Investigative stories and local news updates Coverage of the Hawaiʻi State legislature in 2025 Award winning in-depth reports and featured on-going series Get the week’s news delivered straight to your inbox Not even a donut or a cheap ballpoint pen.” Civil Beat asked candidates to answer some questions about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected The following came from Pat Beekman, Republican candidate for State Senate District 16, which covers Aiea, Aiea Heights, Halawa, Pearlridge, Newtown, Royal Summit, Waimalu, Waiau, Momilani, Pacific Palisades and Pearl City. Her opponent is Democrat Brandon Elefante Go to Civil Beat’s Election Guide for general information, and check out other candidates on the General Election Ballot What is the biggest issue facing your district Most pressing is the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility Red Hill continues to spring unpleasant surprises on the public Past Red Hill contamination of the Navy’s water system continues to lurk as a latent threat to much of southern Oahu’s drinking water Airborne toxic gases could flow down Halawa Valley as the tanks are vented during the decommissioning process Firefighting chemicals containing the “forever chemical” PFAS have flowed from Red Hill into the surrounding area My Senate district is in close proximity to the tanks and I was chair of the Red Hill Fuel Tank Committee at the Aiea Neighborhood Board for three years When elected I will keep a close eye on developments at Red Hill pushing for comprehensive inspections of the facility to assess the current state of the tanks I will seek the public release of all inspection and maintenance records How do you feel about the massive income tax cut just approved by the Legislature and the governor Do you have any concerns that it will force reductions in state services in the years to come The tax cut is welcome news for Hawaii residents supports the local economy and encourages the government to make good on the tax cut by focusing on its own fiscal responsibility Certainly state service reductions are a possibility because of the cut but as a legislator my job will be to keep an eye out for that and take timely steps to avert such an eventuality Hawaii continues to struggle with pay-to-play politics and corruption in government What meaningful reforms do you think would change state government for the better Term limits would limit the time in which politicians and companies build unhealthy relationships and would also bring in new people who would be less likely to be enmeshed in corruption This should also cut down on retirement pay No serving as a legislator or on their staff then getting a lobbying job or a job in the industry they primarily dealt with or favored Cut down on the number of nonessential things the Legislature deals with Candidates often say they will support reform proposals in the Legislature And yet major reform proposals don’t pass Will you back good-government proposals even if it means going against leadership can you point to an example of a reform that you supported I fully intend to back good government proposals and don’t see that going against leadership is a problem responsible leadership expects pushback and opposition if it turns out that leadership makes things difficult I will still actively support good reforms but I have strongly supported via testimony before the Legislature the elimination of mandates for shots and masks In a free society that decision must be left to the individual It is the individual and his family or support circle who will have to bear the burden of any damaging consequences of such decisions on himself and his children He will bear the burden for what they told him he must do Do you support comprehensive public financing of elections for candidates who choose to participate Running a campaign is inordinately expensive Public financing would encourage more qualified candidates to run for office It lessens the risk of elected officials becoming obligated to campaign contributors who back legislation that doesn’t serve the public interest Hawaii is the only Western state without a statewide citizens initiative process one-party-heavy legislature in the country This means that certain segments have little to no clout Having an alternative means to approach legislative action would be good for promoting the freedom-loving individuality this nation was founded upon Citizens initiatives would put legislators on notice that voters have found they are being ignored and so are going to the considerable trouble of taking matters into their own hands That encourages legislators to consider more seriously what they are hearing from the public It would in turn encourage citizens to be more engaged in their government and to understand that they can make a difference Thanks to their campaign war chests and name familiarity incumbents are almost always reelected in Hawaii legislative races Should there be term limits for state legislators as there are for the governor’s office and county councils Liaisons good for the incumbents but not necessarily good for the people tend to become stronger over the years Term limits reduce this source of corruption Knowing their time is limited encourages legislators to waste little time in implementing their ideas and strengthening their causes once elected Their restricted time encourages them to focus on doing their job rather than prioritizing reelection efforts The vacancies opened up by this practice encourage more citizens to seek office bringing fresh energy and perspectives with them What will you do to ensure accountability at the Legislature Do you support ideas such as requiring the Sunshine Law to apply to the Legislature or banning campaign contributions during session There are effective steps in place to ensure accountability at the Legislature the Public Access Room regularly reaches