April 7, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Tuesday, April 7, 2026

April 7, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 4:54 PM :: 145 Views

Hawaii joins states suing to force EPA to continue CO2 regulation

Protecting our Tax Cuts: Senate Holds Firm

ASD: … In the spring of 2024, Hawai‘i did something unusual: It cut income taxes.

Its backers called it the largest income tax cut in state history. A family of four earning the median household income of $91,000 would see their tax bill drop by 69% by 2031.

Rep. Kyle Yamashita, then House Finance chair, called it “a foundational piece in restructuring our tax code.” For once, the language wasn’t empty — because Yamashita had a plan.

Hawai‘i has some of the lowest property taxes in the nation — low enough, he argued, to draw out-of-state buyers in. About 30% of homes statewide are owned by outside buyers, he said, driving up prices and pushing local families out. The problem? The state doesn’t control property taxes. Counties do. And counties, facing their own pressures, weren’t going to raise them on their own.

At a public hearing, Yamashita suggested cutting off the GET surcharge revenue the state shares with the counties: “We stop giving the counties money, and then they have to make that shift.” The cut wasn’t only relief for working families. It was the opening move in a longer game — starve state revenue, force spending cuts, and squeeze the counties into doing what the Legislature couldn’t: raise property taxes.

The plan rested on a quiet bet that Yamashita would still be Finance chair when it came time for Step Two.

Then House Speaker Scott Saiki lost his primary to Kim Coco Iwamoto in August 2024.

When Nadine Nakamura took the speakership, the factions that had kept Yamashita in place shifted around him. Rep. Chris Todd replaced him as Finance chair. The memo offered no reason, only that “the House has decided to move in a new direction.” Todd said “basic math” meant lawmakers would have to recoup the lost tax revenue.

Governor Green wants to repeal the last five years of the cuts, keeping roughly $1.8 billion in state revenue. The House passed his bill 39 to 11. The Senate has held firm. Ways and Means Chair Donovan Dela Cruz called the 2024 cuts “landmark legislation” while noting the changed fiscal picture — and a clash between the two chambers is coming.….

read … The missing step

SB2602: UH System Hoards $429M in Special Funds

SA: … the Tax Foundation of Hawaii argued that UH has “hoarded” nearly $429 million in student tuition and fees as of June.

“Not surprisingly, the University of Hawaii and the U.H. Professional Assembly howled in opposition,” the foundation wrote in support of SB 2602. “… Maybe the University can justify squirreling away a few million here, a few million there. But $400 million? And when the University undertakes a major construction project, it doesn’t hesitate to visit lawmakers with hat in hand, as was done in 2019 when it asked for authorization to rebuild its venerable Sinclair Library into a brand-spankin’-new Student Success Center. Yes, it got $41 million in authorization then, and costs ballooned to $57 million by the time construction started in 2023.” …

SB2602: Text, Status

read … Funding restrictions would be ‘catastrophic’ for UH | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Salary Commission advances 4.7% pay boost for city officials, Council

SA: … During its meeting Monday, the Salary Commission, which establishes compensation schedules for municipal positions, proposed raising the mayor’s annual salary to $236,705, up from its current $226,080 a year.

Likewise, the annual salary for the Council chairperson, now set at $132,048, would increase to $137,801, while Council members would see their annual pay jump to $127,801, up from $122,064.

Other top city posts would see similar pay bumps.

Among them, the city’s managing director position would rise to $226,403 a year — an appointed job that now earns $216,240 annually. City department heads who now receive $201,984 a year would see that amount boosted to $211,477.

The Honolulu Police Department chief would go to $261,306 annually, up from $249,576. The annual salary for the Honolulu Fire Department chief would increase to $253,014 from its current $241,656.

The prosecuting attorney’s yearly pay would climb to $215,343, up from $214,272 annually.

And the city’s medical examiner, who’s paid $416,016 a year, would get a salary adjustment to $435,569 a year, according to the commission’s proposal.

Following a contentious 64% pay increase for the City Council in 2023, which paved the way for the elected members to draw six-figure, city-funded salaries, subsequent legislation took final decision-making on pay raises out of the Council’s hands and gave that responsibility solely to the Salary Commission.

In November 2024, Oahu voters were asked to consider a charter amendment to cap any future Council pay raises at 5% annually and require that future pay hikes be equivalent to the average of the most recent salary changes for the city’s various collective bargaining units.

