UH: Feds Cut Funding for Sea Level Hysteria
Hawaii Child Molester Caught by Feds -- gets 41 years
Kapolei Video: Druggie Deported as Parking Lot Lawyers Interfere
Lahaina Calls for Resignation of Absent Rep Elle Cochran
MN: … West Maui state Rep. Elle Cochran missed 51 of 60 House floor sessions — an 85% absence rate — during the 2025 legislative session while collecting $22,725 in per diem payments intended to cover off-island living expenses, according to House records.
Her near-total absence from legislative proceedings in Honolulu, coupled with her acceptance of these taxpayer-funded per diem payments, is drawing significant scrutiny while raising questions about the effectiveness of her representation of West Maui, especially as her district struggles with wildfire recovery.
“At this point in Lahaina’s history, we need representation more than ever before. Without a seat at the table, we are on the menu,” said Tamara Paltin, who holds the West Maui residency seat on the Maui County Council.
Cochran’s 85% rate of absences from floor sessions is “extraordinary,” according to political analyst Colin Moore, an author and associate professor in the University of Hawaiʻi School of Communication and Information.
“When a lawmaker is gone, especially during critical budget negotiations, the district loses one of its key advocates,” Moore said. “Others may step in, but no one can fully substitute for the elected representative. The reported per diem payments raise additional concerns. These payments are meant to offset the costs of staying and working in Honolulu during the session. If Rep. Cochran was not at the Capitol, it’s not clear why she should keep them.”…
West and South Maui Sen. Angus McKelvey said a district’s House and Senate representatives need to work in tandem to get the best outcome for their constituents.
“The legislative process works best when there is full participation — on the floor and in committees — so that critical issues don’t fall through the cracks,” he said. “It’s essential that elected officials across both chambers remain focused, engaged, and aligned in delivering the resources and outcomes our constituents depend on.”
“The House plays a critical role in initiating budget measures, and when a district doesn’t have consistent advocacy during session, it can become significantly harder to secure vital resources,” McKelvey said. “Especially in times of crisis, coordinated representation is essential to ensure that community priorities are reflected in the final budget.” …
Regarding lawmaker attendance as a matter of policy, Lee said: “The House is working on a draft policy regarding absences that will take effect next year. This hasn’t been an issue in the past.”…
Beginning Monday morning, Maui Now attempted to contact Cochran on her personal cellphone, which went immediately to voicemail. And, Maui Now called and left a voicemail message for Cochran at her state office; and an email to her official state representative in box. An attempt to reach her via a personal email bounced back as undeliverable.
Cochran’s extended absences from the Capitol (until now not well known) have prompted some strong condemnation from her constituents, including at least one call for her resignation from office.
Realtor and West Maui Taxpayers Association President Joseph Pluta said in an email Monday: “Elle’s attendance record speaks for itself. West Maui obviously does not receive the representation it needs and deserves. Period.”
Also Monday, WMTA Executive Director Rick Nava said in a phone interview that he was not keeping track of Cochran’s attendance at the state Legislature and didn’t realize she had that many absences.
Now that he’s aware of her absence rate, Nava said, “that’s unacceptable, of course, not only with her but with anyone who has a job.”
Cochran should resign her seat to allow Gov. Josh Green to appoint a replacement who’ll represent West Maui at the state Capitol, he said….
BACKGROUND: Lahaina Rep Elle Cochran Tangled in Lies After Missing 85% of Legislative Session
UPDATE: VIDEO: Rep Elle Cochran Calls for Trump Administration to Investigate Lahaina Corruption
read … West Maui Rep. Cochran absent from 85% of House floor sessions, still collected nearly $23,000 in per diem : Maui Now
SHOPO Bags 3 of 4 Police Chiefs
KHON: … Three of Hawaiʻi’s four county police departments may soon lack permanent chiefs, which is raising concerns about leadership stability (bag limits)….
