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Wednesday, March 23, 2016
March 23, 2016 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 4:54 PM :: 3936 Views

Fuel Tax Hike to be Heard by Committee Without Proper Public Notice

Tuition up 136%: UH Manoa Ranks #1 in USA—and Administration Wants More

Caldwell’s Zoo Loses Accreditation

New Report Compares E-Cigarette Taxes in 50 States

TomTom: Honolulu 6th Most Congested in USA

OHA Funding for Native Hawaiian Roll Comm on Today’s Agenda RM16-01

Honolulu rail aims to be #1: Costliest transit project in the country’s history on per capita basis

AC&C: If delays and costs continue to increase, Honolulu officials say that the city’s planned train line could be, per-capita, the costliest transit project in the country’s history.

In 2008, Hawaii voters approved a referendum that allowed for a 20-mile train line near Oahu’s southern coast, linking the city of Kapolei to Waikiki’s edge, the New York Times reports.

However, the project is two years behind schedule, expected now to open by 2021. It’s also projected to cost $6.7 billion, which is $2.1 billion more than originally anticipated.

“It’s a disaster. In my view, we are worse than how we expected,” Panos Prevedouros, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Hawaii, told the Times. Prevedouros has run for mayor twice, opposing the project.

The train line’s construction has congested the highway between Kapolei and Honolulu, and citizens aren’t happy. A Civil Beat poll from last month found that only 15 percent of participants thought the system a good idea.

“People are very angry about it,” Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell told the Times….

read … We’re Number 1 Again!

Secret Political Cabal Behind New Media Company

CB: About two weeks ago we reported that Ryan Kalei Tsuji had picked up a side gig.

The aide to Hawaii Gov. David Ige, a former reporter with KITV, will formally launch RKT Media on March 30.

Now, Tusji says he will be leaving his government post at the end of the month to focus on the new venture.

“It had really been in the works for awhile,” he said Tuesday. “It’s not because of the article.”

Tsuji said the the work putting together RKT media was taking a lot of his time. His work for Ige is not a 9-to-5 job, either.

As well, Tsuji runs a nonprofit, sits on the boards of other nonprofits and does work for OC Sports.

“It was unsustainable,” he said of the workload, adding, “People in Hawaii must work multiple jobs, and government workers are not exempt.”

Tsuji’s website had said that members of his RKT Media team included other former KITV colleagues who currently work in the administration and another in the state Senate. The Our Team link no longer lists those people…. (That’s OK, see list in next article)

read … Secret

Revolving Door: Ex-KITV Aide To Gov. Ige Launches Video Production Company

CB March 11, 2016: …Ryan Kalei Tsuji hires other former KITV journalists with “deep understanding of the media landscape in Hawaii.”…

RKT Media is the creation of Hilo native Ryan Kalei Tsuji, a former reporter for KITV (a Civil Beat media partner) and currently employed as director of the executive management team for Gov. David Ige.

Tsuji has enlisted the help of several of his former KITV colleagues, including Jodi Leong and Yasmin Dar (both part of Ige’s communications team), Jill Kuramoto (she handles state Senate communications) and Mahealani Richardson (public relations director at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Honolulu).

RKT already has produced work for several clients, including the 2015 Hawaii European Cinema Film Festival, Macy’s National Believe Day and an event for Shriners.

read … Revolving Door

Caldwell is Insincere and Disrespectful

CB: Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s often-fractious relationship with most members of the City Council appeared to reach a new low last week, with some Council members calling him (pointing out he is) insincere and disrespectful during a public meeting….

the relationship has deteriorated, aggravated by a political rivalry between Caldwell, who is running for re-election this year, and Council Chairman Ernie Martin, who is considering challenging him (but just can’t make up his mind already).

“I can tell you it’s impossible for me to understand what’s going on in my district from his administration,” Ozawa said. “The lack of communication is to a point where it’s unbelievable.”

“It’s disappointing,” said Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi, who leads the Budget Committee.

Ozawa has never been friendly with Caldwell, who supported his opponent in a close election two years ago, and Kobayashi has often been critical of Caldwell as well….

read … Caldwell

Senate committee OKs Ag water rights bill

SA: A bill that would allow Alexander & Baldwin to temporarily hold on to the rights to millions of gallons of water it diverts each day from East Maui streams survived a close vote in a key Senate committee Monday night. 

After a six-hour hearing on House Bill 2501, Senate Water, Land and Agriculture Chairman Mike Gabbard amended the measure to limit the extension of A&B’s water rights under the the bill to no more than three years.

The measure was approved by the committee in a 6-3 vote, with several senators who voted for the bill noting they have strong doubts about the measure. Those concerns might signal problems for the bill when it is taken up by the Senate Ways and Means Committee….

