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Friday, March 14, 2014
March 14, 2014 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 7:59 PM :: 4414 Views

Apo: Trustees Begin Process of Dissolving OHA

McDermott sends 'cease and desist' letter to DOE Superintendent Matayoshi

After Mysterious Disappearance, Patricia McManaman Returns as director of the Department of Human Services

Obamacare in Hawaii: Fixing What Wasn’t Broken

PUC chair, green activist under investigation, accused of violating HI conservation law

U.S. District Court's Honolulu Rail Compliance Order – A Slam Dunk

UH College of Education Ranks 74th in Nation

UH law student named state’s Mother of the Year

Djou might take another shot at U.S. House seat

SA: Former U.S. Rep. Charles Djou said Thursday that he is moving toward a bid for urban Honolulu's 1st Congressional District.

The moderate Republican said politics has become "too slanted, too partisan" and that government at all levels has turned dysfunctional.

"I think Hawaii needs balanced representation in Washington, D.C.," Djou said.

Fifty-five percent of voters interviewed in a Hawaii Poll taken for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Hawaii News Now in February had a favorable impression of Djou. While Djou's favorable rating was highest among Republicans at 74 percent 67 percent of independents and 47 percent of Democrats had positive opinions about the former congressman....

(Actually Djou's favorability is 58% overall, not 55% and he ranks 84% among Republicans, 72% among Independents, and 48% among Democrats.  See: LINK)

Former U.S. Rep. Pat Saiki, the new interim chairwoman of the Hawaii Republican Party, said, "I think we can get him elected. And it's so important for him to be part of the majority of the Congress."

Dante Carpenter, chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, said Djou is an experienced candidate.

"He's going to be out hustling, so I'm sure it's going to be a scramble," he said.

Saiki, meanwhile, said Thursday that the state GOP has "to get back to basics" to have a truly competitive two-party system in a state that has been dominated by Democrats. Saiki said she would concentrate on voter registration, candidate recruitment and re-electing the minority party's lawmakers in the Legislature. She said the party will focus less on issues and more on candidates.

"As far as issues are concerned, that's up to the candidates. They can take positions on the issues according to their constituencies," Saiki said at a news conference at state GOP headquarters. "The Republican Party does not have to take one side or the other and pronounce what these candidates must stand for. That is not what I consider the mission of a party."

Background: CD1 Poll: Good News for Charles Djou

read ... Djou

HB2281: Gov’s office asks “emergency” funds to Cover Bhagowalia Resignation

ILind: HB2281 asked for $132,000 on an “emergency” basis. The measure passed the house on February 5, and the Senate (in amended form) on March 4. It now awaits appointment of conferees.

According to testimony submitted by the Governor’s office:

The funds will be used to pay for dues to the National Governor’s Association (NGA), vacation payouts for staff that are no longer employed by the Office, and costs associated with the Governor’s participation on the President’s Climate Change Taskforce.

How do these types of expenses qualify as an “emergency?” These all seem to be fully expected, routine costs that should have been budgeted long ago. How did they somehow get forgotten and suddenly on the “emergency appropriation required” list? Or was the money spent on other things, leaving these routine costs without funding? There’s got to be more of a story here.

Then I recalled Governor Abercrombie’s rather sudden announcement back in early February that Sanjeev “Sonny” Bhagowalia, the state’s chief information officer and director of the Office of Information Management Technology (OIMT), was being “promoted” to a newly created position. Bhagowalia will now serve as Chief Advisor for Technology and Cyber-Security within the governor’s office.

In addition, it was announced that another new position was created in the governor’s office for OIMT’s deputy chief information officer for business transformation, Randy Baldemor, who will become director of strategic initiatives, both also effective Feb. 18, 2014.

Who knew we needed two new positions of this kind? At what cost? And with what job descriptions? The press release says the positions are being funded by a grant from the Hawaii Community Foundation. Maybe. For now. And that’s a grant proposal that will be interesting to see.

Background: Bhagowalia Quits Abercrombie Administration, Flees State

read ... Gov’s office adds new positions

Abercrombie's budget gets annual cut by Legislature

Borreca: Previously, the Legislature had said UH autonomy meant it would have to put on the big-boy pants and raise its own money.

The plan now frees UH to use its own money to start work on the $500 million repair and maintenance backlog. And the UH's Big Island campus would get the needed money to finish its School of Pharmacy, although there is a caveat that the state money is really a loan and the state expects that UH will pay it back.

Before the deal is reported to the credit bureau, note that even Luke adds that expecting the UH to repay the building money is based on good faith between all parties.