(It isn’t 4-for-4 because SHOPO and Bissen failed in their attempt to oust Maui’s Chief Pelletier with the bogus Sean Combs lawsuit.)…
Honolulu’s Joe Logan announced on Monday that he will retire at the end of June,
Kauai’s Todd Raybuck will step aside on June 12 and the Big Island will also need a new permanent leader if Hawaiʻi’s Ben Moszkowicz becomes Honolulu’s interim chief.
(CLUE: Nobody complained when Kealoha was Chief. Learn from that.)
“All of the commissions, when they’re looking for a chief, that they not only take input from the community, but they take input from the rank and file officers on the beat, that are answering, the 911 calls for service,” said SHOPO president Robert Cavaco.
“After Chief Ballard retired, you know, it took police commission in Honolulu over a year to select Chief Logan,” Cavaco said.
A Honolulu Police Commission member said the quick suggestion from Blangiardi was surprising and added that filling interim and permanent replacement positions will not be his call.
“The police commission is in charge of hiring and firing the chief. That’s pretty much the main thing that we are chartered to do,” said Ann Botticelli. “I appreciate the mayor’s recommendation. He’s made it. But does that give Chief Moszkowitz, a leg up over other candidates, per se? I don’t think so.”
“And so I think at this point, what the mayor can do to help us expedite that, is to make sure that the city HR department moves our request for support from an outside agency along pretty quickly,” she said.
SHOPO’s president said he is hopeful that the search for a permanent replacement for Chief Logan will not take longer than five months and said he will be in touch with the three county police commissions as the search for each department continues….
read … Leadership in limbo among Hawaii police departments
40% Astronomy Cuts - Beyond TMT Cancellation
CB: … Deep budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration would deal a major blow to several important observatories in Hawaiʻi, beyond pulling support for a future Thirty Meter Telescope, threatening the state’s status as a world-class hub for ground-based astronomy research and education.
The administration’s proposed new budget for the National Science Foundation and NASA would sharply reduce maintenance or operational funding for the W.M. Keck Observatory as well as the International Gemini Observatory on Mauna Kea. It would also reduce funding for the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on Maui by nearly 40% next year.
Details about those cuts emerged days after news broke that the NSF would not commit critical funds toward controversial plans to build the Thirty Meter Telescope on the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaiʻi’s tallest mountain, and planned to direct major funding to the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile instead.
Douglas Simons, director of the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy, said the federal budget proposals are “on the edge of being just completely catastrophic” for some of the astronomy facilities in the island state.
“You can’t hit a facility with a 40% cut and expect good things to happen,” he said. “I think that’s just common sense.”…
read … Hawaiʻi Astronomy Stares Into The Abyss Of Federal Cuts - Honolulu Civil Beat
Maui Council ‘Affordable’ Homes Plan—Property Tax Increase on ALL rental homes
HNN: … The Maui County Council passed a $1.5 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year on Tuesday.
Councilmembers passed more than $40 million over what Mayor Bissen proposed in March. They say affordable housing for locals remains their top priority and they plan to fund projects by raising property taxes on the county’s wealthiest residents….
The budget sets aside more than $17 million for the Lanai Affordable Housing Project which includes more than 350 affordable homes….
To pay for it, the council is raising property taxes on hotels, timeshares, and short-term rentals. They will also raise property taxes on non-owner-occupied homes worth more than $1 million (ie ALL non-owner occupied rental homes) and residents who live in homes worth more than $4.5 million ….
Bissen can either accept the bill or veto it. If he vetoes it, the council needs six votes to override his decision. Once the budget is finalized, it goes into effect July 1st….
MN: Council approves nearly $1.56 billion budget amid ‘economic uncertainty’ : Maui Now
read ... Council passes $1.5B budget to make way for first affordable homes for sale on Lanai in decades
Honolulu Council to review city’s proposed $5.14 billion budget for approval
SA: … The Honolulu City Council today is scheduled to review for approval Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s $5.14 billion budget package for fiscal year 2026.
Submitted in early March, the mayor’s budget — which proposes a $3.93 billion operating budget and a $1.21 billion capital improvement program that, if adopted, begins July 1 — touted it would cover costs without raising real property tax rates, according to city officials.
