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Monday, June 15, 2015
June 15, 2015 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 6:11 PM :: 4217 Views

Is "Safe-Sex" Education the Reason Behind the Drop in Abortion in Hawaii?

Why Johns Hopkins Quit Providing Trans-Gender Surgery

Hawaii Congressional Delegation How They Voted June 15, 2015

PHOCUSED: Don't Build another Homeless Shelter, Instead Give the Money to Us

SA: Mayor Kirk Caldwell and the Hono­lulu City Council should consider providing "shallow subsidies" to homeless families and individuals who simply need a few hundred dollars more a month to be able to put a roof over their heads, the leaders of two advocacy groups say.

The two groups also question the viability of both Caldwell's plan to provide a temporary homeless shelter at Sand Island and proposals by Council members to expand the city's existing sit-lie ordinance to new areas of Oahu and related legislation designed to force the homeless off sidewalks.

A 16-month survey shows that out of 3,393 homeless households (households?), 25.3 percent indicated that they simply need financial help to move out of homelessness and don't require intensive case management or other supportive services  (Translation: Gimme some money so I can buy more meth....), said Scott Mori­shige, project manager for PHOCUSED, Protecting Hawaii's Ohana, Children, Under-Served, Elderly and Disabled.  (The real question is why the other 74.7% didn't say the same thing.)

Of the 368 families surveyed, 52.7 percent said they required only financial subsidies, Mori­shige said.  (And nobody has better judgment than the homeless.  Nobody.)

"They really just need housing to be more affordable; they don't necessarily require case management or social services." ...

The city's operating budget for fiscal 2016 includes $500,000 for homeless initiatives, and at least some of that money could be allocated for shallow subsidies, Mori­shige said.

"It's clear, based on the data, that what we really need is not necessarily another emergency shelter," he said. "We have a percentage of the population that, for numerous reasons, shelters are not the best fit for them." 

(Bonus: Without that extra shelter it will be easier to trick the public and politicians into thinking that the homeless are on the streets because there is no shelter for them.  Then you can use the homeless as a prop in your morality play to make us all feeeeel guilty and give more money and power to you, the lords of political correctness, who by divine right sit in judgment over us all.  For instance, see next article....)

read ... Money

Desperate to keep the Homeless, Homeless UH Activists Publish 'Study' Likely to be used by Lawyers 

DN: A study released today (as part of an orchestrated media campaign) conducted by Tai Dunson-Strane and Sarah Soakai of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of the University of Hawaii completely validates reports of the suffering and likely violation of Constitutional rights that the City and County of Honolulu has been inflicting on homeless individuals and families through its repeated day and night raids on homeless encampments and through enforcement of sit-lie ordinances.  (Though, oddly, neither has offered up her front yard for a homeless tent city.  Can't imagine why.)

If you have followed articles on Disappeared News or videos posted by H. Doug Matsuoka and others, or followed tweets by advocates such as Kathryn Xian (ED, Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery), (two more people who haven't offered up their yard to the homeless) you already know of the pain and suffering of hundreds of individuals and families (including children) at the hands of city workers and police. The study quantizes these reports and expands upon them.... 

CB: Enforcement efforts complicate the lives of the homeless  (Yes.  That's the point.  Make them uncomfortable living in their own filth on the street so they will finally accept shelter.)

read ... UH study documents horror of Honolulu’s “compassionate disruption” policy

Sand Island Homeless Housing Based on Eugene, Oregon Success

CB: ...Earlier this month, when Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell unveiled his long-anticipated plan to use a plot of vacant land on Sand Island to house the homeless, he did it with a little twist.

Instead of opening a tent-based homeless encampment, as he originally envisioned, Caldwell announced that the city would build a “modular” facility using up to 25 “modified shipping containers” to temporarily house 75 to 100 people.

The new plan was inspired by an effort underway in Eugene, Oregon, where a group of activists from the Occupy movement helped build a collection of tiny homes — each about 8 by 8 feet — to form a micro-community for the city’s homeless population two years ago.

The community, known as Opportunity Village Eugene, has been hailed as a success, and its innovative approach in tackling homelessness has been highlighted by the likes of The Guardian newspaper and The Atlantic magazine....

In recent years, the idea of establishing communities for homeless people, similar to Opportunity Village, has gained traction across the country — particularly in the Pacific Northwest.

There’s Dignity Village on the outskirts of Portland; Quixote Village in Olympia, Washington; and Village of Hope in Fresno, California. And more are being planned: Second Wind Cottages in Newfield, New York; Community First! Village in Austin, Texas; and OM Village in Madison, Wisconsin.

