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June 28, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 11:21 AM :: 869 Views

Poll: Kawakami 49% -- Belatti 18%

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When licensing goes too far

Hawaii Congressional Delegation How They Voted June 26, 2026

Kawakami Corruption: Wrote Character Reference for Ty Cullen, Kept $15K Campaign Cash From Convicted Briber Choy

CB: … When news spread that businessman Milton Choy was entangled in a federal corruption investigation in 2022, more than two dozen Hawaiʻi politicians hurried to return political contributions they had received from Choy. But Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami, who is now a leading candidate for lieutenant governor, was not among them.

State campaign spending records show Kawakami received $15,000 in campaign contributions from Choy, Choy’s family members or employees of his company H2O Process Systems. The Kawakami campaign this week acknowledged Kawakami did not surrender that money to the state Campaign Spending Commission as many others did.

Eyebrow-raising campaign donations linked to the 2022 FBI case in which Choy and two lawmakers were convicted of bribery have already derailed Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke’s hopes for reelection.

Now, the decision by Kawakami to keep the Choy donations has emerged as a potentially troubling issue for Kawakami. Opponents Rep. Della Au Belatti and Honolulu lawyer John Choi are using his failure to return the money as political fodder….

Kawakami’s name previously surfaced in connection with the 2022 bribery scandal when he wrote a letter to federal Judge Susan Oki Mollway before she sentenced Cullen for taking cash bribes of more than $25,000 and payments in casino casino poker chips worth $22,000.

Kawakami wrote to Mollway that he and Cullen were close friends who had worked together at the Legislature. “At his core I still believe he is a good man, with a loving and compassionate heart,” Kawakami wrote in the letter. In the end, Mollway sentenced Cullen to two years in prison.

Giovanni, Kawakani’s campaign manager, said in a statement last week that “Mayor Kawakami and Ty Cullen have known each other for many years and are friends. The letter reflected that personal relationship….”

Read … Campaign Cash From Convicted Briber Is Raising Questions In Hawaiʻi LG Race - Honolulu Civil Beat

Bissen Insiders Allegedly Stole $45K in days after Lahaina Fire--trial possible as election looms

MN: … Bissen’s former chief of staff Leo Caires, alleges he was wrongfully terminated for sounding the alarm on fraudulent activity ($45K stolen via fake invoice dated Aug 16, 2023—7 days after Lahaina Fire).…

If the lawsuit isn’t settled or dismissed, the county and Caires could be headed to trial around the same time as Bissen prepares to defend his seat in the Aug. 8 primary election in less than two months. …

(Good.)

The county’s response to the claims came just days after a Maui County Council committee backed a resolution that would require all settlement offers in the lawsuit to be sent to the council for review and approval.

That’s already required under county law, but the council proposed the measure after learning through the Hawai‘i Journalism Initiative’s reporting that the county had rejected Caires’ earlier demands.

“We were never notified about anything,” Council Member Kauanoe Batangan said Monday. …

(Another Bissen ethics violation.)

On April 24, Caires filed a lawsuit claiming he was fired in retaliation for reporting questionable financial activities by other county employees in violation of the Hawaiʻi Whistleblowers’ Protection Act. Bissen has criticized the timing as politically motivated as he seeks reelection.

Caires has alleged that in March 2024, he came across a suspicious Aug. 16, 2023 invoice for $45,532.32 from a company called RTFEX Depot. He said he couldn’t verify the existence of the company and believed that an executive assistant of Bissen’s known as “MA,” or “Pono,” and an Office of Economic Development grant recipient known as “AVS” had “likely submitted false cashiers’ checks made out to a fake company” to the Office of Economic Development for reimbursement….

The lawsuit also claims that Caires discovered that the Office of Economic Development director at the time, Luana Mahi, “appeared to be inappropriately using her position” to benefit family members with grant funding.

Mahi was placed on paid leave in August 2024 pending an investigation. She was later fired Jan. 6, 2025, and the case is now with the state Attorney General’s Office, according to county spokesperson Laksmi Abraham….

