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July 12, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 1:12 PM :: 179 Views

SD18: Democrats Send Three Nominees to Green

Act 225 Extends Statute of Limitations for Bribery

Empty Homes Tax Won’t Go Away

Planting the seeds for progress

Lawsuit: Bissen Fired Me to Cover up his own wrongdoing after Lahaina Fire

MN: … A former Maui County official who was fired by Mayor Richard Bissen’s administration is suing the county for defamation, saying her reputation was tarnished by “inaccurate” claims that she used grant funding to benefit her family members.

Luana Mahi, the former director of the county Office of Economic Development, is suing Bissen, the Maui County Board of Ethics and seven members individually, and county Department of Finance employee Marcy Sato, whom she claims initiated the Board of Ethics proceedings against her….

The lawsuit also claims that “the financial irregularities later used to stigmatize” Mahi “were the direct result of requests from County leadership to pay for projects not previously accounted for in the budget.” These included:

A $50,000 invoice for cultural training provided by Kauahea Inc., which was specifically requested by Deputy Managing Director Erin Wade to train federal partners after the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires.
A $4,526.25 expenditure for a small-scale Sister Cities luau for a delegation from Fukuyama, Japan, which Bissen specifically asked Mahi to organize and execute.
Immediate website and social media updates by Linn Nishikawa & Associates to transform Maui Nui Strong into a 24-hour wildfire relief hub, a project approved by Bissen, Wade and then-Managing Director Keku Akana.

“Because these emergency or special projects lacked dedicated budget lines, Grants Manager, Tina Silva, specifically instructed Plaintiff to funnel these invoices through the existing Kahikolu Plan grant (G5914) via budget reallocations,” the lawsuit says. …

In February 2024, Bissen texted Mahi and executive assistant Ezekiela Kalua about payments for vendor Hanalei Colleado, who operates Ho‘omana Farms. Colleado thought he was going to get reimbursed for months of food deliveries to county-run hubs. Mahi said she “coordinated grantee” for the Kahikolu grant to help obtain and deliver a cashier’s check to the mayor’s office, where Kalua, Bissen and Mahi presented the check to Ho‘omana Farms. …

CB: The lawsuit alleges it was the mayor himself and other county officials who actually initiated and approved whatever questionable dealings may have been going on with various contracts and that Bissen and his people are just trying to pin the bad behavior on Mahi
2024: Maui Economic Development: Official Gets Paid Leave After Giving $1.4M to Friends and Family
2024: In just one year, A Maui County Appointee Oversaw $1.4M Grants To Profitable Nonprofits Tied To Her Family Members
Heavily Redacted PDF: Advisory-Opinion-24A-08 (mauicounty.gov)
PDF: Maui Second Circuit Court-2CCV-26-0000236 | DocumentCloud

Read … Fired Maui County official sues Mayor Bissen, Board of Ethics for defamation : Maui Now

Hawaii’s policies on sea level rise too strict, ease up

SA: … Implausible. That’s the recent finding regarding climate projections that underlie and permeate both state of Hawaii and county policies regarding sea level rise (SLR). Government agencies have issued guidance on SLR that has now been shown to be invalid.

In 2018, Hawaii’s Climate Change Commission issued guidance that land-use and infrastructure planning for Hawaii should be based on a projected 3.2-foot SLR by 2100 relative to 2000. In late 2022, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) further recommended , for 2100, a “benchmark of 4 feet … as the minimum scenario for all planning and design … and a 6-feet benchmark for planning and design of public infrastructure projects.” Such hypothetical projections assume rapidly increasing carbon dioxide emissions which, in turn, would lead to warmer temperatures, melting glaciers and ice sheets, and thermal expansion of seawater.

These SLR projections have had, and will have, hugely expensive implications for where homes can and cannot be built, the routing of roads and utilities, the cost of homes, and more. Recent examples include: 1) the blighting of 47 of 80 acres of Department of Hawaiian Home Lands at Ewa Beach (two blocks from the ocean) as unsuitable for building homes; 2) controversy regarding renovating and upgrading Hawaiian Electric’s Waiau power plant; 3) restrictions on rebuilding Lahaina; and 4) recent 50% increases in shoreline-setback requirements on Oahu, Maui and Kauai….