out to the public telling them how to check the status of bills follow their progress and give effective testimony The Legislative Reference Bureau has excellent resources that are open to the public The Ethics Commission requires a quick report from all state legislative candidates I will inform my constituents on the Legislature’s activities through public engagement informative newsletters sent through the mail and in-person reports to their local neighborhood board and town halls The Sunshine Law has a name that sounds good but a lot of important information from reaching decision-makers I would approach a Sunshine Law for the Legislature with a healthy amount of skepticism I do not agree with banning campaign contributions during legislative sessions Restricting the freedom of the people to financially support their candidates is not in keeping with the American way How would you make the Legislature more transparent and accessible to the public Opening conference committees to the public Stricter disclosure requirements on lobbying and lobbyists How could the Legislature change its own internal rules to be more open The Legislature does make access unnecessarily difficult its email subject lines give almost no clue to the contents other than perhaps the initials of the committees that are featured Those committee initials are Greek to the vast majority of the public The practice discourages the public from learning what’s happening Changing just this one custom would be a big improvement Opening conference committees to the public is a possibility but would anything essential be sacrificed by that move It’s something that should be subject to careful consideration rather than my making a snap decision before I’ve even taken part in any conference committees The disclosure requirements on lobbying and lobbyists seem strict already not having been subject to lobbying at the legislature making an uninformed decision in favor of further strictness is not the way to go Lobbyists have their place and provide useful information The Public Access Room and the Legislative Reference Bureau are superb resources that are already in place for more transparency and accessibility When elected I plan to inform my constituents about them Many people have talked about diversifying the local economy for many years now and yet Hawaii is still heavily reliant on tourism should be done differently about tourism and the economy Hawaii has the reputation of being business-unfriendly often topping all 50 states in that category The state needs to ease up on its red tape pursue the goal of making Hawaii a great place to do business Hawaii has some of the best farmland in the entire country Sugar and pineapple were until recent years Hawaii’s biggest industries affording a good lifestyle for many families yet we saw those two once-thriving industries collapse over a relatively short period of time Plantation owners told me back in the ‘70s when their businesses dominated the islands that the increasing cost of labor was forcing them to close down and leave the islands labor unions and the community is essential for a realistic view that anticipates impacts and promotes a better business environment promoting education both academically and in skilled trades to align with viable and emerging industries is a critical element in the quest to provide a good lifestyle for Hawaii’s people while improving the state’s business viability An estimated 60% of Hawaii residents are struggling to get by a problem that reaches far beyond low-income and into the middle class What ideas do you have to help the middle class and working families who are finding it hard to continue to live here It seems that just about everybody agrees that the high cost of housing is the biggest problem: to the point that it can be called a no-brainer The price of keeping a roof over one’s head in Hawaii is mind-boggling By living packed like sardines in a can or in little cubbyholes The Legislature needs to keep focusing on the problem and keep coming up with solutions Perhaps the state can release some of its public lands at low prices or maybe even for free State legislators could work with our federal congressional delegation to get money for housing: If the federal government can spend hundreds of billions of dollars on foreign aid surely it wouldn’t be out of line to seek some of that federal money to help American citizens right here at home the solution of a better standard of living will take a multi-pronged approach The Legislature can play a role in these worthy goals Unfortunately, being named a finalist for a Pulitzer prize doesn’t make us immune to financial pressures. The fact is, our revenue hasn’t kept pace with our need to grow, and we need your help Civil Beat is a nonprofit, reader-supported newsroom based in Hawaiʻi. We’re looking to build a more resilient, diverse and deeply impactful media landscape, and we hope you’ll help by supporting our essential journalism Civil Beat has been named the best overall news site in Hawaii for the 14th year in a row by the Society of Professional Journalists Hawaii Chapter Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More HONOLULU — The City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services announced several changes to TheBus services that will begin on Sunday The department noted in a press release that it continually monitors TheBus evaluating its system to “address changes in service demand The changes taking effect on Sunday include some routes that are modified some that will be discontinued and one “new” route Route IL (Halawa-Hawaii Kai) will be re-routed to serve Bougainville and Radford Drive The segment of Salt Lake Boulevard and Bougainville Drive and Radford Drive will be discontinued This means that Route 1L will no longer serve the following stops: Bus Stop #2964 (Salt Lake Boulevard/Bougainville Drive) this will