East Maui farmers (OHA cronies) have been contesting A&B’s permits since 2001, arguing the diversions are harming water ecosystems and preventing them from farming taro (preventing OHA from collecting rent on the water). The farmers are asking that flows be partially restored to 12 streams (unless OHA can sell it).

read … Senate committee OKs water rights bill

On Island Obsessed with GMOs, Meth No Longer Makes Headlines

SA: …Two weeks ago on Kauai, police arrested two men in what has been called the largest crystal methamphetamine bust on the island, ever.

More than seven pounds of the drug was found, worth $1.6 million. Fifteen years ago that story would have dominated headlines for days. State lawmakers would have taken it and run with it like a big old flag to get attention for themselves and their superhero Hawaii-saving efforts. There would be sign-waving demonstrations and calls to radio stations and lots of hand-wringing and finger-pointing in online comments and letters to the editor.

The reaction in 2016?

Shrug.

While some on Kauai are turning themselves inside out with rage and fear that the “chemical companies” are poisoning the keiki, ruining the community and raining down death on all living things, crystal meth is a very real poison that causes severe and measurable harm to the community, and nobody seems to care very much.

This recent bust wasn’t just a bunch of hapless druggies trading negligible amounts among their druggie friends. Kauai Police Chief Darryl Perry called it a “drug trafficking organization.” ….

WSJ: Bill Gates: GMOs Will End Starvation in Africa

read … Lee Cataluna

Obamacare: Your Medical Care is Already being Rationed

CB: In the United States, health care has been rationed for decades. We just don’t think of it as abnormal anymore.

The rationing comes in the form of not having enough doctors, limited coverage for medications, restrictions on tests, and ever-shortening hospital stays.

Start with going to see your doctor. Statistics show one in five people do not have access to a primary care provider. In Hawaii, there is a shortage of primary care doctors across the state and especially on the neighbor islands.

Access is also based on insurance. Overall, statewide 75.5 percent of doctors are taking new Medicare patients, for Medicaid the number is even lower at 68.3 percent.

So, if you are lucky enough to have a primary care provider, how easy is it to make a same-day appointment? Within a week? Two weeks?

According to a recent poll, one in five Americans has gone to an urgent care in the past two years after not being able to get a timely appointment with the regular provider.

With reimbursement becoming increasingly difficult, doctors — myself included — are spending more time with paperwork and less time with patients, limiting the number of available appointments.

I’ve seen it in my own department, with colleagues telling patients when they are sick to go to urgent care so they can be seen quicker. Granted, it’s better than having people go to the emergency room and wait for hours, to be seen for less urgent conditions like coughs and colds, but that’s still limited access that we have all become used to.

read … Urgent Care

SB2244: Cut retirement benefits for judges

Ilind: …A bill to slash retirement benefits for state judges by one-third was met with uniformly hostile testimony during a public hearing before the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee on Tuesday.

Unlike several other bills that also targeted the Judiciary this year by threatening the courts’ independence from outside political pressure, this measure would hit current and future judges directly in their pocketbooks.

House Bill 2006, introduced by Rep. Sylvia Luke, House Finance Committee chair, and House Majority Leader Scott Saiki, would cut retirement benefits for judges appointed after June 30, 2016, and for currently serving judges who are reappointed or promoted after that same date.

Currently, judges, along with several categories of employees, including legislators, fire fighters, and police officers, are credited on retirement with 3 percent of their salary for each year of service.  Judges appointed, reappointed, or promoted after June 30 would see this reduced to 2 percent….

The Senate earlier passed Senate Bill 2244 that, in addition to making similar cuts in retirement benefits, would also have required judges to work longer than any other category of state or county employees before being eligible to collect any retirement benefits.

Over in the House, SB 2244 received the “gut and replace” treatment in the Labor Committee, where its contents were removed and replaced with the language of HB 2006. It is now pending in the House Judiciary Committee, but will die unless it is approved and sent on to the Finance Committee by Thursday’s second lateral deadline, which seems unlikely….

Acoba: Cutting judges’ benefits could weaken independent Judiciary

read … Now some lawmakers want to cut retirement benefits for judges

SB265: Help Pimps Recruit Minors

CB: A new version of a sex trafficking bill vetoed last year by Gov. David Ige was discussed before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, and it drew the same opposition as last year from Honolulu’s prosecuting attorney.

“The main problem of this bill is that it legalizes prostitution for minors,” said Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro. “It allows minors to commit prostitution and yet not call it prostitution, so in effect it is legalizing prostitution if a minor is involved.”

He said Senate Bill 265 would make it easier for pimps to recruit minors….

The new bill would classify sex trafficking as a Class A felony and a violent crime, and would also create a Class C felony for paying for sex in “reckless disregard” to the fact that the other person is a sex trafficking victim.

Opponents said the bill does not recognize that there are people who willingly participate in prostitution….

AP: Doug Upp, who told lawmakers that he's an occasional sex worker, testified against the bill

read … Child Molesters

Cop Cameras Among The Police Reform Bills Still Alive

CB: Body cams and dashboard cameras in police cars moved a step closer on Tuesday to becoming part of police operations in Hawaii.

