November 23, 2025 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Sunday, November 23, 2025

November 23, 2025 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 3:00 PM :: 100 Views

How Lopez and Nakamura are Blocking State Inquiry Into Which Legislator Took $35,000 In A Paper Bag

CB: … Based upon a recent letter from Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson, Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez and House Speaker Nadine Nakamura have taken the position that state authorities can do nothing to investigate a $35,000 transaction involving an unknown but influential legislator. I strongly disagree with their interpretation of Sorenson’s letter.

I believe his letter supports, rather than negates, a state investigation, including empowering a special legislative committee to launch an inquiry and hold hearings. I say this based on my experience as a federal criminal defense attorney for over 35 years and having worked with Sorenson for many of those years….

First, there is no law, rule or regulatory requirement that a state authority cannot or even should not conduct its own investigation when there is a federal investigation underway. This is particularly true when the state investigation focuses on violations of state law or misconduct of a state employee. It is simply a choice or a courtesy.

Second, unlike how the AG and Speaker Nakamura portray Sorenson’s letter, he never said that an independent state investigation would impede the federal investigation, he only said it would potentially interfere. Sorenson, a professional prosecutor with years of experience, chose his words carefully. He could have said it would impede their investigation. He didn’t. In other words, no red-light signal was given by Sorenson as claimed by the Speaker and the AG.

This is not mere mincing of words, not when a seasoned prosecutor puts it in writing. And Sorenson is far from shy in being direct, as evidenced by his telling Civil Beat in March that if it exposed the existence of the $35,000 transaction, “it will endanger an ongoing investigation.” Now eight months after the $35,000 transaction was made public, Sorenson says there is only a potential for a state investigation to interfere. The cat, as they say, was let out of the bag months ago. …

read … The Case For A State Inquiry Into Which Legislator Took $35,000 In A Paper Bag - Honolulu Civil Beat

Green: Democrats need a Moderate Like Me for President--Can’t win with ‘Radical from California’

AP: … But Green, a moderate who has occasionally frustrated liberal interest groups, said he worries that Newsom will be seen as “a radical from California.” …

“But if Gavin is ultimately going to win over America, he will have to also adopt some of the conciliatory, collegial rhetoric — or even policy ideas — that others are going for,”…

Green said he’s hopeful both parties will nominate candidates committed to healing the deep partisan divide, warning that the country is “dangerously close to a political civil war.” He named Democratic Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, along with Republican Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah and himself.

“We’re going to need leaders that are willing to take from both ideologies,” Green said. “I think that that’s who the next president should be, whoever that is, whether it’s Republican or Democrat.”…

CB: The Sunshine Blog: Josh Green For President? He's Still Saying Maybe - Honolulu Civil Beat

read … Hawaii Gov. Green predicts Newsom won't satisfy Americans' desire for a peacemaking leader in 2028 | AP News

‘Progressive’ Plan for 2026 Legislature: Four Big Tax Hikes on Housing

CB: … Many (‘progressives’ like transsexual trust fund baby Kim Coco Iwamoto) were disappointed with the outcome of the 2025 regular session.

… Except for the tourist “green fee,” we failed to pass revenue-generating bills or close tax loopholes benefiting only the rich and out-of-state investors.

No increased conveyance taxes on luxury properties,
no general excise tax surcharge on vacant homes,
no tax-equity on capital gains, and
no taxes on real estate investment trusts profits.

(TRANSLATION: Progressive Affordable Housing Plan? Tax housing in four new ways.)

(CLUE: If Green wants to be a ‘Moderate’ Dem candidate for pres in 2028, he has to defend his tax cuts.)

read … Rep. Kim Coco Iwamoto: Why No Special Session For The Hawaiʻi Legislature? - Honolulu Civil Beat

Five Weeks Until Army Seizes Training Land

Shapiro: … Time is central again in the fight over Army renewal of land leases around the Pohakuloa Training Area on Mauna Kea, scheduled to expire in 2029.

Hawaiian opponents of the military presence, who won a major victory when the state Land Board rejected the Army’s environmental impact statement for continued use of Pohakuloa, want to play the red tape inch by inch.

The Army, which values the land for training against possible China conflicts, is impatient and demanding lease renewal by the end of the year.

Gov. Josh Green says the Army is looking into seizing the land by condemnation and bypassing local regulations, a threat he takes seriously given the Trump administration’s penchant for taking what it wants….

