Paychecks Hawaii Rates Legislators
Ed Week: Hawaii DoE Dropout Rate Jumps to 32.8%
HSTA Appoints Team to Tackle Teacher Evaluations
Hawaii's Forgotten Internment Camps
Lanai Video: Money for Murdock, Rate Hikes for Oahu
Caldwell Hires Private Detective to Investigate Ernie Martin
SA: A private detective firm has been hired by Mayor Kirk Caldwell's administration to help city officials with an internal review into an $8 million federal grant issued to a controversial nonprofit company....
The city's internal review, headed by Managing Director Ember Shinn and Corporation Counsel Donna Leong, will "make sure we're absolutely certain that if there were any wrongdoing or problems, we find out what they are," Caldwell told reporters Wednesday.
His administration has also approached city Ethics Commission Executive Director Chuck Totto about looking into the ORI matter....
Goodenow Associates, which bills itself as "Hawaii's oldest and largest private detective agency," has been retained "to make sure it's done in a more expeditious manner and to make sure we get all the information that we need," the mayor said.
Caldwell was acting mayor in the summer of 2010 when one of two decisions was made to forgive loans given to ORI, but he left office days before the second decision was made, according to the dates given in the HUD report.
"I do not think I signed any document approving any forgiveness of a loan … but this review is going to find this all out and whatever we find out we'll share with all of you," the mayor said.
The HUD report, released Monday, said that "ORI has maintained significant support over many years by the direct involvement of high-ranking city and state officials regarding ORI's projects."...
Three people who were in decision-making capacities with the city and who were also running for office received political contributions from ORI founder Susanna Cheung in recent years. Council Chairman Ernie Martin, then the city's deputy director of community services, received a total of $4,200. Former Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who left office July 20, 2010, received $6,000. Caldwell, who was Hannemann's managing director and then was mayor from the time he left until Peter Carlisle became mayor on Oct. 10, received $500 from Cheung.
read ... Investigate Himself
New Union Contract Mandates Paid Campaign Rallies in County Facilities
HTH: Hawaii County Council members on Wednesday clashed over, but eventually approved, new contracts for unionized county employees.
Kohala Councilwoman Margaret Wille and Kona/Ka‘u Councilwoman Brenda Ford tried to raise concerns over candidates for county offices campaigning during union meetings on county time, but several other council members cut off the line of comment and inquiry. The comments were off topic, Puna Councilman Zendo Kern said.
The practice of inviting union-endorsed candidates to union meetings on county time and at county facilities was brought to light last year by West Hawaii Today. It led to a complaint to the Board of Ethics that was ultimately dismissed, with the board saying even though the practice violated county code, the union contracts approved statewide took precedence....
In her opinion as an attorney, Wille said it was “ridiculous” that the county’s union contract would trump county rules.
Hamakua Councilwoman Valerie Poindexter, who previously worked in human resources for a company employing union workers, said in that job, the union’s contract on some things trumped even federal law.
Wille and Ford said they heard from many county, unionized workers who opposed going to meetings and finding some candidates — the union-endorsed ones — there to speak.
“I do not believe that we’re going back to plantation days if we ask for reasonable things in contracts,” Ford said, adding she believed the union workers do deserve the across-the-board increases. “Based on the complaints I received from union people over issues which I won’t discuss, those union people felt very put upon to be forced to a meeting.”
The two voted against the United Public Workers Unit 1 and employees excluded from bargaining Unit 1, which will cost the county $11 million, and the Hawaii Government Employees Association Units 2, 3, 4 and excluded employees, which will increase costs by $4.7 million.
Aug 3, 2012: Taxpayers pay UPW Members $50K to Attend Campaign Rallies for Hirono, Hannemann, Kenoi
read ... Paid Campaign Rallies
Lanai: Is Big Wind Dead?
CB: When Larry Ellison bought all of David Murdock’s Lanai property last year he let Murdock keep the rights to develop Big Wind on Lanai. There are lots of rumors about why he did this, but our best guess is that he had little choice — Murdock wouldn’t make the sale without being able to keep those rights, whatever they are.
While we suspect (but can’t prove due to various confidentiality agreements) that the rights have conditions that would make it very difficult for Murdock to actually build his Big Wind project (else why are the terms such a state secret?) we just don’t know.
According to Hawaiian Electric Co., now winding up a year’s process of integrated resource planning (IRP), Big Wind on Lanai is still a centerpiece on their fast-track to achieving 40 percent electricity sales from renewables, since it’s a Big Chunk to them even if a tiny piece (less than 5 percent) of the overall Oahu demand. So, we decided to produce this video for our Oahu neighbors.
LINK: Lanai Video: Money for Murdock, Rate Hikes for Oahu
read ... Friends of Lanai
Did Hawaii's Energy Reform Leave Consumers Vulnerable?
