July 21, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Tuesday, July 21, 2026

July 21, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 9:44 AM :: 149 Views

After 18 Years of Green Energy, Oil still supplies 68% of electricity on Oahu

Upgraded HECO Waiau Plant 'can run on LNG'

What It Takes to Retire in Hawaii at 62 on $1.5 Million Without Touching Your Principal

DLNR: 80 Meth Addicts Removed from Waianae Boat Harbor, 30 Still Waiting

Victory: ‘Empty Homes’ Tax will not be on November Ballot

CB: … on Monday, a measure aimed at putting the idea to Honolulu voters in November was shot down by the Honolulu Charter Commission. The group, which assesses proposed changes to the city charter and decides which questions should be printed on ballots, voted the empty homes tax question down. With eight votes in support and five in opposition, the measure was just one vote shy of the supermajority — nine votes — needed to make it to the ballot.

The decision marks the possible death of the proposal, at least for now, unless Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters schedules a meeting this week for the council to vote on it.

The Charter Commission members said the ballot is not an appropriate venue for the proposal.

“My opposition to this proposal has nothing to do with my blindness to the fact that we need solutions for housing,” Commissioner Diane Kawauchi said Monday afternoon before she voted against the proposal. “This is a matter that rests with the City Council in its enactment of an ordinance.” ….

REALITY: ‘Empty Homes Tax’ Drives Rent up 37%

REALITY: Debunked: Caldwell’s ‘Vancouver Tax’ Does Nothing to Ease Rental Crisis

REALITY: SF Judge Rules 'Empty Homes Tax’ Unconstitutional

REALITY: ‘Empty homes’ tax will not achieve goal

Read … Empty Homes Tax: Oʻahu Voters Blocked From Weighing In - Honolulu Civil Beat

Case says shipping interests ‘out to get me’ by funding Keohokalole

HNN: … The incumbent ~~alleges~~ (points out that) shippers and maritime unions are bankrolling his challenger to protect the Jones Act, as the two clash over affordability in Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District….

Read … Case says shipping interests ‘out to get me’ by funding Keohokalole | Election 2026 | Hawaii News Now

The Councilman, the Crime Boss, and the “Hostage” Trees

ILind: … Now that Trevor Ozawa is again a candidate running to take back his former seat on the Honolulu City Council, voters should examine his past misuse of his political position to benefit the late racketeering boss Mike Miske.

As a voter in his district, I haven’t forgotten how Ozawa—who served on the council from 2014 to 2018—aggressively used his legislative power to muscle the Department of Parks and Recreation into giving Miske special treatment….

Read … The Councilman, the Crime Boss, and the “Hostage” Trees | i L i n d

Third Election in a Row for Ghost Ballots

SA: … This is the third consecutive election our household has received three extra ballots for our relocated children. While our system uses barcodes and signature checks to prevent fraudulent votes from being counted, our voter rolls remain cluttered with outdated data….

(CLUE: Obviously these ballots are being voted. This favors local families whose children have left. Therefore it favors Republican gains on the West Side of Oahu.)

Read … Letter: Mark ‘return to sender’ on nonresident ballots | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Lawsuit against Hawai‘i's chief election officer goes nowhere—now trying for U.S. Supreme Court

ASD: … According to that suit, PILF contacted Nago in April of 2023 requesting to inspect Hawai‘i's complete voter registration system data. While Nago didn’t directly respond, the Office of Elections’ General Counsel Aaron Schulaner eventually directed PILF to direct its request to individual county clerks.

Schulaner’s response cited state statutes that place the responsibility for maintaining voter registration data on the county clerks, rather than the state elections officer. However, PILF responded by arguing that the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 does not allow the state to delegate that authority: according to the U.S. Department of Justice, the NVRA requires each state to designate a state officer to be responsible for coordinating state voter registrations.

When PILF sent requests to Honolulu, Hawai‘i and Kaua‘i's county clerks in August of 2023 — as the Lahaina wildfire had only recently happened, PILF did not send a request to Maui — those clerks denied the requests.

However, U.S. District Judge Leslie Kobayashi granted a motion by Nago to dismiss the case in 2024. While the judge concurred that PILF had standing to sue Nago, she noted that PILF had technically not been wronged yet: PILF had not, at that point, actually gone through the counties’ information request forms for the voter registration data.

