April 8, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Wednesday, April 8, 2026

April 8, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 2:09 PM :: 138 Views

Hawaii climate litigation drives higher utility bills

Destruction of Evidence: Convicted Hawaiʻi Lawmaker's Emails Were Deleted When He Left Office

CB: … Soon after Hawaiʻi. Rep. Ty Cullen left office, resigning in disgrace due to a bribery scandal, the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives wiped his email account clean, deleting years of messages.

What kinds of emails he exchanged with the man convicted of bribing him, Milton Choy, the public may never know. Also unknown is what kinds of conversations, if any, Cullen shared with a lobbyist named Tobi Solidum. Solidum is believed to be connected to an investigation into $35,000 in a paper bag given to another “influential” lawmaker in 2022 — an exchange Cullen recorded for the FBI.

House information technology staff, as it turns out, deletes the computer accounts, including emails, of representatives almost as soon as they leave office, according to Brian Takeshita, chief clerk for the House….

In contrast, the Hawaiʻi Senate’s practice is to store emails for up to two years after a lawmaker’s departure, according to Senate clerk Carol Taniguchi. Emails aren’t directly addressed in the Senate’s records retention schedule, which lays out which records need to be saved and for how long.

Alexander Silvert, an attorney who filed a citizens’ petition calling on lawmakers to investigate the $35,000 transaction, said legislator emails need to be preserved so the public can have a record of how bills are created and negotiated.

“We have a right to know the history of their actions,” he said. “And these are emails sent on government computers dealing with government business.”

The House email account of former Rep. Sylvia Luke, who dined with Cullen and Solidum in January 2022, was also deleted, Takeshita told Civil Beat. At the time of that dinner, Cullen had already been arrested by the FBI and was working with federal investigators….

read … Convicted Hawaiʻi Lawmaker's Emails Were Deleted When He Left Office - Honolulu Civil Beat

Kona Low 3: Will DEM get it right on the 3^rd Try?

SA: … Honolulu’s Department of Emergency Management (DEM) fumbled its response to North Shore flooding threats during a second round of Kona-low storms that began March 19 — revealing fundamental weaknesses in the initial emergency “activation” process for pulling a control center and emergency teams into play. Dangerous gaps must be closed to optimize information relied on for life-and-death decision-making….

Emergency preparations must evolve, as revealed by DEM’s lack of real-time awareness two weeks ago to activate timely evacuations and emergency assistance while residents of Waialua’s Otake Camp were facing life-threatening conditions….

Protocols that don’t include real-time and location-sensitive information — as with the agency’s overweighted reliance on NWS’ flood statement on March 19 — must be de-emphasized in favor of more anticipatory models.

As it stands, DEM actions during the Kona-low storms evoked disturbing echoes of Maui County’s disjointed, uninformed emergency response to the firestorms that largely destroyed Lahaina in 2023. DEM Director Randy Collins told the City Council at a Tuesday meeting that outside of emergencies, DEM “activates” its full team only when a pre-ordained “trigger” is issued — on March 19, the NWS flash flood warning. And while flood gauges showed that Kaukonahua Stream near Otake Camp was surging — rising 2 feet by 8:25 p.m. — Collins said the agency had no idea, because flood gauges aren’t monitored pre-activation. NWS’ flood warning wasn’t released until 10:45 p.m.

Evacuation of Otake Camp had been ordered during the first March 13 Kona-low event as waters rose, but on March 19 DEM opted to hold back. No guidance specific to Haleiwa and Waialua was issued, although emergency vehicles were cut off from flooded areas, and even for a time after NWS issued a 3:16 a.m. alert to “seek higher ground now!” As the hours went by, some residents escaped flooding homes by wading through high water, and others were trapped inside homes or on roofs….

read … Editorial: Time is of essence for storm alerts | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

SBA Targets 8(a) Fraud in Latest Audit Plan

JDS: … On March 17, 2026, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) announced the audit and review priorities of the SBA’s Office of Inspector General. According to the SBA, the announced priorities “includes planned audits, evaluations, and reviews focused on promoting the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of SBA programs.”