The House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 2411, with two Republican members voting with reservations….

read … Body Cameras

HPD officer found guilty of trafficking stolen vehicle

KHON: …Rudolfo has been a Honolulu police officer for 11 years. He was with HPD’s traffic division when he asked two men to get him a Toyota 4Runner with an altered vehicle identification number (VIN).

One man bought a 4Runner that had been totaled while the other man stole a similar vehicle and then swapped the identification numbers. Rudolfo then bought the stolen 4Runner for $3,000 and sold it for $6,500.

“The elements of the trafficking offense are that he knowingly received or possessed the vehicle knowing that the vehicle’s identification numbers have been altered with the intent to sell it,” said assistant U.S. attorney Marc Wallenstein.

Jurors found Rudolfo not guilty of conspiracy to traffic stolen vehicles, a charge that includes a second vehicle that was allegedly used for insurance fraud.  (Involving two sheriffs deputies, both still on the force.) ….

SA: The owners of the Nissan, husband-and-wife state sheriff’s deputies, did not testify in the trial and have not been charged with any crimes.

read … Another Day in the Nei

Hawaii County Water Rates Hikes to Pay for Alt Energy Schemes

WHT: A new surcharge will hit water bills this summer as the Department of Water Supply strives to reduce its dependence on purchased power.

The energy rate surcharge, set at 5 cents per 1,000 gallons of water, goes into effect July 1, and is expected to generate $460,000 the first year. The money will be used to install power factor correction capacitors at 16 well sites and variable frequency drives at two well sites, the Water Board was informed Tuesday.

The board voted unanimously to approve the new charge, following a public hearing where no members of the public spoke. The board also passed on first reading its annual budget. At $53.1 million, it’s a 1.4 percent increase over this year’s budget.

read … Your Green Their Energy

Hawaii taxpayers Pay $13.28M for Fancy Waikiki Enviro Conference

CB: Hawaii is facing a nearly $6 million funding shortfall to host the International Union for Conservation of Nation World Conservation Congress slated for September in Honolulu, an international event deemed the “Olympics of Conservation.”

Gov. David Ige has asked the Legislature for an additional $4 million out of the state general fund, leaving an almost $2 million gap to be raised from federal and private sources, according to testimony to lawmakers this month from Department of Land and Natural Resources Director Suzanne Case.

The total budget for the 10-day event is $21.54 million. The IUCN is contributing $8.26 million, and Hawaii’s portion is $13.28 million.

read … More Money Needed For Conservation Event In Honolulu

Number of Hawaii residents kept medicated with marijuana could double

PBN: The number of registered medical marijuana applicants has surged more than 14 percent since the Department of Health first began administrating the program in Jan. 2015. The DOH said the number could more then double after improvements made to the process last month.

In Jan. 2015 the Department of Health had 11,402 registered patients and program participants. According to its website, it had 13,244 valid patients at the end of March.

KITV: Medical marijuana spurring real estate activity at Waikele Bunkers

read … Double Medicated

Libraries Inundated with Homeless

HNN: …Zoller started working at the state library in 1992. She says back then the tables were filled with researchers and authors.

Now the clientele is much more diverse -- and so are the challenges.

Across the state, homeless congregate in libraries daily, putting librarians on the front line of some of the most serious social issues facing our community.

Zoller said many of the homeless who come into libraries face a host of challenges, including mental health issues….

"They're are a lot more people now, and they stay in the library all day."

read … Inundated

Maui County $31K/year on Herbicide

MN: …Encounters with frustrated brainwashed community members led to the decision to begin replacing Roundup with organic weed killer Avenger. Cutting down on the amount of spraying has dropped average herbicide costs from $31,000 a year to $21,000, Rodgers said.

"In house, we've been guilty of spraying everything because it's easier," he said. "We'd spray tall weeds. We'd spray short weeds. It's been a bit of a long road to get us out of those old habits and become more efficient."

The county also is moving gradually toward Avenger, a natural herbicide that is "nice to nature, not to weeds," said Stephanie Neimiller of Cutting Edge Formulations, the maker of Avenger. The product is biodegradable; its main component is d-Limonene, a citrus oil found in vegetables, herbs and spices, Neimiller said. It kills weeds by stripping away their waxy surface, causing them to dry out and die.

Department of Public Works Director David Goode said the department has cut its herbicide use on nearly 1,000 miles of county road from 50 gallons of pesticides a year to 16.5 gallons. He said the department has also done experimental treatments with alternative products, including Avenger, but with less-than-satisfying results.

"The tests were very inconclusive in terms of efficacy," Goode said. "The plants grew right back . . . Going to another product we might use a little bit more, and we may have to do it more often, so that's where the cost factors come in."

KGI: Anti-GMO Hypesters Spin Pesticide Report, Demand State Action

read … Pests

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