Green seeks to negotiate a relatively speedy deal in which Hawaii would receive an eye-popping $10 billion … (LOL!)

… Ambitious Office of Hawaiian Affairs Chair Kai Kahele has joined the fray and his agency is holding its own public meetings and lobbying Congress to require Hawaiian involvement in lease negotiations.

If the Army sticks to its deadline and flexes its might, this battle probably won’t end well for Hawaiian opponents.

read … Volcanic Ash: Dispute over Army leases a part of a long continuum | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

RPZ Surprise: City begins Charging Residents $125 to Park on their own Street

SA: … Question: The city is enforcing the members of our strictly residential community to pay an annual fee of $125 per vehicle that parks on the public street between the hours of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. The program is called RPZ (restricted parking zone). It goes into effect, from what I’ve been told, in January. What upsets many of my fellow senior citizens is that this RPZ thing started in 2017. We were given tags to hang from our rear-view mirrors. For the past nine years this RPZ thing was free. Now we are being charged, and if we don’t comply we can be fined by the hour. Can the city do this to us? Is this legal? I’ve been told we are the only community that is going through this. We pay our share of taxes, and don’t need this extra expense, especially those of us on a fixed income.

Answer: The fees you described (and much higher, for households with more than one car) are allowed under a municipal law approved in October 2023 and administrative rules adopted in July as what began as a no-fee pilot project in 2017 to restore street parking for neighborhood residents crowded out of a few Kalihi Valley roadways evolved into a parking management law covering more of that area and allowing expansion to other Oahu neighborhoods. The law lets parking rules be tailored to a particular zone, with uniform permit fees and fines for unpermitted vehicles.

However, only the Kalihi Valley RPZ is established, and now that residents face paying for the parking privilege for the first time (for 2026 permits) few are signing up

read … Kokua Line: Can city charge us $125 a year to park in own neighborhood? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Hawaii grocery shopping is hell

SC: … The local high prices and difficulties in shopping were also naturally expressed, drawing sympathy from many Internet users.

Internet users say, "Hawaii prices are really scary", There were various reactions such as "view is heaven, grocery shopping is hell" …

SA: Donations needed as families face higher costs | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

read … Jeong Hyeong-don ♥ Han Yu-ra, the heinous cost of living felt in Haw | SportsChosun

Republican Legislators Still Stand behind their demented picks for Election Commission

CB: … Tam indicated the Legislature would take up the issue of the Elections Commission in the 2026 session, since it is legislators who make the appointments. He said he would still like to see Senate confirmation of the commissioners, something called for in a bill he introduced last session and which carries over to the new session.

“What I’m advocating for is for us to at least give them some kind of Senate confirmation, so the public has the right to testify on their qualifications. I think the public has a right to know who we’re putting on our Elections Commission, and the public should have a right to know whether our election commissioners are conspiracy theorists.”

But Tam also suggested that it is the appointments made by Republicans that have led to turmoil.

“I think a better question is, why are the minority members putting election conspiracy theorists on this commission?”

Tam added, “I have not had any conversations with the minority members. I think it’s their job to have conversations with the members that they put on there as to ask them why they’re moving us in this direction.”

Rep. Lauren Matsumoto, the House minority leader, picked Cushnie of Kauaʻi. She declined to comment on the appointment and had no response to Tam.

She did, however, respond to a question about how she felt about the work of Cushnie and his allies on the commission.

“I appreciate their efforts to increase transparency within the Office of Elections and respond to public calls for more in-person voting opportunities,” she said in a text message. “Trust in our election process is vital, and we must all work together to uphold it.” …

REALITY: Long Lines Suppress Republican Votes on Election Day: City Clerk Plans to do it Again

Meanwhile: The Peter Bernegger Case

read … Here's How To Get The Hawaiʻi Elections Commission Back On Track - Honolulu Civil Beat

Strong cruise recovery collides with Hawaii’s ‘climate’ rules

SA: … As Hawaii’s tourism industry recovers from pandemic-era declines and the devastating 2023 Maui wildfires, cruise visitation has become a flash point in debates over economic resilience and environmental responsibility.

Last month, the state Department of Transportation finalized its Energy Security & Waste Reduction Plan Opens in a new tab mandating a 50% cut in transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 and net- negative emissions by 2045. Cruise ships may continue operating in Hawaii only if they transition to cleaner-burning fuels and submit annual emissions reports.

read … Strong cruise recovery collides with Hawaii’s climate rules | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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