The charter amendment was overwhelmingly approved, capturing a little more than 90% of the vote….

read … Salary Commission advances 4.7% pay boost for city officials, Council | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Lifelong Criminal Caught Again in Ocean View—already released

SA: … Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Kenneth J. Mansfield released Martinez Cebreros Thursday on an unsecured bond in the amount of $50,000 and placed him in transitional housing with GPS monitoring, according to federal court records.

(TRANSLATION: He’s already been released.)

A “confidential source” working for Homeland Security Investigations told federal agents Martinez Cebreros was seen in Waikoloa twice in April 2025.

Martinez Cebreros has a lengthy criminal record stretching from California to Hawaii.

On Sept. 29, 1989, he was arrested by officers with the Modesto, Calif., Police Department and charged with battery of a peace officer, a misdemeanor. Less than three months later, on Dec. 14, 1989, he was arrested by Oakdale, Calif., Police Department officers for resisting a public officer, also a misdemeanor.

Martinez Cebreros was later convicted of resisting arrest and sentenced to two days in jail, 24 months of probation and a fine.

It is unclear how he got to Hawaii or how he obtained a driver’s license, but on Aug. 27, 1993, he was arrested by Hawaii Police Department officers for drunken driving. Martinez Cebreros was found guilty, had his driver’s license suspended for 90 days and was fined $500, according to state court records.

Five years later, on Jan. 10, 1998, he was arrested again for possession of a firearm without a permit and failure to register a firearm, both misdemeanors. He was released pending investigation, but two days later Martinez Cebreros was arrested by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents.

He was convicted July 6, 1998, of knowingly and intentionally possessing black-tar heroin with intent to distribute, according to federal court documents. Martinez Cebreros was sentenced to 24 months of incarceration and 36 months of supervised release.

Because of the felony conviction, he was ordered removed from the United States to Mexico on May 18, 1999. It is not clear how he got back into the U.S. and made his way to Hawaii island again, and what documents he used to get another Hawaii driver’s license.

On June 13, 2009, Martinez Cebreros was arrested for a third time by Hawaii police officers for drunken driving and lack of car insurance. He lost his license again for 90 days and paid a $1,500 fine.

Nine years after that, on Aug. 7, 2018, he was arrested on Hawaii island and charged with criminal contempt of court and sentenced to a day in jail….

2020: 03-18-20 Wanted person: Roberto Martinez Cebreros (sex assualt)

read … Drug felon deported to Mexico in 1999 found in Waikoloa | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

SB2721: Keep more Meth-heads out of jail and on the streets

CB: … Hawaiʻi has the longest average probation terms in the country — more than double the national average — something lawmakers appear poised to change this year as part of a broader slate of revisions to the state’s criminal code….

… lengthy probation terms increase the likelihood that someone (who is good at not getting caught) will be (able to be) incarcerated not for criminal conduct but for minor probation violations like missing meetings with their probation officer or possessing drugs and failing to comply with treatment….

(IQ Test: Are you fooled by this argument?)

… Judges handed out more than 17,000 probation orders in Hawaiʻi between July 2024 and June 2025.

~~About 45%~~ (55%) of ‘people’ on felony probation in Hawaiʻi in 2015 and 2016 ~~didn’t get in any trouble~~ (got caught committing new crimes) while under supervision, according to a 2019 study by the Hawaiʻi Interagency Council for Intermediate Sanctions. The study didn’t differentiate between people who committed new offenses and those who only violated their probation terms. (It also didn’t account for crimes committed by those who didn’t get caught.)

(MATH PROJECT: Correlate these numbers with the HPD’s case closure rates.)

Out of 1,301 felony probationers, 533 — about 41% — were arrested or violated their probation within the first year. Another 160 people were arrested or violated probation in their second year on probation. By the third year, that number dropped to just 14 people (because the less skilled criminals were back in jail where they belong, leaving those who are better at not getting caught.)…

SB2721: Text, Status

read … Hawaiʻi Weighs Shorter Probation, Lighter Punishment For Drugs - Honolulu Civil Beat

Early Education Bill Gutted, Replaced With School Leadership Restrictions

CB: … Kim’s original bill, which initially proposed cutting 15 superintendent positions from Hawaiʻi schools, received strong pushback from school leaders and drew the ire of the union representing principals and other school employees in February (who NEED those make-work positions to get their top three.)

As of late last week, House Bill 2567 was focused on its original intent to create a special fund to invest in early learning programs. But on Monday morning, members of the Senate Education and Ways and Means Committees agreed to delete the language about early education and replace it with wording from one of Sen. Donna Kim’s bills that died earlier this year.

