed by a final report by Oct. 1, 2028, that includes proposed legislation to achieve the group’s goal….
Read … New push aims to resolve ceded land revenue conflict | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Feds Mop Up Two Honolulu Street Gangs
SA: … The Honolulu Police Department is working to identify the number of gangs operating on Oahu after a 24-year-old felon was accused by federal prosecutors of leading a criminal organization from the Kamehameha IV public housing complex in Kalihi.
(CLUE: During COVID, OCCC staff were stopped from their usual plan of shifting emerging prison gang leaders away from their followers. This is the result.)
The so-called Brave Gang Opens in a new tab was the second such group operating out of public housing identified by police and federal agents so far this year. In May, a drug-trafficking organization Opens in a new tab known as H-Mob which imported methamphetamine and used gun-toting kids and a prison guard to market meth, cocaine and cannabis was taken apart by federal agents and Honolulu police.
Most recently, Penitila Faamoe was indicted by a federal grand jury Oct. 15 for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Faamoe was out on bond in two separate state criminal cases when he was arrested by the FBI Oct. 20.
The 24-year-old is accused of robbing illegal game rooms and multiple incidents of gun violence. He is facing a federal criminal charge of being a felon with a gun.
The Brave Gang members wear all red, allegedly rob illegal gambling operations armed with fully automatic and untraceable “ghost guns” and use violence, according to federal court records.
Ten people were indicted by a federal grand jury April 30 in connection with the wide-ranging H-Mob drug conspiracy. Nine of the suspects are from Oahu and one is from Hawaii island.
Law enforcement seized at least 20 pounds of methamphetamine during the H-Mob investigation. Several firearms were seized when search warrants were executed at multiple locations May 6, including inside the Puuwai Momi Housing complex in Aiea.
The gang’s alleged leader is accused of arranging for methamphetamine to be mailed to Honolulu and employing juveniles to retrieve the packages when they arrived, according to federal court documents….
Read … Tracking gangs in Hawaii: One focus is redirecting troubled youth | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
ELECTION NEWS:
- Big Q: Should Pete Hegseth be impeached as U.S. defense secretary? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
- HSTA-backed candidates earn general election wins - Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association
- Election 2026 Wrap-up: Labor-friendly Candidates Ride a Massive Blue Wave – HGEA
- Trump vs. Trump, the Final Act: Never has a politician so consistently acted against his own and his party’s interests.
- Public Meetings Calendar Election Commission Meeting Nov 12 2026 - State of Hawaii
- Elections chief explains 'ballot curing' and why the count is still incomplete | Hawai'i Public Radio
- Will Caron: Coming Up Green - Honolulu Civil Beat
- Editorial: Voters’ approved amendments add housing impetus | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
QUICK HITS:
- Hawaii political trailblazer Pat Saiki remembered
- Pena forecast to reach hurricane strength Tuesday well south of Hawaii | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
- Hawaiʻi Island Veterans Day Parade is Saturday in Hilo – Big Island Video News
- UHPA Fall 2026 Faculty Forum: Protecting the Present, Preparing for the Future – University of Hawaii Professional Assembly
- Waiākea High hosts blessing ceremony for new health training lab : Big Island Now
- New $1.7 million Hanapēpē skate park to open Nov. 17 : Kauai Now
- County acquires 155 acres Līhu‘e for future housing development : Kauai Now
- A 3-by-3-foot underwater flap has been swinging with the waves off a Hawaii pier for months, pumping hydraulic fluid until the pressure is high enough to spin a generator, and researchers are streaming every reading from it live to anyone who wants to watch
- Hawaiian Electric expands power shutoff watch to Leeward Oahu | Hawaii News Now
- U.S. Navy Signals Support for Korea's Nuclear Submarine Push - Seoul Economic Daily
- Firefighters respond to brush fire near Liloa Drive in Kihei | Hawaii News Now
- The Scientists Fighting To Help Wildfire Survivors Heal - Honolulu Civil Beat
- Honouliuli tour revisits WWII’s dark history | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
- Column: For frail kupuna, ‘call 911’ is not always best call | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
- Life after incarceration: How one woman rebuilt her life through YWCA Oahu | Hawaii News Now
- “Chamorros Deserve to Know Their Language”: Creating Space for Chamorro Learners in Hawai’i | Marianas Press