The second major problem invalidating the state’s SLR projections is tide data for Honolulu (LINK: “NOAA, Relative Sea Level Trend, Honolulu”). For at least 120 years, annual SLR for Honolulu has averaged the thickness of a penny; at this rate, the increase from 2000 to 2100 will be 6.2 inches. Not 3.2 feet, not 4 feet, and certainly not 6 feet.

To date, there is no sign in the Honolulu tide data that SLR has or will transition from its slow linear growth to the extremely rapid acceleration assumed in the state’s SLR projections.

Hawaii should follow the lead of the IPCC scientists and formally retire its SLR projections as implausible, since it too is built on the RCP8.5 foundation of sand. …

Chip Fletcher: Ju$t Keep on Believin’

Read … Column: Hawaii’s policies on sea level rise too strict, ease up | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Implausible ‘RCP8.5’ climate scenario dead –What this means for Hawaii

SA: … As most current world climate policies are based on RCP8.5, this dramatic development upends the current paradigm, requiring reexamination of current policy.

Since 2008, the state of Hawaii has imposed several measures to restrain global climate change and mitigate its effects on the islands, placing significant constraints and costs here. Removing the most restrictive aspects aligned with RCP8.5 would provide relief.

The RCP8.5 scenario was first published in 2011 as an extreme case to stress-test the IPCC model and was incorporated in the AR5 of 2014. Despite its modeling purpose, it became the BAU baseline for most technical papers, public policymaking and media coverage of climate change — reinforcing the popular notion of an apocalyptic climate future.

In removing the RCP8.5, the CMIP7 authors noted several factors that made it implausible. The most flagrant: that by 2100, coal use would be five times higher (virtually impossible) and the global population would be 12 billion (UN’s forecast: 10.2 billion).

They attributed much of their realignment to positive factors: falling renewable costs (particularly solar); effective government climate policies; and investments in energy transition. They interpreted the actual global CO2 emissions tracking lower than projected over previous cycles as confirming IPCC policy effectiveness.

In contrast, analysts critical of RCP8.5 reported its faulty assumptions years earlier; credit the transition from coal to natural gas for emission reductions; and blame continuing projection errors on IPCC’s failure to reconcile model emissions levels with actual data in previous cycles. They anticipate future IPCC assessments will improve their methodologies and continue to refine warming forecasts lower.

Hawaii should amend its climate policies to align with the CMIP7 projections. Among statutes to examine are:

Act 97 of 2015: The Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative’s (HCEI) 100% renewable energy mandate on electrical generation being “net-negative” by 2045.

Act 15 of 2018: Extension of HCEI mandates to transportation.

A modest reform would be to adopt the “net-zero” global standard set by the UN Paris Agreement on Climate Change of 2015 for “around” 2050.

There also are implicit nonstatutory requirements, such as for the ocean inundation projections affecting permitting and planning across the islands. In particular, the University of Hawaii School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology stipulation of a 3.2 feet GMSL rise by 2100 (from AR5 RCP8.2): this projection appears in the State Climate Commission’s 2018 report and the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration’s 2025 Hawaii flood plans, making it ubiquitous. This has adversely impacted many island projects, government infrastructure and private property insurance….

AEI: RCP8.5 Is Officially Dead | AEI

Read … Column: Ding-Dong! Implausible RCP8.5 climate scenario dead | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

See Who's Getting, And Giving, Millions In Campaign Funds This Year

CB: … $3.7 million from more than 3,000 individual donors ….

Top Ten Donors:

Hawaiʻi Realtors $104,500.00
International Longshore and Warehouse Union $72,000.00
Regional Council of Carpenters $56,310.33
Plumbers & Pipefitters $54,000.00
Patsy Mink PAC $44,000.00
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $43,000.00
Hawaii Government Employee Association $37,750.00
Hawaii Laborers PAC $39,000.00
MK Advocacy Group $27,900.00
Takashi Sugimura $20,000.00

Read … See Who's Getting, And Giving, Millions In Campaign Funds This Year - Honolulu Civil Beat

Bribery: HGEA Shames Kawakami into Losing Tainted Campaign Cash

CB: … Kawakami has finally divested himself of the $15,000 he received a number of years ago from dead briber Milton Choy, Choy’s family and employees of his wastewater business….