In regard to Alaska Native Corporations, Tribes, and Native Hawaiian Organizations, the notable planned audits include the following:

SBA’s Oversight of Entity-Owned 8(a) Firms Community Benefits Reporting
SBA’s Process for Certifying Firms Initial 8(a) Program Eligibility

For those potentially affected by the “SBA’s Oversight of Entity-Owned 8(a) Firms Community Benefits Reporting” this audit and review priority may be concerning, given that in 2022, the SBA raised the possibility of requiring entity-owned 8(a) companies to establish a Community Benefits Plan that lays out their commitments to “give back” to the Native community in specific identified ways. The SBA’s statement that its “Oversight of Entity-Owned 8(a) Firms Community Benefits Reporting” will be the subject of a future audit or evaluation raises the possibility that the SBA will be revisiting this issue….

JDS: SBA’s Administrative False Claims Act: Implications for 8(a) Participants -- Given the current enforcement environment—including the SBA’s full-scale audit of the 8(a) Program, the DoD review of high-value small business contracts, and increased congressional scrutiny of federal contracting—this rule is particularly relevant for 8(a) participants, Alaska Native Corporations, Tribes, and NHOs. The expanded claim threshold, reverse false claims liability, and discovery-based statute of limitations collectively give the SBA substantially more administrative enforcement firepower. Federal contractors should consider viewing their compliance programs, internal reporting procedures, and overpayment tracking systems in preparation for this heightened enforcement landscape….

TW: SBA Fraud Response: Precision, Not Blanket Suspensions

WBJ: Government contractors say they're scrambling to fix SBA data errors related to 8(a) program

read … SBA Targets 8(a) Oversight and Eligibility in Latest Audit Plan

Sugimura, as Council Budget Committee chair, calls for fiscal discipline amid rising costs of living

MN: … Maui County Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura called for a “disciplined” fiscal year 2027 budget Monday, citing the strain high gas and grocery prices have placed on local residents. Sugimura, who chairs the Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee, said the move is necessary as inflation continues to squeeze household pocketbooks across the islands.

“Our household budgets are being stretched, and we are having to really count our pennies,” Sugimura said. “And in this kind of environment, we must be disciplined to keep taxes reasonable and build a budget that accounts for our economic circumstances while also addressing community priorities.” …

Sugimura noted that while Mayor Richard Bissen has proposed a $1.61 billion budget, the county is carrying over $174 million in savings from previous years. She questioned whether the surplus suggests residents are being overtaxed.

The discussion highlighted a sharp disparity in the cost of living within Maui County. Council Member Gabe Johnson reported gas on Lānaʻi is subsidized at $4.99 per gallon, while other members shared that prices have climbed to $6.90 in Hāna and topped $7 on Molokaʻi.

For a Hāna resident filling a 15-gallon tank, these prices mean spending over $100 per trip to the pump, leaving less for other essentials like food. Sugimura noted that even basic items like eggs have hit nearly $13 a dozen at some local stores.

She also raised concerns about the county’s ability to spend the money it collects. With roughly 500 vacant positions currently in the workforce, Bissen’s proposal includes requests for more than 90 additional new roles….

On Monday, Council Member Tom Cook echoed Sugimura’s call for a conservative approach, noting his own monthly expenses for gas and groceries have jumped by hundreds of dollars. He said the “working people on the island” are feeling the pressure of basic necessities.

Sugimura warned of looming financial shifts, including the 2030 sunset of general excise tax revenue and potential negative property tax impacts from the pending phase-out of short-term vacation rentals in apartment-zoned districts….