BACKGROUND: Lawsuit : Bissen insiders Stole $45K from County days after Lahaina Fire

Case# 2CCV-26-0000138 Leo Caires v County of Maui. PDF: Complaint

Read … Maui County asks court to dismiss former chief of staff’s lawsuit; trial possible as election looms : Maui Now

Dela Cruz Bridge Boondoggle Becomes Campaign Issue

CB: … where Kamehameha Highway and Whitmore Village intersect is where a nearly 1-mile pedestrian bridge is planned to connect Wahiawā with Whitmore Village by crossing over the Kiʻikiʻi Stream.

The project has long been championed by Donovan Dela Cruz, the state senator who has represented the Central Oʻahu district (it also includes a portion of Mililani, Mililani Mauka, a portion of Waipi‘o Acres and Launani Valley) since 2010.

Brown, who is running to unseat Dela Cruz in the Aug. 8 Democratic primary, thinks the bridge is a bad idea….

While Dela Cruz and the state Department of Transportation describe the project as an eco-friendly way to traverse the two towns, Brown says it’s a waste of money ($27 million), culturally disrespectful (it’s near Kūkaniloko, the sacred birthing place of Native Hawaiian royalty) and poor planning….

Brown thinks many residents of Senate District 17 are not happy with projects like the bridge and would rather Dela Cruz pay more attention to issues like cost of living, broken sidewalks, rising crime and expanding homelessness. She thinks he’s vulnerable and that her campaign is worth her time, money and energy….

Brown said she had heard many residents describe Dela Cruz as rude and a bully. Many, she said, were fearful to speak out against him….

Read … Can This Underdog Take Down Hawaiʻi’s Most Powerful Senator? - Honolulu Civil Beat

Tulsi Gabbard, the spy who did whatever she was told?

Shapiro: … the Post’s meticulous analysis of 25,000 pages of documents involving Gabbard and the Science of Identity Foundation, a Hare Krishna offshoot, isn’t about religion; it’s about the astounding influence that one secretive figure appears to have exercised over a member of Congress elected to serve with independence.

The documents obtained by reporter Jon Swaine only covered her congressional tenure. It’s chilling to wonder if the servile relationship continued during her more recent role as Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence, where she had access to our nation’s most sensitive secrets.

Science of Identity is led by Chris Butler, 78, who’s seldom seen in public but is described by some former members as an authoritarian cult leader. The group has taken strong interest in political issues, most notably opposition to homosexual rights.

State Sen. Mike Gabbard and former elected Board of Education member Carol Gabbard, Tulsi’s parents, have long been associated with the group and Tulsi was raised in its teachings. She calls Butler her spiritual guru.

In the emails and memos obtained by the Post, a person who appeared to be Butler persistently gave Gabbard directives, which she mostly followed when compared to her bills introduced, voting record and public comments.

“He inveighed against Muslims, homosexuality, gun control and public schools, but also promoted environmentalism and anti-capitalism,” the Post reported.

The memos had “an air of authority” and “contained instructions on what legislation she should propose, which policies she should embrace and how she should conduct herself on television.”

He reprimanded her for being “weak,” “lazy,” “mealymouthed” and “chickens—t,” and offered advice on her physical appearance, complaining about “the f—king eye thing” she did on TV.

The Post said Gabbard often introduced bills and made statements on his wishes virtually to the letter. When it wasn’t enough to the letter for his liking, she issued revisions ….

BACKGROUND: Leaked Emails: Cult Guru Directs Tulsi Gabbard in Congress, on Syria, and into Trump's Arms

Read … David Shapiro: Tulsi Gabbard, the spy who did whatever she was told? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Kula Hospital reopening remains uncertain due to storm damage

SA: … The historic hospital has been closed since the storms struck in mid-March, dumping more than 50 inches of rain in the area, causing extensive water damage across most of the campus. The closure leaves the area with a gap in emergency care and has sent about 100 long-term-care patients to other facilities already at capacity.

The hospital’s emergency department remains closed and patients are being advised to go to Maui Memorial Medical Center in Wailuku or call 911 for life-threatening emergencies. The hospital’s skilled- nursing home, which had 105 beds, also remains closed, along with Hale Makamae, a licensed care facility with nine beds for developmentally disabled residents….

Read … Kula Hospital reopening remains uncertain due to storm damage | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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