December 16, 2025 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Tuesday, December 16, 2025

December 16, 2025 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 2:00 PM :: 162 Views

Bissen signs Bill 9 into law immediately after Maui County Council vote

Honolulu Health Care Costs 15th Highest in USA

Charter Amendment: Exempt DPP from Civil Service

Honolulu Charter Amendment to Streamline Housing Approvals

Hawaii Minimum Wage Increases to $16 January 1

Green: I Am Planning $1.5B Tax Hike

KHON: … “We had plenty of money, and then this last 10 months, basically the federal government took a lot of actions that took $3 billion out of our economy, the tariffs, the shutdown, and so on,” Green said. “So we’re okay, we’re not going to have to make cuts to services or people, but we passed a $5.5 billion tax break for our people to make things more affordable. That $5.5 billion tax break will probably come down a little bit with the work that I’ll do with the legislature, down to about 4 billion....”

TRANSLATION: “I am proposing a $1.5B tax hike.”

read … Gov. Green tackling tight budget, healthcare uncertainty | KHON2

Legislative Agenda: Mayors Propose 12.5% GE Tax Hike

CB: … Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi says he and the other county mayors will ask the Legislature to extend the 0.5% excise tax surcharge to 2055 to pay for Oʻahu’s rail system.

I found this out in a phone conversation with the mayor on Friday to talk about the larger issues facing the Skyline system, such as where the city will find the additional $1.6 billion needed to build the system as planned to Ala Moana Center….

The state started imposing the rail tax surcharge in January 2007. It was supposed to be a temporary tax with an original expiration date of 2022 but it’s been extended twice, to Dec. 31, 2030.

And Blangiardi said Friday that the mayors had agreed at a Zoom meeting earlier that same day to ask the Legislature to extend the 0.5% tax surcharge to 2055, both for Oʻahu rail and to help the county mayors alleviate their own pressing traffic problems.

(DO THE MATH: .50/4.0 = 12.5%. This is a 12.5% GE Tax hike for 25 more years.)

The bill will be submitted to state lawmakers in January as part of the Hawaii Council of Mayors joint package.

Senate President Ron Kouchi said Monday he had not seen the mayors’ proposal yet. But, he says, “It will be a big deal. Everything to do with rail is big deal because of cost and policy issues.”

Kouchi says the proposal to extend the rail tax to 2055 will be considered as a part of the Legislature’s overall economic package along with lots of other things such as potential federal budget cuts and tax revenue losses in todayʻs weaker economy….

read … Denby Fawcett: County Mayors Want More Money For Honolulu Rail System - Honolulu Civil Beat

Maui County to Steal ‘only’ 1,700 Short Term Rentals? New zoning on agenda for Friday

MN: … Prior to the vote, Uʻu-Hodgins said that if Bill 9 passed on final reading, policy suggestions from a temporary investigative group would be on the agenda for the County Council’s next meeting on Friday.

Introduced by Cook, a resolution proposes establishing new zones where short-term vacation rentals would be permitted. Cook’s proposal is based on the temporary investigative group’s recommendations to allow continued short-term rentals at properties where it’s deemed appropriate, even after Bill 9’s five-year phaseout is complete.

“Throughout this process, we have sought to pursue an outcome that will benefit Maui County’s residents by promoting housing availability while stabilizing the economy,” Uʻu-Hodgins said in a statement.

Uʻu-Hodgins said that if the resolution is adopted, she plans to advance another of the investigative group’s recommendations by introducing council-initiated zoning changes for 4,500 units that the investigative group identified as appropriate for ongoing short-term rental uses.

(DO THE MATH: 6,200-4,500=1,700 units stolen.)

Other council members and Bissen have also expressed support for enacting the group’s recommendations….

(DO THE MATH: 1,700 x $500K = $850M that Maui County does not have. As Bissen knows, eminent domain is not free.)

read … Maui County Council passes Bill 9 on second reading; new zoning on agenda for Friday | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News

Crony and Convicted Felon Land Deal: Hawaiian Homes Commission to Vote Tuesday

CB: … A planned commercial center could (help developers skip past Honolulu zoning requirements) ….

The project, which the commission will vote on Tuesday, is the brainchild of Kalanianaʻole Development, founded by developer Patti Tancayo (crony of Kali Watson) and Nan Chul Shin, (convicted felon—bid rigger) owner of the major contracting firm Nan Inc. Kalanianaʻole Development proposed purchasing that ʻEwa land, donating it to the department, and then leasing the land back from the state agency through a special purpose entity it controls to avoid county zoning rules that restrict commercial development at the site….

There was … some consternation among testifiers at Monday’s hearing over DHHL Director Kali Watson’s ties to Kalanianaʻole Development. Tancayo, the organization’s president, was the vice president of a nonprofit Watson lead before taking over as director in 2023. …

Kalanianaʻole Development is in the process of buying the 22-acre parcel from the Roman Catholic Church for just over $6 million. What exactly will go on the site hasn’t been decided yet. In addition to retail space, the developers in the past have floated the idea of medical offices and sports or entertainment facilities….

The project has faced heavy criticism from homesteaders and ʻEwa residents worried about the precedent the department is setting by using its powers to skirt stricter zoning rules for commercial projects instead of using the land for housing.

“Developers out there are salivating over this decision,” ʻEwa Sen. Kurt Fevella said….

read … Hawaiian Homelands Could Get More Money Out Of ʻEwa Land Swap Deal - Honolulu Civil Beat

Wespac Looks To Expand Commercial Access To Hawaiʻi's Papahānaumokuākea

CB: … The move comes in the wake of President Donald Trump’s order last April asking fishery officials to explore reopening the monuments to commercial fishing.

Wespac has for years opposed commercial fishing bans in the Pacific. A brewing legal battle leaves it unclear whether Wespac, backed by the Honolulu-based longline industry and other seafood interests, will ultimately prevail.

Kitty Simonds, Wespac’s longtime executive director, told Civil Beat on Monday that the group considers it a priority to resume bottomfishing and trolling in Papahānaumokuākea’s waters that extend 50 miles out from shore, and to restart longline fishing in the waters 50 to 200 miles out from shore.

“We haven’t changed what we’d like to see from the time of (establishing) the monument, right?” Simonds said. “We made our arguments.” ….

read … Wespac Looks To Expand Commercial Access To Hawaiʻi's Papahānaumokuākea - Honolulu Civil Beat

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