And last week the Hawaiʻi Government Employees Association endorsed state Rep. Della Au Belatti in the race and slammed Kawakami for keeping the Choy cash.

“Unlike Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and several others who gave back Choy-connected funds, Kawakami never did,” Randy Perreira, HGEA executive director, said in the endorsement. “We need leaders who put the interests of working people ahead of big developers and corporations.”

That proved to be one political swipe too much for Kawakami who slammed back with a press release of its own two days later — “Kawakami Condemns HGEA’s False Attack on Choy Contributions. HGEA’s attack is false. The campaign contributions were legal, and at no time did Mr. Choy ever ask for or receive preferential treatment. However, this issue has become a distraction from what families are actually worried about: housing, the cost of living, and homelessness.”

Read … Kawakami Finally Sheds Tainted Campaign Cash

Hawaii’s new ‘millionaire tax’ rivals top tax rate among other states

SA: … a new top rate for high-income households that puts the isles closer to the state with the highest rate.

Gov. Josh Green signed legislation May 21 amending state income tax brackets, boosting the top rate to 13% from 11% starting in 2027, though the new top rate will apply to households with more income than what previously triggered the top rate.

Under part of Act 24, which some call Hawaii’s new “millionaire tax,” a married couple earning over $1 million and filing a joint return would be charged $88,729 plus 13% on any income above $1 million for the 2027 tax year….

Read … Hawaii’s new ‘millionaire tax’ rivals top tax rate among other states | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

CNBC: Childcare Cost Drags Hawaii Down

CNBC: Hawaii spent many years at or near the top of this list, with low crime, a pristine environment, and welcoming state laws. Then, in 2022, we began factoring in the cost and availability of childcare. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation calls it “more than a family issue — it’s an economic imperative.” The state has been trying since 2023 to address the need with its “Ready Keiki” program (Keiki means child in Hawaiian). In October, the state celebrated the opening of the 100th pre-school classroom under the program, in Kailua. But the need is still enormous — and so is the cost, the highest in the nation at 18% of median income, according to Child Care Aware.

2026 Quality of Life score: 191 out of 290 points (Top States grade: B+)
Strengths: Crime, Air Quality, Inclusiveness
Weaknesses: Childcare, Health

Read … Best states to live in 2026

Landmark bill gives Native Hawaiians larger public lands role

SA: … For nearly three decades, community members at Ha‘ena on Kauai have helped care for one of Hawaii’s most visited state parks, restoring lo‘i kalo, managing visitor impacts and preserving cultural resources despite lacking a permanent legal role in managing the land. Now, a new law could change community stewardship efforts not only at Ha‘ena, but across the islands.

Gov. Josh Green signed House Bill 2218 into law Wednesday after it unanimously passed both chambers of the state Legislature, creating a formal legal pathway for the state Board of Land and Natural Resources to enter into long-term co-management agreements with qualified community-based nonprofit organizations.

Supporters say the legislation recognizes a reality that has existed for decades: communities have often been caring for public trust lands alongside government agencies but without a stable legal framework ….

Read … Landmark bill gives Native Hawaiians larger public lands role | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

HPD sends Aliamanu fireworks case to prosecutors

SA: … The Honolulu Police Department’s investigation into the Jan. 1, 2025, explosion of illegal fireworks at a New Year’s party in Aliamanu that killed six people, including a 3-year-old child, has been sent to prosecutors for possible criminal charges….

… Authorities seized more than 500 pounds of unexploded illegal fireworks from vehicles belonging to guests attending the party. Twelve people were arrested on suspicion of an array of crimes, including felony reckless endangering, endangering the welfare of a minor and multiple fireworks offenses.

No charges have been filed in the case and all 12 people arrested were released pending further investigation.

HPD declined a Honolulu Star-Advertiser request to interview investigators in charge of the Aliamanu probe, noting the case had been handed over to the city Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, which also declined to comment, saying the case “is still under investigation.”…

Read … HPD sends Aliamanu fireworks case to prosecutors | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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