The city says spending priorities include directing $143.8 million to affordable housing and homeless service facilities….
read … Council to review city’s proposed $5.14 billion budget for approval | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Community Solar: Total Fail – “We just want out”
CB: … Hawaiʻi’s shared solar program has proven far more complex to navigate, according to Gates, Neighborhood Power’s founder and president. While the company has over 800 subscribers for its projects in other states, and more on waiting lists, on Molokaʻi it has just 15. They use only about 30% of the project’s 250-kilowatt capacity.
The rest of the power, Gates said, flows to Hawaiian Electric Co., which sells the electricity for about 50 cents per kilowatt hour.
Gates’ proposed solution: “Let us out, please. We just want out.” ….
COINCIDENCE? Total Fail: HECO ‘Time-of-Use Rates’ Abandoned
read … Community Solar Farms Meant To Save Money Fail To Gain Traction In Hawaiʻi
252 Days to Get Residential Building Permit
CB: … DPP (claims) it is already reviewing plans much faster than it used to, but property owners aren’t necessarily feeling that.
It took 252 days to get a residential permit in the first quarter of this year — or more than eight months — based on a Civil Beat analysis of the median permitting time. That’s slightly better than 2024 but much longer than the 38 days it took in 2019.
The median wait for commercial job permits was 393 days, more than a year – a 20% increase over 2024 and an apparent all-time high.
DPP says it is doing reviews more quickly, but staff are doing more rounds of review for each application. …
read … Honolulu Mayor: With AI, Building Permit Office Will Speed Up By Year's End - Honolulu Civil Beat
New Bill Could Offer Insurance Relief for Hawai‘i Condo and Home Owners
KITV: … As wildfire risks and hurricane season loom, thousands of Hawai‘i homeowners, particularly those living in older condominiums, are facing soaring insurance premiums or being denied coverage altogether.
A new bill passed by state lawmakers could offer them a critical safety net.
Senate Bill 1044 expands the authority of the Hawai‘i Property Insurance Association (HPIA), allowing it to temporarily provide coverage for high-risk properties that are otherwise uninsurable.
It also reopens the long-dormant Hurricane Relief Fund and establishes a new state-backed loan program to help condo associations finance necessary repairs, including fire sprinklers and plumbing systems….
SB1044: Text, Status
read … New Bill Could Offer Insurance Relief for Hawai‘i Condo and Home Owners | News | kitv.com
Milestone agreement to strengthen health care in West Hawaiʻi
BIN: … This initiative brings together Kona Community Hospital, Kohala Hospital, and provider groups from The Queen’s Health Systems and Aliʻi Health Center under a unified effort to keep care local and strengthen specialty services on the island.
“This agreement represents a huge step forward in how we collaborate to meet the needs of our West Hawaiʻi communities,” said Dr. Jeffrey Palmgren, chief medical officer of West Hawaiʻi Region. “By sharing our workforce and aligning our goals, we can build a true physician group culture that supports our current providers, attracts new talent, and ultimately keeps our patients from having to leave the island to get the care they need.”..
read … Milestone agreement to strengthen health care in West Hawaiʻi : Big Island Now
EPA Terminates $14M Waianae Homeless Puuhonua Grant
SA: … Thanks to a nearly $14 million Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the “Uplifting Wai‘anae” initiative is set to transform these challenges into a model of environmental resilience, community empowerment and Native Hawaiian innovation. Led by the Pacific International Center for High Technology Research (PICHTR) and our place-based partner Dynamic Community Solutions, this initiative weaves traditional Hawaiian wisdom with leading-edge technology, offering a blueprint not just for Waianae, but for the entire state.
At the core of our work is Pu‘uhonua O Wai‘anae (POW) Farm Village — a self-organized community of over 200 residents, many of them Native Hawaiian, who once lived houseless along the boat harbor. Now they are leading the charge in building a regenerative community from the ground up. Through the grant, POW will soon become energy independent, powered by microgrids, and home to cutting- edge containerized farms that bring healthy, local food to the people.
However, on May 1, the EPA terminated the grant….
read … Column: Waianae project deserving of federal grant | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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