The new version of the bill includes a series of reforms to top leadership in the education department, including putting an unspecified cap on the number of superintendents overseeing schools and asking the state education board to regularly evaluate the performance of complex area superintendents.

During Monday’s hearing, the Department of the Attorney General raised concerns about the legality of the bill, pointing out that it could face challenges under a 2021 Hawaiʻi Supreme Court ruling that outlawed gut-and-replace bills. For years prior, lawmakers would insert new language into the shell of an unrelated bill to circumvent a rule that requires three readings for a bill to pass.

Despite the misgivings of the attorney general’s office, all present members of the Senate Ways and Means and Education Committees voted in favor of the bill and raised few concerns about its constitutionality. …

read … Early Education Bill Gutted, Replaced With School Leadership Restrictions - Honolulu Civil Beat

Campaign Spending Commission questioned over enforcement

HNN: ... The Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission is facing scrutiny following Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke’s recent admission of clerical errors in her campaign accounting from 2022.

Critics say the agency should have caught the problem sooner.

The commission, which oversees hundreds of candidates running for office statewide and their contributors, operates with a staff of five — the same staffing level it has had for 50 years. In that time there’s been a significant increase in the number of candidates, political offices, and donations….

… “We need more help, particularly because with every election, we have over 100 new candidates,” Izumi-Nitao said candidates need to be informed as to what the law is and to file the necessary reports.

“We’ll help you file the report. We will help you know what the law is,” Izumi-Nitao said anyone unsure should call the office.

The CSC also maintains a publicly accessible candidate database so staffers, journalists and watchdog groups can check the books of politicians….

read … Help on the way for Campaign Spending Commission amid compliance calls | Hawaii News Now

The Biggest Renewable Energy and GHG Lies Aren't Denials— It's the Math

IM: … all energy bought, sold, and used in Hawaii could be renewable energy this year. It just takes a four word state law that redefines the term: “Renewable energy means energy.” ….

read … The Biggest Renewable Energy and GHG Lies Aren't Denials— It's the Math | Ililani Media

Join Employers Working to Make Hawai'i Affordable

HB: … Local non-profit Holomua Collective is inviting employers across Hawai‘i to participate in the 2026 Holomua Collective Affordability Survey. Participation is free. It helps us build local data. The kind of data that thought leaders, policymakers, and communities use to better understand what drives cost-of-living for working families in Hawai‘i — and what must change so people can afford to stay and thrive.

Why does this matter? Holomua’s 2025 Survey included more than 3,200 local workers from 25 local employers and found that 75% of survey respondents said they will relocate or are unsure if they will relocate because of economic pressures. …

By choosing to participate, your organization will receive a free dataset. This confidential aggregated report is based on your employees’ responses, along with statewide benchmarks. Participating employers gain useful insights into how your workforce compares with others in Hawai‘i on issues such as job satisfaction, affordability pressures, and whether employees are considering moving away. No individual responses are shared.

For employers, participating is a chance to both contribute to solutions and gain actionable insight for internal decision-making.

Click here to learn more….

read … Join Employers Working to Make Hawai'i Affordable - Hawaii Business Magazine

Vacation Rental Owners Could Face New Hawaiʻi County Rules

CB: … Hawaiʻi County Council members are taking another crack at regulating short-term rentals after failed attempts in recent years to close loopholes and clarify existing rules.

The county first tackled vacation rentals in 2018 with Bill 108. That law defined where “unhosted” vacation rentals — properties where the owner does not live on the premises — were allowed and created an avenue for existing rentals outside those zones to continue operating.

Last year, the council went after hosted vacation rentals, too. Bill 47 was the first step to regulate accommodations where the owner lives on the property. That law requires owners to register with the county and imposes a fine of up to $10,000 for failing to do so.

Bill 147 will be heard by a council committee on Tuesday ….

“We’ve gotten a lot of complaints from ~~residents who are dealing with noisy vacation rental tenants, irresponsible vacation rental owners~~ (hotels),” Inaba said…

Many, including council member Ashley Kierkiewicz, urged the county to conduct an economic impact study before imposing regulations.

That study was completed in June. It found that restricting short-term vacation rentals would result in a loss of nearly one-fourth of visitor spending. A ban, which the county was not pursuing, would have detrimental effects on the island’s economy and owners, 54% of whom rely on rental income to cover housing costs.

Lost short-term rental units wouldn’t likely be converted to long-term housing either, the study found. Just 4% of owners said they’d convert their properties if vacation rentals were restricted….

read … Vacation Rental Owners Could Face New Hawaiʻi County Rules - Honolulu Civil Beat

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