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November 16, 2025 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 4:13 PM :: 155 Views

Many of the proposed Honolulu Charter amendments actually make sense

‘We need to grow those voices’ that support building more homes

Hawaii Congressional Delegation How They Voted November 14, 2025

Student Loan Forgiveness for a 'substantially illegal purpose'?

Feds: Cover-up Protects Legislator, Another Crook

CB: … Perhaps most interesting though, is two little bits of information that Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson shared with Nakamura in his letter. One is that the “influential state legislator” who took the $35,000 was not the person the court document referred to in the next paragraph as being involved in a “chargeable bribery offense.”

And that the $35,000 was in a paper bag.

“I can clear up some confusion generated by the partial unsealing of the Cullen filing,” Sorenson wrote. “The filing references a ‘chargeable bribery offense’ and many have erroneously arrived at the conclusion that this is a reference to the ‘approximately $35,000 in funds’ mentioned in previous paragraph of the motion. To clear up any misconception, the referenced ‘bribery offense’ is unrelated to the $35,000 in the paper bag. Put another way, the so named ‘influential state legislator’ was not involved in the ‘bribery offense’ alluded to in the filing.”

All the more reason the Legislature should get to the bottom of this itself. Someone gave a lawmaker $35,000 stuffed in a paper bag for campaign purposes? Sounds like there is at least a serious violation of campaign finance laws going on here. But maybe a different bribery case too? ….

FLASHBACK: FBI Recorded Hawaiʻi Lawmaker Being Given $35,000 (“Sylvia Luke”)

read … The Sunshine Blog: This Hawaiʻi Rep Has His Eye On The State Senate - Honolulu Civil Beat

If you want to get away with bribery in Hawaii, bribe big

Shapiro: … A 92-year-old Honolulu architect was convicted in state court for bribery last week and faces up to 10 years in prison after being recorded in 2022 trying to slip a $20 bill to a city permit officer.

Yet there have been no charges and conflicting explanations in the 2022 federal case involving a tape of an unnamed state legislator taking a bag containing $35,000.

Corruption fighting, Hawaii-kine….

Sorenson quickly responded that the federal probe remains active and “a parallel investigation by state authorities would potentially interfere with our investigation.”

In a confusing statement, he said “the referenced ‘bribery offense’ is unrelated to the $35,000 in the paper bag. … Put another way, the so named ‘influential state legislator’ was not involved in the ‘bribery offense’ alluded to in the filing.”

So a legislator took a paper bag stuffed with $35,000 and it wasn’t bribery? Then what was the bribery offense? The cloud over the state keeps getting darker.

Viewing this tap dancing against the $20 handshake, the lesson seems to be if you want to get away with bribery in Hawaii, bribe big….

read … Volcanic Ash: Hawaii legislators in no rush to police members’ bribery | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Open Seats for 2026: Chinatown, Pearl City, Waipahu

CB: … HD28 Rep Daniel Holt, who has represented Sand Island, Iwilei and Chinatown in the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives since 2016, has his eye on filling the soon-to-be empty seat of Sen. Karl Rhoads. Rhoads says he won’t seek another term representing Senate District 13 (Nu‘uanu, Pacific Heights, Pauoa, Pālama, Liliha, Iwilei, Chinatown and downtown)….

The other open Senate seat we know about is Henry Aquino’s District 19 (Pearl City, Waipahu, West Loch Estates, Honouliuli, Ho‘opili). He’s giving up legislating for lobbying, his last day is Nov. 30. Rep. Rachele Lamosao (District 36: Waipahu) is one of three candidates on Gov. Josh Green’s short list to replace Aquino (he has until Jan. 29) but whoever gets the seat will need to run for it in a special election held Aug. 8, the same day as the 2026 primary….

All told, 103 of Hawaii’s 123 elective seats are up in 2026….

The only gubernatorial contender on the Republican side so far (is antivaxxer) Gary Cordery (oh well) ….

SD19: Aquino Quits Senate to Join Lobbying Firm > Hawaii Free Press

SD19 Dems Send Three Names to Governor > Hawaii Free Press

read … The Sunshine Blog: This Hawaiʻi Rep Has His Eye On The State Senate - Honolulu Civil Beat

Liquid natural gas is smart energy path

SA: … Switching from oil to natural gas offers significant cost savings. According to HSEO, ratepayers could see a 15% decrease in electricity prices, saving the average household approximately $340 per year….

read … Column: Liquid natural gas is smart energy path | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Hawaii’s economy slogs through mediocre year

Borreca: … Hawaii is halfway through the final quarter of the year with economic signs showing it is wrapping up what could be considered a mediocre economic year.