be served by Route 32; Bus Stop #4704 (Salt Lake Boulevard/Namur Road) and Bus Stop #4705 (Salt Lake Boulevard/Maluna Street Route 11 (Makalapa-Halawa-Aiea Heights-Honolulu) will be discontinued Alternate routes include: Route 551 (Aiea Heights-Aloha Stadium) which operates one-way mauka-bound on Kaamilo Street and one-way makai-bound on Aiea Heights Drive between Kaamilo Street and Moanalua Road; and Route 552 (Halawa Heights-Aloha Stadium) which operates one-way mauka-bound on Aliipoe Drive and one-way makai-bound on Halawa Heights Road between Aliipoe Drive and Ulune Street Service frequency for both routes will be increased 30 minutes riders should transfer at Aloha Stadium to Routes A (City Express Pearlridge-UH Manoa) IL (Halawa-Hawaii Kai Limited Stop) or 20 (Waikiki-Airport-Aloha Stadium) Discontinued service areas include Kaamilo Street makai-bound between Moanalua Road and Aiea Heights Drive; Aiea Heights Drive mauka-bound between Maonalua Road and Kaamilo Street; Aliipoe Drive makai-bound between Ulune Steet and Halawa Heights Road; and Halawa Heights Road mauka-bound between Ulune Street and Aliipoe Drive There will be no direct service between Aiea Hights/Halawa Heights and Downtown The existing Route 43 (Waipahu-Honolulu-Alapai) will discontinue service to Leolua Street to/from Honolulu between Waiawa Road and the Alapai Transit Center Route 432 (East-West Waipahu) will be discontinued and replaced with a “new” Route 43 (Waipahu-Waiawa) which will operate between the Hoaeae West Loch Skyline Station and Waiawa Road Service hours for this route is extended to weekdays the next day; and Sundays: 5 a.m.-1:30 a.m The service frequencies are every 20 minutes on weekdays and 30 minutes on weekends and holidays For Route 46 (Kapolei Commons-UH - West Oahu) several early morning trips will be discontinued because of low ridership going from Kapolei Commons to UH - West Oahu and two trips in the 4 a.m going from UH West Oahu to Kapolei Commons Service to Elliott Street and Kuntz Avenue on Route 303 (Hickam-Airport-Kalihi Transit Center) will be discontinued because of the closure of the Kuntz Gate by Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Visit for a complete TheBus schedule and route information “The state owns the majority of land around the rail stations and we can be a leader in providing more housing options.” The following came from Brandon Elefante, Democratic candidate for State Senate District 16, which covers Aiea, Aiea Heights, Halawa, Pearlridge, Newtown, Royal Summit, Waimalu, Waiau, Momilani, Pacific Palisades and Pearl City. His opponent is Republican Patricia Beekman Go to Civil Beat’s Election Guide for general information, and check out other candidates on the General Election Ballot Public safety issues (increases in property crime) cost of living and more affordable housing.  During my first term representing my district I introduced various bills and resolutions that proposed solutions to these issues I will continue to introduce and support legislation that keeps our communities safe and addresses any other issues through a proactive and constituent-focused approach as it will provide income tax relief to low- to middle-income households and working class families Green when signing this legislation into law the state income taxes paid by working class families will fall by 71 percent by 2031.” the Foley Commission recommended a series of bills to create more transparency in government from banning fundraisers during the legislative session to reporting requirements and increased criminal penalties for public corruption.  We need to continue to do an assessment of our ethics laws and legislative processes we are held to a higher standard by the public and there should be zero tolerance for corruption I’m open to supporting good and balanced proposals that would create more transparency in our system. I supported legislation for public financing for candidates running for public office I voted in support of proposals in the past as it relates to public financing for candidates running for public office A critical component is ensuring that we have the adequate funding sources.  I voted in support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 196 which would have called on Congress to have a Convention of States and apply it to certain amendments We currently have a ban on fundraising during the legislative session I believe the public should have the opportunity to participate and weigh in during the legislative process The state Legislature has a wonderful Legislative Reference Bureau and Public Access Room I think we should highlight what they do and show the public that getting involved in the legislative process isn’t as difficult as they think it is Tourism is still a critical component to our economy It provides so many careers and jobs for local families Although we have depended on tourism for many years it is important to implement policies to manage tourism in a balanced approach that is sustainable for our delicate island ecosystem we need to find new and creative ways to sustain ourselves Hawaii and its people have so much to offer I think we need to leverage the advantages of our location and population to become a leader in innovative industries creative media and building community resiliency for future years to come it is a significant milestone for low- to middle-income families and a huge tax break for these families.  