They all tap into the main current of the so-called “Tiny-House Movement” ....

(So how will the homelessness lobby overcome this?  Read on....)

Jenny Lee, staff attorney at the Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, says the facility could end up functioning just like another emergency shelter — and go unused by many of those affected by the sit-lie ban.

“We need to understand the reasons why (No we don't.  We just need to apply more force.), with the sit-lie being enforced, people aren’t going to shelters — and what about the Sand Island proposal that’s different in addressing the reasons that they are not going,” Lee said. “Articulating those reasons is important for policy makers in order to be confident that they are trying something that’s substantively different.”

read ... A problem for the homelessness lobby to overcome

More sit-lie bills being heard Monday

SA: » Bill 43, introduced by Councilman Ron Menor, would expand the sit-lie ban but would incorporate language that Leong's office said would have made Bill 6 legally defensible. Menor has voiced concerns similar to the administration's. It deletes key areas sought by Council members, however, including Kapalama Canal.

» Bill 44,introduced by Councilwoman Carol Fuku­naga, would include College Walk Mall and Kili Kaliki­maka Mall (between College Walk and Aala Street) in the sit-lie ban.

» Bill 46, introduced by Councilmen Joey Mana­han and Ernie Martin, would make it illegal to camp, erect a tent or conduct other activity that "may create a public health and safety hazard" along city-owned streams and stream banks.

» Bill 47,introduced by Councilwoman Ann Koba­ya­shi, would add to the sit-lie ordinance "sidewalks on both sides" of streets or sectioned areas where the sit-lie ban applies.

» Bill 48, introduced by Martin and Fuku­naga, includes "sidewalks on both sides" of streets or sectioned areas where the sit-lie ban applies, as well as sections of downtown, McCully-Moiliili, Aala and Kapa­lama.

As Explained: Homeless tent cities: Seattle’s decade-long nightmare coming to Honolulu?

(Translation: Lawsuit bait.)

read ... More sit-lie bills being heard Monday

Kids in foster care benefit from being placed with ohana, and Hawaii leads nation

KGI: Children placed in the child welfare system benefit from being with family members while group placement is the least favorable position for them, according to a policy report issued by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

“The state of Hawaii is a leader in placing children with relatives when they must be removed from their family homes,” Department of Human spokeswoman Kayla Rosenfeld wrote in an email. “Hawaii also does extremely well in preventing institutional placements of children.”

In Hawaii, 92 percent of children in foster care are living with family members. The report also found that within the U.S., 40 percent of youth who live in group settings while in the child welfare system have no clinical need to be there.

Research also found that such settings can be harmful to their development of nurturing attachments.

Nationally, 84 percent of children in foster care are living with family members and 14 percent are in group facilities.

read ... Family Values

Kakaako Developer Sells Singles for $625 psf, calls it 'Affordable'

SA: ...The views aren't great, living spaces are mostly small and in some cases there's no parking. But the price may be unbeatable at an upcoming condominium in Kaka­ako where million-dollar homes in swanky towers abound.

The developer of the planned midrise called 803 Wai­manu, which was approved by the state last year, has projected potential prices described as among the lowest on the market for the most economical units in the 153-unit condo.

An "achievable" sale price for 62 of the units with 384 square feet of living space and no parking is $240,000. ($625 psf)

By comparison, the median price for all existing condos (most of which are waaaay bigger than 384 sq feet) on Oahu sold this year through May was $365,000 — meaning half sold for more than that and half for less.

In Kakaako the cheapest existing condo on the market last week was a 548-square-foot unit at Royal Capitol Plaza for $409,000.  ($746 psf but it includes parking) Planned condo projects in the area include the 400 Keawe midrise, where prices range roughly from $390,000 to $775,000....

(Cut price by eliminating parking.  Remove view as a bonus.  Developer laughs all the way to the bank.  Progressives send their love....)

read ... Profitable

H Power Begins Burning Sewage Sludge

SA: ...Since it began full operations May 12, a special intake station at Oahu's waste-to-energy facility, HPOWER, has been producing additional power for Oahu's homes with proc­essed sewage known as sludge.

The sludge is added to the garbage burned at the city-owned plant to create additional energy. Mixing in the sludge has allowed the facility to process more garbage, increasing HPOWER's energy production, said Lori Kahi­kina, director of the city Department of Environmental Services.

"With the additional sludge and bulky (waste), we generate 14,000 megawatt-hours of additional energy, resulting in $2.3 million in additional revenue to the city and enough to power up 6,500 homes," Kahi­kina said.