Even the state’s own Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) noted in a March report that Hawaii was showing an “expected slowdown in tourism growth, higher projected consumer inflation and increasing policy uncertainty at the national and international levels.” …

“The U.S. economy has fully recovered since the first quarter of 2021. Hawaii was the second-slowest state in terms of economic recovery from the 2019 COVID recession,” the report said.

“Compared to 2019, statewide non-agriculture annual average payroll jobs were still short by 20,900 jobs in 2024. However, construction annual average payroll jobs were above 2019 levels by 4,000 jobs,” the report said. …

(CLUE: And yet, we aren’t getting any affordable housing built.)

Officials were not saying they were alarmed by the weak numbers from two of Hawaii’s reliable sources of free-spending visitors, Canada and Japan. Fire-damaged Maui continues to be a concern for tourism growth or stability….

Of course, if construction is going to lead the recovery, then there is no bigger or stronger engine to pull Hawaii out of a slump than Oahu’s own Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation project, now pegged at $11 billion….

(TRANSLATION: The ‘genius’ ideas? Build more rail: Not build affordable housing.)

read … On Politics: Hawaii’s economy slogs on with construction, tourism | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

More Reform Ideas for Legislators to Reject

CB: ... New reform measures would prohibit high level state officials from holding fundraisers and stop state employees from doing favors for former employers….

(All that is required is for Legislators to approve these bills, LOL!)

read … From Fundraisers To Favors, Ethics Panel Wants To Crack Down On State Workers - Honolulu Civil Beat

Hawaii Needs ‘Office of Legislative Ethics’

CB: … Hawaiʻi should consider establishing an independent entity to operate in the space between criminal prosecution and legislative discipline. Congress confronted the same challenge years ago and created the Office of Congressional Ethics, an external body that reviews allegations and refers findings to the House Ethics Committee. It has its critics, but its presence reassures the public that credible professionals — not colleagues — are doing the fact-finding. ….

SA: Letter: Independent entity for corruption probe | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

read … Rep. Andrew Garrett: Earning Back Public Trust Requires Independent Oversight - Honolulu Civil Beat

ACLU: Police are Guilty—Criminals are Innocent

CB: … Q: You don’t think it’s worth $1 billion of taxpayer money to build a new jail in Hālawa?

ACLU: No, no, not at all. And when we think about Smart Justice, we know that over 60% of those who are incarcerated currently are there on pre-trial detention, meaning that the majority of people that are in our jails and prisons are actually not criminals. (IQ Test: How hard are you laughing?) They have not yet been convicted of a crime. So one of our legislative priorities is going to be bail reform. What are the least restrictive means of confinement, and can we set bail at an amount that people can afford? ….

(TRANSLATION: The criminals are innocent.)

…One bill that we are introducing, that we’re the author on, is on “no secret police.” It is going to ensure that local law enforcement, or anyone, any kind of law enforcement, even federal agents that are working with this state, are not masked when they’re conducting their operations, as well as being identified. Now we understand that there may be health reasons to wear a mask that is covered for in the bill, but there still needs to be identification.

What is scaring the community the most is that essentially what looks to be like thugs are going in the streets and tearing families apart in a very aggressive manner, and that makes folks feel like they’re in the middle of gang violence. But this kind of violence is being perpetuated by the federal government and the agents that they are co-opting at this moment….

(TRANSLATION: The police are guilty.)

read … The Sunshine Interview: The Executive Director Of ACLU Hawaiʻi - Honolulu Civil Beat

Anxious Honolulu bus riders await contract resolution

SA: … Honolulu’s last bus strike was in 2003, when over 1,300 bus workers walked off the job at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 26, one day after most schools began classes. The strike lasted 34 days, halting service islandwide. To cope, the city leased more than 100 school buses and vans and organized a $3 flat-fare jitney service using taxi companies along major corridors….

read … Anxious Honolulu bus riders await contract resolution | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Boost to Tourism: Mainland Welfare Bums Spending More in Hawaii

BH: … According to data from the state Department of Transitional Assistance, there have been notable increases in out of state spending through the SNAP program in eight states. From FY24 to FY25, these expenditures have jumped by 48.7% in Illinois, 47.1% in New Jersey, 25.9% in Arkansas, 21.8% in Minnesota, 20.8% in California, 10.9% in Washington, and 1.9% in New York. There was even a 16.7% increase in SNAP spending in Hawaii by Massachusetts residents ….

Hawaii up 334 to 390 EBT expenditures by Massachusetts welfare bums ….

NM: Brooke Rollins to Newsmax: 186K Dead People Receiving SNAP Benefits | Newsmax.com

read … Massachusetts out-of-state SNAP spending soars, including in Hawaii

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