CB: ...a portion of a crucial energy plan passed in 2010 is causing energy rates to rise -- and that is in addition to a steeper increase in power costs caused by the jump in oil prices. That is part of why Hawaii’s Public Utilities Commission opened an investigation on Monday that aims, in part, to figure out whether a change in the way prices are calculated is unfair to consumers.
The plan, known as "decoupling," involved a new ratemaking structure for utilities. It contained financial incentives to encourage the energy company to become substantially more environmentally friendly. (Hawaii aims to use 40 percent renewable energy by 2030, while simultaneously reducing electricity consumption by 30 percent.)
It “appears inherently problematic that electric sales are declining while utility costs and investments continue to increase,” the PUC wrote in an order to revisit decoupling. They warned of a possible “downward spiral” in which rising prices spark declining use, and cause additional rate increases.
They also expressed concern about HECO's incentives to spend on infrastructure even as consumers use less and less electricity, while rates just keep rising.
People in Hawaii already use 38 percent less energy than the average American household, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
read ... Did Hawaii's Energy Reform Leave Consumers Vulnerable?
HART Railcars to Come from Ansaldo Factory Which Built Junk Belgian Trains
SA: Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation CEO Dan Grabauskas said he spent more than a week in Europe touring the three driverless systems completed by the same firms producing the rail system on Oahu. They are an 11-year-old rail line in Copenhagen, Denmark; and lines that launched earlier this year in Brescia and Milan, Italy. (And surprise, surprise the representatives of the Italian government had only good things to say about the Italian government owned company. Shocking!)
Grabauskas did not visit Belgium, as HART's board finance chairman said earlier this week. Nonetheless, Grabauskas said he did visit the factory in Pistoia, Italy, with AnsaldoBreda CEO Maurizio Manfellotto where the firm produced the V250 "Fyra" trains and inspected one of them the day after news broke that Belgium was canceling its order for the vehicles.
The Netherlands' rail operator later canceled its Fyra order as well because safety and reliability questions.
The factory is the one where Honolulu's driverless trains will be built.
Who Grabuskas didn't meet: Dutch, Belgians Dump Honolulu Rail Contractor Ansaldo
read ... Rail buyers happy, HART chief says
Kakaako agency poised to vote on 803 Waimanu high-rise
KITV: The exemptions for the central Kakaako high-rise would allow the developer to build a tower close to three times the current 65-foot height limit.
"This project is a nightmare. I would not even want to run tower crane on this project. It is so tight there is no laydown. It is going to be a very dangerous situation," said Isaac Smyth, a retired crane operator....
"You will be establishing a bad precedent and you will be opening a gate of hell in Kakakao," said area resident Gerald Chun.
Developer Franco Mola (who?) said he is asking for exemptions for density and height in exchange for building 192 affordable units.
"We reduced some floors. We reduced some parking but the reality is that's not their interest. Their interest is not having a building next to them," Mola said.
Mola also countered the opposition with some 400 signatures on a petition in support of workforce housing, and others turned out to appeal for an option to commuting.
ILind: Kakaako: Future urban village or urban swamp?
Photos: Moiliili Karst caves
read ... Quick n Dirty
OHA Kakaako Plans Sputter
SA: Fisherman’s Wharf has been vacant since the restaurant closed in November 2009.
In March 2010, the Hawaii Community Development Authority awarded a contract to Advanced Restaurant Management, owned by Bob Lee, who owns Pizza Bob’s in Haleiwa, to renovate and manage the building. Advanced Restaurant surrendered its lease in October 2010 at the end of a six-month, rent-free period because necessary health and safety upgrades proved too expensive, HCDA Executive Director Anthony Ching told the Star-Advertiser in December 2010.
Bob Miller, director of operations for Advanced Restaurant Management, said in 2010 that the company was working on a way to restructure the deal and hoped to get the state, as landlord, to cover the cost of some of the improvements.
A deal was never reached, and the space has continued to deteriorate, Kamemoto said.
OHA is looking at the parcels as a whole and not focusing on Fisherman’s Wharf specifically, he said.
“It makes sense for us to kind of figure out how they all work together,” he said.
OHA recently received $400,000 in Brownfields Assessment Grants — $200,000 to assess the land for hazardous substances and $200,000 to look for petroleum contamination — from the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct a second phase of environmental evaluations of six parcels in what’s called Kakaako Makai, including the Fisherman’s Wharf land.
Oi: Water supplies should be considered in development
read ... Another excuse to get grants
Council Approves $2.16B Budget With Slushfund, Without Tax Hikes
KHON: The mayor is disappointed in the council’s decision to allow more than $8 million in grants to non-profits. It’s a small, but heavily scrutinized part of the budget.