The intake station has the capacity to proc­ess 90 tons of sludge each day — adding to the 2,160 tons of garbage per day the entire plant proc­esses....

read ... H Power

PUC Rejects Independent Solar projects, Sets Stage for NextEra to Build its Own

SA: ...The PUC this month rejected the 20-megawatt Mililani South Solar Park — and deferred for at least a month seven other photovoltaic projects that promised an additional 220 megawatts of "clean" energy that would feed into HECO's power grid. It was a needed pause, one that sends HECO — or NextEra, if its sale is successful within a year — a powerful message that fuller disclosure of information is imperative, and that monopolistic (Hello???) schemes won't fly. (Apparently these guys don't know that NextEra is much more monopolistic.  It builds its own solar farms instead of contracting them out to independent producers.)

Contracted with four companies to build these solar projects, HECO was asking the PUC to waive requirements for competitive bidding to quicken the approval process in hopes of providing low-cost renewable energy sooner. Not only did HECO fail to convince, the PUC scolded it for a "superficial and deficient" request that only reinforced longstanding concerns about a power monopoly.

"We want to make sure we don't go back to where we are trying to get away from: one group or company monopolizing (Hello?) power production," said PUC Chairman Randy Iwase....  (One very confused dude.)

It's clear from HECO's deficient answers to the PUC's reasonable questions that the utility has itself to blame for the setbacks.

(No kidding?  Why would HECO go and do a thing like that?  To find the answer, Google this: NextEra Builds Own Solar Farm.)

read ... A litany of confusion

Did the ethics commission violate the sunshine law?

ILind: Did the State Ethics Commission violate the state sunshine law when it set its evaluation process and evaluation criteria behind closed doors in executive session?

The question is prompted by the commission’s handling of its recently completed evaluation of executive director Les Kondo....

read ... Did the ethics commission violate the sunshine law?

Anti-GMO Hooser Arrested for Trespassing

KE: Kauai police Sgt. Colin Nesbitt, who reportedly was an otherwise outstanding officer, was arrested on May 23 for driving under the influence of alcohol after crashing his truck into a ditch. He was booked and charged, and is currently on leave, with his police powers suspended, pending an internal/administrative investigation. The criminal case is being handled by the state Attorney General's office.

And Kauai County Councilman Gary Hooser was busted for trespassing on Gay & Robinson land over the weekend. He reportedly was with a French couple, and they claimed to be producing a documentary, no doubt about the seed companies.

Which of course exempts them from honoring any private property rights, because when it comes to anti-GMO activities, the ends always justify the means. And Gary, in his self-serving arrogance, considers himself a lawmaker above the law.

No word yet on whether G&R plans to press charges, though hope springs eternal.

read ... Hard Time Breaking Rocks & Making License Plates

Schatz Desperately Playing Catch-up to Gabbard 

CB: “Sen. Elizabeth Warren might have the biggest grass-roots megaphone in the Democratic caucus, and Charles E. Schumer is in line to be the next Democratic leader,” wrote Niels Lesniewski. “On Wednesday, the Democrats from Massachusetts and New York appeared with a relatively new colleague with lower name ID, but with a rising profile on the left. Sen. Brian Schatz took center stage to highlight a campaign with the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and a coalition for ‘debt-free college.’”

Some have criticized (pointed out that) Hawaii’s entire Democratic federal delegation as (are) back-benchers in a party now firmly ensconced in minority status. As Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has shown, though, aggressively cultivating a public profile is one way to increase (the illusion of) individual relevance in Washington’s highly competitive environment (and we at Civil Beat will help by kissing up to them like this)....

read ... Not the leader

QUICK HITS:

South Korea MERS death toll rises to 16

Honolulu ties high temperature record set in 2005, Star-Adv fails to mention Global Worming

Kona Energy Conversation will discuss the NextEra Merger Proposal

County proposes land use designation change

Star-Adv Runs long article about hook in Monk Seal's lip

HTH: Veteran with service dog evicted from hotel

HTH: Gone to the dogs--fake Service Dogs

How Certain Is Hawaii’s Future With the Military?

Maui restaurant pays nearly $113k for labor violations

Towing Company Claims Ownership of Kakaako Streets

Housing plan for Kapolei site makes sense

Court: Workers can be fired for using 'Medical' pot off-duty

Negligent rescued hikers might have to pay crews

Don’t Write Off Honolulu’s Natatorium Just Yet

Identity Crisis: Am I Rich, Poor or Middle Class in Hawaii?

Is it Time We Bid Aloha to Oahu?

Respecting the "Host Culture": Why Are "Guests’" Values More Important?


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