My wish list for Santa

by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D., President / CEO, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

This week, I'd like to share with you a letter I wrote recently to Santa. I hope making it public won't jinx my requests, but I think he would be OK with me doing this.

So here it is:

Dear Santa,

Christmas is right around the corner, and I know you are probably in the midst of
last-minute preparations for the big night.

But if it’s not too late, I’d like to make a few requests for the people of Hawaii.

First, we want to let you know that we’re sorry about the broken lanai and that problem with the chimney last year. Unfortunately, we are still waiting on the permits to get those replaced. So, if you could bring us a big box of permitting reforms, that would be great.

There are a lot of good ideas about how to fix Hawaii’s permitting mess in Grassroot's brief titled “Seven low-cost ways to speed up permitting in Hawaii.” It would be nice if we could get all of those at once, but increasing the exemptions and streamlining the process for certain permits would be a good start.

Also, thousands of Hawaii families are having trouble staying in the islands because of the high cost of housing. I know how hard it is to tell people that they’re not getting a new house this year, but I have an idea that might help: If you could bring us more zoning reform, that would make it easier for homebuilders to build more homes, and more homes would help bring down home prices.

If you need other ideas related to housing, you could look at the Grassroot report “How to facilitate more homebuilding in Hawaii.” The suggestions in there are all ways to increase our housing supply without burdening local taxpayers, so don’t worry that they would increase our cost of living.

Our counties and state Legislature are already embracing the idea of allowing more accessory dwelling and ohana units, as well as adopting rules that would make it easier to convert underutilized commercial buildings into residences. But we could also benefit from reforms that would encourage upzoning and smaller lots.

Finally, I have one really big request for you, concerning a gift that would make a huge difference to Hawaii families. In fact, according to Grassroot research, it would save the average Hawaii resident about $1,800 a year.

I’m talking, of course, about reforming the Jones Act, which requires that all goods shipped between U.S. ports be on vessels that are U.S. flagged and built and mostly owned and crewed by Americans.

You might not be aware because you deliver your gifts by sleigh, but the Jones Act is a costly nuisance to the people of Hawaii because we rely heavily on imports brought by ship, and this old law adds to the cost of shipping.

If you have doubts about updating the Jones Act because you heard that it is responsible for 650,000 jobs, allow me to set your mind at ease. Grassroot looked at this “Jones Act jobs” claim in a recent report and found that it is based on questionable economic multipliers and likely an overestimate.

In conclusion, permitting reform, more housing and an updated Jones Act are the things I would love to see Hawaii receive for Christmas.

But I won’t hold it against you if you can’t bring them all this year. My Grassroot colleagues and I will continue to work on turning these wishes into reality, and you still will be welcome to relax on our soft, white sand beaches after another successful year.

Mele Kalikimaka from the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii!

E hana kākou! (Let's work together!)