On another note, the House takes an interesting tack on urban development and state planning by reviving former Gov. John Waihee's idea to build a new state office building in Chinatown next to the senior citizen center.

The thinking is that the state now spends $11 million a year to lease space for state agencies and already owns land that could go for a new state office building. It would be called the Liliha Civic Center and the budget puts $15 million in for design and planning.

"It could potentially house a lot of departments, if we cleaned up the areas and centralized some of the departments," Luke said.

read ... Budget

2012 Election Sabotage: Audit Vindicates Hawaii County Clerk

HTH: Even counting the County Clerk’s Office staff pulled from across the hall to help out during the contentious 2012 election, it still cost less to run that election than the two elections prior.

That’s the finding of an outside auditor the County Council hired last year to compare the election costs.

The audit, scheduled to be discussed Tuesday by the council Finance Committee, found that the 2012 election cost $1.5 million, compared to $1.8 million for the 2008 election, the most recent other presidential election. In 2010, when fewer voters came to the polls, the election also cost $1.5 million.

The cost per ballot cast was $17 in 2008, $16.19 in 2010 and $14.40 in 2012, the audit found.

The 2012 election proceedings became a hot political issue when former County Clerk Jamae Kawauchi fired the division chief and three other elections staff after alleging the former warehouse manager used the site to conduct his own sign-making and screen-printing business, and stored alcohol and held post-election drinking parties there.

That escalated into union grievance procedures reinstating the workers and defamation lawsuits against Kawauchi and former Council Chairman Dominic Yagong. The lawsuits were dismissed by a 3rd Circuit Court judge, but the case has been appealed.

Kawauchi had a hard time managing a disgruntled staff, several of whom resisted her management and failed to show up on primary election day. That culminated with late poll openings, incorrectly programmed cellphones, drivers taking election materials to the wrong precincts and other problems. The problems got so bad, the state Elections Office took over the county’s General Election.

Yagong, who as council chairman had hired Kawauchi, said Thursday he wasn’t surprised by the findings.

“We had no doubt that there wouldn’t be any increased cost,” Yagong said. “It was just so political at the time.”

2012: Election Sabotage: Is Jamae Kawauchi Kevin Cronin?

read ... Vindication

Female Senators Demand New Hearing: Wilson fails to properly prepare for court, mistreats staff

HNN: The State Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a second hearing on Circuit Court Judge Michael Wilson's nomination to the State Supreme Court Saturday morning, as Hawaii News Now has discovered more reasons why lawyers have told the Hawaii Bar Association and some state senators Wilson is unqualified for the high court.

The Hawaii State Bar Association said Wilson, a state judge since 2000, is "unqualified" for the Supreme Court because of  "… work ethic concerns, lack of professionalism in the workplace, questions concerning the propriety of conduct toward women in professional contexts, and the ability to serve at the level of a Supreme Court Justice."  Following its rules to protect the anonymity of its members, the association is not releasing more details other than to say the rating was based on "negative comments" from an undisclosed number of attorneys.

At the request of all eight women members of the State Senate, Judiciary Chairman Clayton Hee is asking Wilson to turn over personnel records, including his performance reviews, to the committee, which will call him to appear before a second hearing Saturday at 11 a.m. in the Judiciary hearing room 016 at the State Capitol.

"Given the concern regarding characteristics including the treatment of women, we're making a statement that that's a serious matter and it warrants further investigation," said State Sen. Laura Thielen, an attorney and the former president of Hawaii Women Lawyers.

If no one comes forward with specific allegations at Saturday's hearing, Hee said, "It would be very difficult, to change, in my opinion, the will of the committee at this time, based on innuendo, allegations, insinuations and rumor."

read ... Fails

Tom Yamachika

SA: The interim president of the Tax Foundation of Hawaii wants taxes to be simple, fair and transparent....

read ... Tax Foundation

Major health care bills moving through Hawaii Legislature

PBN: That bill,  HB2450 or  SB2052, would have allowed doctors to express empathy and apologize for errors without that apology being used against them in malpractice lawsuits. The Healthcare Association of Hawaii was in favor of that bill, but Greene said it was met with opposition from lawyers. This isn't a new defeat; the bill has been introduced in previous years.

The only bill the association is against this session is the caregiving bill,  SB2264, which is still alive. That bill would allow hospitals to designate a caregiver, such as a family member of a patient, and instruct that person on how to care for the patient after discharge....

As reported in January, House Reps. Della Au Belatti and Angus McKelvey  introduced a package of six bills relating to the Hawaii Health Connector, all of which have been deferred except one —  HB2529, which has since evolved with several components aimed at improving transparency and accountability of the  Hawaii Health Connector.

