Entries for 'Keli'i Akina PhD'

... Like the proverbial frog in a pot of hot water, we seem to have become desensitized to just how poorly the rail project has gone ....

... Some bad ideas just won’t go away ....

“if policymakers do not move faster to remove the legal barriers that have been blocking the rebuilding of Lahaina, the town will lose its sense of community and historic charm, and its residents will continue to move away or go homeless while its economy sputters into oblivion.”

... When the ranch shut down in 2008, he didn’t walk away ....

... Schatz hasn’t been all talk, either. Last week, he introduced several bipartisan bills aimed at inducing more homebuilding ....

... to more easily produce and sell jams, relishes and sauces made with local ingredients ....

... the DOT is supposed to decarbonize every transportation sector in Hawaii, but there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to maritime emissions ....

"...decisive action to address Hawaii’s notorious permitting delays...."

... I’ve had no choice ....

... When it comes to healthcare in Hawaii, it is clear there is room for more freedom .... 

... SB66, which would create a permitting “shot clock” and allow third-party permit approval if the 60-day processing deadline is not met; and HB126, which would reform the state’s civil asset forfeiture process ....

... Democrats favoring Jones Act reform include U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York, who introduced a bill in early May to exempt oil and other energy products transported to Hawaii, Alaska, Guam and Puerto Rico from the Jones Act ....

... Two bills that would relax some of these regulations passed out of a Maui County Council committee just this week ....

... there are at least a dozen layers of regulation that stifle energy innovation in Hawaii ....

... county councils are setting property tax rates for the coming year ....

... A new report from the University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization shows that Hawaii permit delays in 2024 were at some of the worst levels ever ....

... SB1296 will allow most Lahaina residents in the area’s Special Management Area to rebuild without having to go through the burdensome SMA permitting process ....

... the police seize your car because someone stole it and used it in a crime ....

... Bills that will help mitigate Hawaii’s housing crisis include ....

... fiscal notes and building codes ....

... Hawaii continues to suffer anemic economic growth — the second slowest in the country ....

...  SB1296 seeks to exempt buildings anywhere in Hawaii destroyed by a disaster from needing a Special Management Area permit to rebuild ....

... how intractable regulations have delayed rebuilding in Lahaina ....

... In addition to the TAT-related bills — HB504 and SB1396 — our state legislators also are considering a big tax increase — via HB202 — on all Hawaii businesses through a stealthy redefining of what is considered an adequate reserve fund of the state's unemployment insurance program ....

... Ausman sued Hawai‘i County’s Board of Appeals after finding himself in the strange position of owning a beach house in Milolii that he couldn’t live in or renovate ....

... Hawaii’s anemic economic growth — the second slowest in the country — should be a sign ....

... For the third year in a row, Hawaii policymakers are considering a bill that suggests they believe tourists are an endless source of funds ....

... he’s paying a mortgage on an empty lot and watching his resources drain away while waiting for permits and approvals to rebuild ....

... SB1278 would exempt from the state general excise tax any federal grants that Hawaii restaurants received during the COVID-19 lockdowns ....

... Let’s steer clear of tax hikes, instead focus on lowering costs ....

... HB422 would abolish the school impact fee program and transfer its balance to the School Facilities Special Fund ....

“More Native Hawaiians flock to mainland cities and leave Hawaiʻi, citing high costs.”

... the act intentionally disadvantaged the ports of Hawaii and Alaska ....

... You might not have realized this, but Hawaii residents are living in multiple, continual states of emergency ....

... state law defines any building, structure, object, district, area or site over 50 years old as historic ....

“...So, how many tax hikes are they trying to pass this time?”

... Few ideas are as tenacious as the myth that we can make tourists pay for major programs without affecting locals ....

... the governor’s state income tax cut — approved unanimously last year by the Legislature — will reduce our taxes by as much as 71% for some families ....

... over the past year, we’ve seen how bureaucratic hurdles can make it difficult to rebuild homes and businesses ....

... Hawaii lawmakers might undermine some of the benefits of the tax cut by raising taxes elsewhere, “just kind of surreptitiously” ....

... You might have noticed something a little different about your most recent paycheck ....

... trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) were sworn in by Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Justice Todd Eddins ....

... a modest but workable list of policy resolutions for 2025 ....

... The Aloha State is finally facing the problem ....

... a few requests for the people of Hawaii ....

... the credit for this win goes to you, the people who got involved and made their voices heard ....

... 70% of 1,500 local workers interviewed are either planning to move away or considering it ....

... Kafkaesque issues that so far have been unresolvable ....

... the third time won’t be the charm ....

... it could get worse ....