SA: $2.16B biggest ever
CB: Honolulu City Council Keeps Controversial Earmarks For Nonprofits
Kym Pine: Council Approves District One Budget Priorities
read ... Budget Approved
Regents vote to form UH presidential selection committee
SA: The University of Hawaii Board of Regents voted unanimously this morning to form a seven-member selection committee to identify candidates to replace UH President M.R.C. Greenwood, who is retiring Aug. 31.
The committee will be responsible for coming up with a detailed plan for the search and weighing the merits of hiring a search firm to help with the process, Regent Chairman Eric Martinson said.
Regent John Holzman was named chairman of the search committee. Other members include Jan Sullivan, Saedene Ota, Chuck Gee, Barry Mizuno, James Lee and Jeffrey Acido.
read ... Committee
Help UH students graduate on time
Approaches underway at UH include:
- Planning: Each of the 92 majors now have a degree plan, showing which courses to take when, semester by semester.
- Acceleration: Incoming freshmen admitted to the fall semester could start the preceding summer; they also will be signed up for 15 credits, even if students attain full-time status with only 12.
- Employment: UH would compound its efforts to expand financial aid by also expanding on-campus, part-time job opportunities. Students who work on campus tend to stay there — and graduate.
- Simplification: The minimum number of credits has been trimmed by four to the national standard of 120, and some of the more complicated rules about the types of credits required are being reconsidered.
read ... Graduate
Are Hawaii Lawmakers Weakening Support for the Elderly and Disabled?
CB: Lawmakers sneaked a bill through this past session to extend a law that critics say compromises the health and safety of Hawaii’s elderly and disabled.
There was little public discussion on the decision to extend the law. That is because instead of drafting a bill for the sole purpose of extending this legislation's repeal date as lawmakers have done for other laws, they introduced House Bill 268. It would have extended the repeal date to 2016, while also changing regulations detailing the minimum age and education level for caregivers in such jobs.
The bill, which was referred to the Human Services and Consumer Protection committees, never got a hearing. Lawmakers turned to Plan B, tacking the measure on as an amendment to another bill. House Bill 529, requiring care home businesses to hold sufficient liability insurance, was ideal because it was related to the industry and, better yet, headed for passage.
Rather than just amend the bill to address the sunset concern, lawmakers and state officials used it as a bartering chip with the industry to help secure other adult care home legislation. They saw it as a chance to improve aspects of the system, such as public access to information, that the industry has long resisted.
read ... Are Hawaii Lawmakers Weakening Support for the Elderly and Disabled?
California Elder Abuser Comes to Hawaii, Steals Old Man's Money
SA: Sterio has a similar conviction in California. In 2007, she and another woman persuaded a 77-year-old man to give them a car and to get them credit in his name, which they used to buy $28,000 worth of jewelry, the Orange County Office of the District Attorney said. Police set up a sting after the women told the man Sterio was in an accident and needed $50,000 for surgery.
read ... Elder Abuse
Alleged Drunk Signmakers Lose Defamation Case Against Former Elections Chief
WHT: Judge Elizabeth Strance, in a ruling issued Tuesday morning, said the attorney representing Elections Division Chief Patricia Nakamoto and former elections employee Shyla Ayau failed to prove former County Council Chairman Dominic Yagong and former County Clerk Jamae Kawauchi acted in a “willful and wanton” way in investigating and firing four county elections workers last year.
“To the contrary, the admissible evidence now before this Court appears to clearly support a finding that Defendants Kawauchi and Yagong acted both with cause and within the scope of their employment within the County of Hawaii,” Strance wrote in her order granting Yagong’s and Kawauchi’s motion for summary judgment. “Conversely, the Plaintiffs have not provided this Court with ‘clear and convincing’ evidence of any animus or ‘willful or wanton’ tortious conduct by Defendants Kawauchi and/or Yagong towards the Plaintiffs. … Similarly, there is no evidence that Defendants Kawauchi and/or Yagong personally conducted any investigation, regarding the actions of the Plaintiffs in connection with the County Elections Warehouse.”
read ... Case dismissed: Defamation suit thrown out
Family of Stephen Dinnan believe police used excessive force
KITV: On Wednesday, his girlfriend, Shardeah Serhant, and mother of two of his young children, lawyered up, disputing a new report by the medical examiner that her boyfriend showed no signs of being assaulted.
"We're very skeptical about the information that's been released so far," said her other attorney Roy Bell.
"I think it's kind of crazy because there are all kinds of bruises and marks on Stephen's body. He was battered about the throat, the arms and the back," said Harrison.
On Monday, police say they went to a home on Ala Koa Street in Waimanalo after the owner of a stolen truck said he traced his cellphone to the location.
Police said Dinnan had no prior criminal record.
Read ... Lawyered Up
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