Cost of Living

...Grassroot’s 25th Anniversary Gala last week celebrated with nearly 400 supporters, staff and their family and friends who connect with our mission....

... at UH Manoa, 5% increases beginning in academic year (AY) 2029–30 ....

...the latest of 25 similar complaints the Justice Department has filed claiming states are violating federal law by offering financial aid to illegals....

... In 2016, Auckland, in Aotearoa New Zealand, up-zoned ~75% of the city. As a result, permits went up ~80%, and after six years, rents were 22% lower than they otherwise would have been ....

...The County of Hawaiʻi Department of Environmental Management will host public hearings Sept. 16 and Sept. 18 on a proposed increase in solid waste disposal fees....

... Hawaii is the state with the third-best budgeters, and it boasts the second-highest percentage of residents who set aside money for emergencies ....

...Given these policies, why would any right-thinking entrepreneur, or growing business, locate in Hawaii? And how did the Wall Street Journal miss this?....

... States prioritizing renewables over reliability, affordability see higher costs ....

...Participants living in temporary housing declined from 40.6% to 34.4%....

... David Kalahiki and Linda Twitchell allege that the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands’ blood-quantum rule violates their rights by conditioning housing on ancestry ....

... the Commission ultimately rejected putting the issue on the ballot ....

... the ICC has become one of the most powerful and least transparent institutions in housing policy ....

... The company recently received a Limited Notice to Proceed from its client, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, authorizing the procurement ....

... she’s been trying to add an additional building to run an infant-toddler center for seven or eight years, but on the island, the process is lengthy ....

"...Hawaii’s homeowners-to-population ratio (HPOP) is 18.9 percentage points lower than its owner-occupancy rate, the largest difference of any state...."

... the tax code treats different retirement dollars very differently ....

"Perhaps electrical grids are more complicated than the mandates."

... Hawaii’s business climate is getting worse, not better ....

...Performance-Based Regulation, adopted by PUC in 2020, (PBR) fundamentally changed HECO's financial incentives in a way that made pursuing LNG much less attractive....

“...most of that gap is driven by just four states: California, Hawaii, Washington and Oregon....”

... only Alaska has a worse child care availability shortfall ....

...With the signing of SB 3025, Hawaii joins a growing roster of 27 cities and states utilizing nonprofit partnerships to purchase and forgive health care debt portfolios....

... a nearly identical tax approved by San Francisco voters has been ruled unconstitutional in court and is still being held up by appeals, which means Honolulu could be walking into a similar costly legal battle ....

... They have brought the matter to the Honolulu Charter Commission ....

... SB 3025 requires the Office of Wellness and Resilience (OWR), now under DHS, to establish and administer a Medical Debt Acquisition and Forgiveness Program ....

... “one of the individuals on that study ... was completely compromised. They run a think tank that is all in on one issue, and that is fully renewable solar. ” -- Green ....

...Twenty-eight percent of households earning below $75,000 have zero cars....

... if the error rate is 10% or more, then we get socked for 15%, which would come out to about $109 million ....

... In 2024, the median home price in Honolulu was about twice what a median-income household could afford ....

...It took me about one hour to debunk this UHERO report.  It just wasn't that hard....

...fully occupied with approximately half of its 89 households made up of returning residents and the other half fire victims, many of whom had lived in temporary housing for nearly two years....

...the report compares prices for both family-based and center-based care, adjusting them relative to median household income....

"...Attorney General Anne Lopez today secured 53 million eggs for consumers nationwide ...."

...to demonstrate how publicly owned land can be leveraged to provide attainable homeownership opportunities for local residents while preserving long-term public stewardship....

... the last fare hikes were in 2022 ....

...The volumetric rate, which is based on how much water you use, will increase from $7.95 to $11.83 per thousand gallons....

... a rulemaking process to establish the maximum amount each electric utility may pay to resolve claims arising from any covered catastrophic wildfires ....

... SB3025: The Legislature's medical debt relief bill creates a timely opening to discuss deeper affordability failures ....

... how Watson pressured Hawaiian Homes Commissioners to approve purchase of Kauai condo complex ....

...Hawaiʻi continues to lag behind much of the nation when it comes to children’s economic well-being and educational outcomes, according to the 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book....

... Follow-Up Report: Office of Housing and Community Development Affordable Housing Credits | Hawaii County, HI ....

... SCOTUS ruling against OHA in 2009 means special protection for Hawaiian Homelands today ....

...The findings and recommendations will be presented during the SPEED Summit, scheduled for January 15, 2027....

...Hawaii has the second-poorest rich people, and the 10th-poorest poor people -- but the 2nd-richest middle class.  And yet middle class families still can't afford their first home and are fleeing Hawaii by the thousands. ...

...increasing income taxes on higher earners could drive away “business owners, entrepreneurs, doctors, people that we really need in our state.”....

...Hawaii’s program is set to launch this year....

... Seven Chinese executives and four of the world’s largest shipping container manufacturing companies were indicted ....

... Chinese State TV interviews Joe Kent of Grassroot Institute ....

"SNAP sales rose by more than $23,000—from $314,416 in 2024 to $339,810 in 2025—while transactions increased by 1,689"

... remember the 'Hawai‘i Green Infrastructure Authority'?  After years of funneling money to 'green' insiders, it has been raided and reassigned ....