Honolulu Rail: Caldwell’s Lack Of Leadership Is A Continuing Problem
Back in 2011, when Honolulu’s rail project was estimated to cost a mere $5.2 billion, U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye secured federal funding for the endeavor. As chairman of the Senate Appropriations...
View ArticlePolice Commission Needs To Rethink The Citizen Selection Committee
It is not particularly surprising that the Honolulu Police Commission nominated a team of “political insiders” to help it select the next police chief. Each of the seven commissioners have been...
View ArticleLawmakers Must Make Good On Deal To Raise Foster Parent Fees
“It costs more to kennel a dog than the state was paying to care for children in the foster care system.” That’s what Gavin Thornton, co-executive director for the Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and...
View ArticleKauai Councilman Violated The Public’s Trust
Financial disclosures are, by their definition, somewhat tantalizing. They offer an inside glimpse into government officials’ personal finances, including their sources of income, their investments,...
View ArticleHawaii Must Step Up In The Fight Against Climate Change
When Sen. Brian Schatz posted a photo of an almost overflowing Ala Wai canal on Facebook recently, he included a caption that read, “Only a foot or so from flooding. Barely any rain, just the tide....
View ArticleHonolulu Needs To Do More For Small Neighborhood Parks
In January 2012, just after announcing his candidacy for Honolulu mayor at the Kalihi transit center, Kirk Caldwell read from a slip of paper listing two concerns from a city employee. “One is more...
View ArticleHonolulu Must Toughen Its Lax Lobbying Rules
Two years ago, then-Honolulu City Councilman and former state legislator Nestor Garcia was fined $8,100 by the Honolulu Ethics Commission for accepting free meals and golf from lobbyists regarding rail...
View ArticleGovernor Must Follow Through On Intent To Veto Union Giveaway
Hair-raising. Insane. Not acceptable. Words used to describe the latest version of Trumpcare pending before the U.S. Senate, perhaps? Actually, those are the words opponents are using to describe...
View ArticleIge’s Blown Wespac Appointment Costly For Hawaii
One of the big surprises for new Hawaii governors is the near endless chain of appointments that have to be made to government positions. It is comprised not merely of the 50-plus Cabinet directors,...
View ArticleDon’t Drown The Aquarium Bill
Visitors to the Open Sea exhibit at California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium are astonished to see tuna, turtles, sharks and jellies pulsating through the indigo waters. The 1.3 million-gallon aquarium is...
View ArticleMayor Caldwell Needs To Act Now To Strengthen The Police Commission
The problems at the Honolulu Police Commission are getting worse, not better. It became clear last week that chairman Max Sword and three commissioners who continue to follow his lead either don’t...
View ArticleBiki Is A Good Start But Honolulu Must Do A Lot More To Be Bike-Friendly
One month in, the Biki bike-sharing system appears to be off to a great start in Honolulu, based on preliminary numbers of ridership. But we are a Tour de France distance way from resembling...
View ArticleMarco Polo Fire: Taxpayers Should Help Pay For High-Rise Sprinklers
The fire-gutted units on the upper floors of the Marco Polo building are a gigantic black mark, not only on the 36-story curved tower but on Honolulu itself. While it’s still not clear what caused the...
View ArticleUH Should Save Ka Leo — And Bring It Into The Digital Age
When U.S. Rep. Mark Takai died just over a year ago, he was remembered for his many accomplishments, especially his political and military service as well as his passionate support for education and...
View ArticleLet’s Preserve And Perpetuate Art In Public Places
News reports of the painter Wyland and Hawaiian Airlines reaching a deal to preserve two giant murals on the carrier’s building near Honolulu’s international airport is a victory for both parties. It’s...
View ArticleAny Bailout Of Honolulu Rail Must Include Tough State Oversight
Civil Beat is on record as opposing any more money for the Honolulu rail project beyond what has already been budgeted. Just four months ago we wrote, “In addition to the rail project’s ridiculous cost...
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Congress Must Act To Undo A Massive Injustice To ‘Dreamers’
President Donald Trump said as recently as last week that “We love the Dreamers … We think the Dreamers are terrific.” He was referring to the estimated 800,000 undocumented immigrants who were brought...
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Honolulu Rail: Hawaii Lawmakers Deserve Credit For Doing Their Job
The Hawaii Legislature has been excoriated in some corners for the way it conducted its five-day special session to fund the Honolulu rail project. Among the chastisements are that Senate Bill 4,...
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Sanders’‘Medicare For All’ Plan Deserves Serious Consideration
Health care is top of mind once again in Washington, D.C., where our elected representatives have an opportunity to enact legislation that recognizes what more and more Americans see as a right rather...
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Make It Easier, Not Harder, To Access Hawaii’s Public Records
The Washington Post drew mixed reactions when it adopted a new motto earlier this year, “Democracy Dies In Darkness.” Critics deemed it melodramatic and likened it to the title of a Batman movie. But...
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