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Monday Memo: Kondo Survives, HSTA Elects, Schatz Shines
The Civil Beat Editorial Board comments briefly each Monday on multiple matters that caught our attention in the previous week’s news. Les Kondo, state Ethics Commission executive director Cory...
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Hale Mauliola: A First Step Toward Meaningful Action on Homelessness
Two weeks have passed since Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s release of plans to transform a Sand Island property into an inventively Spartan transitional housing site for up to 100 homeless individuals....
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Rail’s Deep Black Hole: Digging Out One Shovelful at a Time
We learned a bit more over the past week about Honolulu’s beleaguered $6 billion rail project, and for a change, a spoonful of good news was mixed in with a healthy helping of bad. First, the bad news....
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Monday Memo: Sex Ed, Kenoi’s Cronyism, Kippen’s Likely Departure
The Civil Beat Editorial Board comments briefly each Monday on multiple matters that caught our attention in the previous week’s news. SEX ED: A PONO DECISION. The Hawaii Board of Education on Tuesday...
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The Public Has the Right to Know About Police Misconduct
If a police officer abuses his authority, violates police conduct standards or engages in criminal activity, should police disciplinary records related to the officer’s actions be a matter of public...
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Honolulu Ethics Commission Needs to Scrap Its New Anti-Media Policy
Of the many things to say regarding last week’s unfortunate adoption of a new media policy by members of the Honolulu Ethics Commission, chief among them is this: What were they thinking? The...
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Prison Agreement Undercuts Hawaii Values on Death Penalty
On its face, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Monday to allow the continued use of a specific, controversial form of lethal injection in death penalty cases wouldn’t seem to have much to do with...
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Brower Tempest Obscures Real Issues in Kakaako
Rep. Tom Brower’s ill-advised venture into the flourishing homeless camp in Kakaako took a nasty turn late Monday when two teens gave him a thrashing for taking pictures of them despite their requests...
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Monday Memo: Records Released, Trafficking Bill Veto, Love Wins
The Civil Beat Editorial Board comments briefly each Monday on multiple matters that caught our attention in the previous week’s news. PUBLIC WINS IN RECORDS RELEASE. The Hawaii State Ethics...
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Don’t Let Caldwell Off the Hook When it Comes to Rail Financial Information
When Gov. David Ige last week released the list of pending bills he intends to veto, the extension of the general excise tax supporting the Honolulu rail project was not among them. And for good...
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Hawaii’s Charter Schools Must Adhere to Federal Law on Prayers
Jessica Terrell’s recent Civil Beat report on whether school prayer is crossing a line at some Hawaii charter schools begs serious questions that the Hawaii Charter Schools Commission now should answer...
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VA Deserves Credit for Big Changes at Matsunaga
A little more than a year ago, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs released an audit of Veterans Health Administration facilities that showed Honolulu’s Spark M. Matsunaga VA Medical Center had the...
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Monday Memo: Mauna Kea Rule Change, Duckworth Ascending, Ige’s BOE
The Civil Beat Editorial Board comments briefly each Monday on multiple matters that caught our attention in the previous week’s news. KAPU ALOHA. Protesters who have been gathered at Mauna Kea since...
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Lawmakers Should Not Have ‘Our Heads in the Sand’
Rep. Sylvia Luke’s comments in Anita Hofschneider’s Monday report on why 175 public housing units remain vacant even as Honolulu works to find accommodations for the homeless seem to have been either a...
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Congress Should Approve Iran Nuclear Deal
In announcing the draft agreement Tuesday that would dramatically limit Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons, President Barack Obama rightfully pointed to “the real and meaningful change that...
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NOAA, DLNR and the Public Must Work Together to Heal Maunalua Bay
The history of Maunalua Bay is a fascinating one. Once home to a fertile, 523-acre fish pond — reportedly the largest in Polynesia — the bay’s waters lapped against a verdant, rural coastal area that...
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Monday Memo: Reuniting Filipinos, Trump’s Fighting Words, a Fallen Cow
The Civil Beat Editorial Board comments briefly each Monday on multiple matters that caught our attention in the previous week’s news. REUNIFYING FILIPINO FAMILIES. When Mark Takai took office this...
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David Ige’s Quiet, Deliberative Leadership Style Is Not Such a Bad Thing
Nearly eight months into Gov. David Ige’s tenure, it’s clear that the low-key technocrat’s deliberative, slow-to-judgment approach is serving Hawaii well in most cases. Ige has faced down multiple...
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Honolulu Ethics Commission’s Do-Over Is a Chance to Do Right by the Public
It’s heartening when a governmental body has the integrity to admit when it’s made a mistake. It signals an ability to reflect honestly on decisions that probably weren’t good and a collective...
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Hawaii Legislature Should Rethink Regulation for Taxis, Uber and Lyft
It hasn’t attracted the headlines this year of Donald Trump or the Iran nuclear deal, but the ride-booking service Uber has proven as controversial as either of those this year and then some, as Hawaii...
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