MN: Mayor Bissen unveils FY2027 County Affordable Housing Plan : Maui Now

read … Council Budget Committee chair calls for fiscal discipline amid rising costs of living : Maui Now

Legislators Tinker With ‘Affordable’ Housing Rules

CB: … Bills like House Bill 1740 remove basic protections and open new opportunities for speculation rather than ensuring long-term affordability. While the bill is framed as a way to preserve housing for “local” residents, that term is loosely defined, and the structure of the policy tells a different story. It lowers the owner-occupancy requirement from 10 years to one, enabling well-connected buyers to flip their “affordable” unit after a single year or rent it out for market rate prices….

Other measures this session raise similar concerns, whether by weakening inclusionary zoning (House Bill 1741, Senate Bill 2190) or offering public funding without ensuring local owner-occupancy and lasting affordability (HB 1732). Taken together, these bills reflect a broader pattern of further moving Hawai‘i toward an investment-driven housing system, leaving local families without the protections they need to remain in a market distorted by global demand….

read … Legislators Weigh Affordable Units That Reward Investors - Honolulu Civil Beat

HB1645: Hawaiʻi Child Welfare Nonprofits Say It’s Too Easy To Sue Them

CB: … Catholic Charities was sued in 2019, for instance, after a 3-year-old boy died in foster care on the Big Island. The suit by the boy’s biological parents alleged that the child had been injured and the nonprofit – a state contractor – and the state had received a dozen reports of abuse yet failed to protect him. Catholic Charities settled for a confidential amount and the state agreed to pay $750,000.

Opponents of a measure that limits the amount nonprofits might have to pay in such cases – House Bill 1645 – say it will come at the cost of children who seek compensation for their injuries. They say such lawsuits give the state child welfare system and its contractors an incentive to improve.

“How in the world will private agencies ever get better if they can get away with tolerating abuse on their watch, knowing they won’t have to pay a dime in punitive damages, as is called for in the Hawaiʻi bill?” Richard Wexler, executive director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform…

One reason for the liability crunch is that Hawaiʻi, like many other states, suspended statutes of limitations, thinking most of the plaintiffs who came forward would be victims of clergy or scout masters, Wexler said, then were surprised when many cases involved foster care.

“Instead of saying: ‘OMG, we had no idea foster care was that unsafe, we’ve got to find better alternatives,’ lawmakers are saying, in effect, ‘to hell with children, we’ve got to save the agencies,’” Wexler said….

The bill was approved by the House and is now working through committees in the Senate. It goes next to the Judiciary Committee, which must pass it by Friday for the bill to stay alive….

read … Hawaiʻi Child Welfare Nonprofits Say It’s Too Easy To Sue Them - Honolulu Civil Beat

Military firearm policy shift raises questions for Hawaiʻi bases

KITV: … A new policy from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is prompting questions across military communities in Hawaiʻi, after a directive that could allow service members to carry personal firearms on base under certain conditions.

The April 2 memo from the United States Department of Defense instructs installation commanders to presume approval for service members requesting to carry privately owned firearms for personal protection, but only while in a non-official duty capacity.

The move marks a shift from long-standing restrictions, where personal firearms were typically not allowed to be carried on base and were often required to be registered and stored under strict rules.

However, how this policy will be implemented locally remains unclear.

Military installations in Hawaiʻi, including Schofield Barracks and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, are not yet providing specific details. Officials are directing questions to the Department of Defense, saying they are awaiting further guidance before making any changes….

read … Military firearm policy shift raises questions for Hawaiʻi bases | News | kitv.com

Honolulu victim comes forward against former Tripler OBGYN facing criminal charges

KITV: … Attorneys filed a new federal complaint against the U.S. Department of the Army, the Defense Health Agency and the Department of Defense on behalf of a woman who alleged she was sexually abused by Army doctor Blaine McGraw during medical appointments at Tripler Medical Center in Honolulu….

ASD: Former Tripler patients file complaint against Army over sexual abuse

read … New victim comes forward against former Tripler OBGYN facing criminal charges | Crime & Courts | kitv.com

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