PILF subsequently appealed the case in October 2024. But the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of PILF’s claim in April of this year….

PILF, having once again appealed the case, this time to the nation’s highest court, has requested the Supreme Court to determine whether a list of registered voters in a state is a record as specified by the NVRA.

While PILF has requested that the Supreme Court hear the case, the court has not yet (decided whether or not to) granted that request…

Read … Lawsuit against Hawai‘i's chief election officer could go to U.S. Supreme Court

Bissen on the Way Out…but Maui Council ‘Progressives’ Plot Takeover via Upcountry Race

CB: … Bobby Pahia, a first-time candidate and prominent(ly photographed posing in very clean clothes as the world’s whitest) Native Hawaiian (…uhhh…) kalo farmer (take points off for lack of originality here) who is running to represent Upcountry, led the money race during the first half of this year among those who reported their latest contributions with the state Campaign Spending Commission.

He raked in more than $55,000, including a $10,000 loan to himself, between Jan. 1 and June 30, far more than any of the other council candidates appearing on the Aug. 8 primary ballot. He spent nearly $20,100 during the same period and had about $37,000 cash on hand at the end of last month, campaign finance records show….

Pahia drew support from a wide range of sources, including members of the progressive faction on the council — $312 from West Maui council member Paltin and $1,000 from Molokaʻi council member Keani Rawlins-Fernandez — as well as current and former progressive members of the Legislature: $208 from former state Sen. Gary Hooser and $2,000 from state Rep. Kim Coco Iwamoto.

His support also included labor groups such as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142 and United Food & Commercial Workers Local 480 — both of which gave $2,000, the maximum contribution allowed under state law — and members of Mayor Richard Bissen’s administration, receiving $156 from county spokesperson Laksmi Abraham and $484 from East Maui Water Authority Director Gina Young….

ECOURTKOKUA: Shows the usual motley assortment of DUIs, Bad Credit, and Domestic Violence cases for Robert Hale Pahia. (LINK)

REALITY: Meet the Meth Gang Behind ‘Lahaina Strong’ > Hawaii Free Press

Read … Maui Council Candidates Haul In Campaign Cash Ahead Of Primary - Honolulu Civil Beat

Military, schools press student success

SA: … Over the past 10 years, HIDOE has created Student Transition Centers in schools with large numbers of military children, designed to forge fun partnerships with incoming military students and their local classmates, making the challenges of moving into a new school less stressful. These centers are expanding to serve nonmilitary students new to Hawaii, and this model is now being adopted in U.S. Department of War schools throughout the Pacific to make transitions easier.

The Hawaii Business Roundtable with several sponsoring businesses holds an annual Transition Conference attended by HIDOE educators and students from across the state, and from Alaska and schools across the Pacific to develop, hone and share teacher and student initiatives to help military and other new students feel welcome and thrive in their new schools.

On Oahu and Hawaii island, the military partners with more than 60 schools, aligning units with schools to provide physical fitness activities with students, read-alongs and other events, and to help refurbish school grounds where possible….

Read ... Column: Military, schools press student success | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Bums Invade East Oahu Beach

HNN: … Waimānalo native Vincent Iona has been living in a tent along Kaupo Beach Park, also known as “Baby Makapu‘u,” for about a decade….

Last September, the city hauled away five tons of trash at the park.

Nearly a year later, some beachgoers claim there has been rubbish sitting on the shoreline for months.

A video posted on Instagram showing the abandoned belongings, prompted some to comment that they are avoiding the area....

In an email, a city spokesperson provided Hawaii News Now the following statement:

We are aware of the video circulating on social media. In September 2025, the City conducted a large Stored Property Ordinance (SPO) enforcement at this location that resulted in the removal of nearly 5 tons of trash, and the issuance of 17 removal notices. Since then, we have continued to assess conditions and work with the community on potential long-term solutions. This particular shoreline, like many beach parks around the island, includes terrain that is difficult to access, limiting the frequency of our enforcement and cleanup efforts.

While the park itself does not currently have closure hours, the parking lot is closed nightly from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Previous efforts to secure the parking lot with gates and locks were unsuccessful due to repeated vandalism. The City has been in discussions with the surrounding community about the possibility of establishing park closure hours for the entire park….

Read … Trash at East Oahu beach highlights community’s homeless problem | Hawaii News Now

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