Early in the session, conversations were focused on possibly moving the Hawaii Health Connector under state control, but that conversation has died down as legal issues and concerns with funding surfaced related to changing its structure. The bill now focuses more on the goal of greater transparency and accountability, with proposed changes such as changing the composition of its board and creation of advisory groups.

Plus, making the Hawaii Health Connector a state agency doesn’t solve the organization’s immediate challenge of mapping out a  sustainability plan to stay afloat without federal funding. If anything, changing the organization’s structure would take time away from addressing the sustainability issue, interim Executive Director Tom Matsuda recently told PBN.

Background: Maui News, Star-Adv Agree: Obamacare Exchange Unnecessary Here

read ... Major health care bills moving through Hawaii Legislature

HART seeks builders for first nine rail stations

PBN: Contracts worth $150 million for the construction of the first nine stations for Oahu’s $5.16 billion rail system will go out for bid this month.

Video: Concrete Brutality: HART Rail Stations Revealed

read ... $150M

Questions still about American Samoa Governor's health

RNZ: American Samoa's governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga will be staying in Honolulu until sometime next week for further medical check ups and government meetings.

Lolo arrived in Honolulu early last week and was later admitted to Straub Medical Centre for observation following recommendations by his doctor.

He was first admitted last month to a hospital in Washington D.C. where he traveled to attend meetings.

Speaking to reporters today in Pago Pago, the acting governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga says Lolo stayed in Straub hospital for five days and was released yesterday.

He says the governor is now staying on in Honolulu for follow up medical check ups....

Lemanu also says Lolo is attending some government meetings which includes discussion with Hawaii state officials about setting up a National Guard Unit in American Samoa.

read ... Samoa

Anti-GMO Activists Still Trying to Get Rid of Kauai Mayor

KGI: Mr. Richard Wilson, a Honolulu attorney for a North Shore resident, is also interested in the mayoral behavior. On Feb. 1, 2014 he wrote the mayor and advised that if he had not vacated his office by Feb. 5, 2014 he would initiate proceedings for termination of his position. I am advised that he is proceeding to obtain the certification that is required by Section 78-10 to implement the provisions of Section 78-9.

read ...Anti-GMO

Pivot to Asia Docs Leaked in Spy Case

AP: Benjamin Bishop, 60, told the court he mentioned a classified conference between U.S. and South Korean officials while responding to an email from the 28-year-old girlfriend.

He admitted to keeping classified documents at his home, including ones outlining the U.S. Pentagon's China strategy and the U.S. military's force posture in Asia and the Pacific. He told U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Chang he didn't show the documents to anyone, but they shouldn't have been at his house.

read ... Pivot to Asia

Jet Fuel Leaks Near Honolulu Water Supply Source

KITV: Over a span of seven decades it's been estimated that more than a million gallons of jet fuel has leaked underground. The mystery is, where did it all go....

A 2010 risk assessment study for the Navy exposed the risk to the city's Halawa Shaft which supply’s much of Honolulu’s water.

Prior to that date, previous modeling put the direction of contamination moving mauka to makai.

But that pivotal study revealed a new direction—northwest-- in the direction of that critical well.

"The question is now how is the plume moving beyond their property and at which direction and at what concentration," said Board of Water Chief engineer Ernest Lau.

read ...  City, state: Grave concerns over Red Hill fuel spill

Soda Taxes Do Nothing to Address Obesity

AFBC: I’m not sure if you saw the news this morning, but a new study published in Health Economics exposes the flawed logic of politicians trying to impose a soda tax on Americans across the country. The study found that soda taxes will do nothing to address obesity. From the Washington Examiner:

“A new report funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation casts ‘serious doubt’ on efforts by nanny state legislators to curb obesity through tax increases on sweet sodas and energy drinks, finding in some cases that people simply shift to other sweets — and gain weight.”

If we want to get serious about obesity, it starts with education – not laws and regulation. Politicians should focus on what matters most – education, jobs and the economy – and leave the grocery shopping to us.

Read the full article by clicking here, and spread the news about this study.  Click here to tweet this study and spread the word - soda taxes won't help combat obesity!

Thanks ... Americans for Food & Beverage Choice

Boyd Gaming in Hawaii Captive Insurance market

FT: For Boyd Gaming Corporation(NYSE:BYD) which along with the wide-spread of casino gaming services it offers, also holds extensive hold on physical properties on which it runs its casino.  With an Hawaii based travel agency as well as captive insurance services in Hawaii, it hopes to make good in this travel segment as well.

read ... Captive

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