We can incentivize businesses to recruit Hawaii’s own we need to create good-paying jobs within the public sector that are comparable or better than other sectors in those industries We need to encourage new technologies and industries to invest here and provide residents with options to work here We need to create more housing opportunities for the middle-class and low-income households One way we can do this is by looking at the low-income housing tax credit structure and figure ways to increase this kind of tax credit to encourage more development of affordable housing The state can also provide land to developers in exchange for building these affordable units In addition we need to create more housing around the transit-oriented development areas The state owns the majority of land around the rail stations and we can be a leader in providing more housing options nothing happens without education and training We can invest in education and training by assisting students with child care connecting them to transportation and encouraging paid internships Enrolling in Hawaiʻi’s public schools is a straightforward process that involves determining school eligibility and completing an application either online or in person We are committed to providing a high-quality education for all students and we look forward to welcoming your child to our school system. Learn how to determine your school through the SchoolSite Locator App The Department provides bus service in neighborhoods around the islands to ensure broad access to educational opportunities for Hawaiʻi’s students and serves about 25,000 student riders across the state.  Students who consistently attend school are more likely to achieve academic excellence students gain access to a world of knowledge and develop the confidence to reach their full potential.  educational specialists and staff to foster equity and excellence in our public schools skilled and passionate professionals who will help bring the Department’s Strategic Plan to life stories and events from Hawai‘i public schools 1390 Miller St. Honolulu, HI 96813Main Line: 808-784-6200Email This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The Honolulu City Council appears to be ready and willing to ignore tsunami safety and emergency procedures Two public safety building code requirements are being erased from Bill 65 currently under consideration by the Honolulu City Council Introduced in 2023 Bill 65 would adopt the State Building Code The bill raises two building safety issues The prior City and County of Honolulu building code (2020-2023) required tsunami design for all residential and commercial buildings having an occupied floor above 45 feet Bill 65 would have set similar requirements but for residential and commercial buildings with roof height over 90 feet This updated requirement would bring the building code into conformance with the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management policy of recommending vertical evacuation when horizontal evacuation to high ground is not possible As shown in the figure from the DEM website the recommendation is: “In case of a Tsunami Warning move inland or go to the 4th floor or above in a building at least 10 stories or taller.” This “vertical evacuation” policy has been in place for many years particularly due to the difficulty with evacuating everyone from areas like Waikiki Kakaako and downtown to high ground during a tsunami warning Tsunami design requirements are now a part of the 2018 International Building Code the basis for the Hawaii State Building Code and expose the city and state to enormous liability if they were to instruct evacuees to seek refuge in tall buildings during a tsunami warning but do nothing to ensure that the buildings are designed not to collapse during severe tsunami events The City Council appears to be ready and willing to ignore tsunami safety and the city’s emergency procedures the nine council members voted unanimously in support of this tsunami design provision in a City Council Zoning Committee hearing on May 22 as requested by the Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii — which lobbies on behalf of developers — all six members of the committee reversed their opinions and voted to remove tsunami design for taller buildings even though they will still be used by the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management for vertical evacuation during tsunami warnings This would negate public safety during tsunami events in a major reversal of the prior Honolulu Building Code Since the Honolulu City and County Department of Emergency Management relies on vertical evacuation as part of its tsunami evacuation plan the city should logically and ethically ensure that the design of new high-rise buildings will provide structural integrity during tsunami events The City Council wishfully thinking that Oahu will not have a major tsunami is not consistent with the engineering performed for all other natural hazards Perhaps they think they don’t have to worry about it until after there is a damaging tsunami collapsing buildings and taking hundreds of lives enormous amounts of debris are carried by the wind and act as projectiles impacting the exterior walls The 2018 International Building Code and International Residential Code require opening protection for all windows and doors on the exterior of all buildings in a hurricane windborne debris region Earlier editions of the IBC and IRC noted that all of Hawaii is a windborne debris region windborne debris was observed in areas of Kauai that were in the 130 mph design wind speed zone During a Zoning Committee hearing of Bill 65 on Feb the committee correctly decided to retain the long-standing building code requirement that any region of Oahu where the design wind speed exceeds 130 mph should be included in the windborne debris region The Hawaii State Building Code is also based on 130 mph Because of the expense of providing window protection the Hawaii Legislature funded the development of a Hawaii Residential Saferoom as an alternative to opening protection This is now included in the Hawaii Building Code Appendix U Housing developers in Hawaii are currently complying with this requirement by providing residential saferooms in new housing construction where the design wind speed exceeds 130 mph Horton estimates that addition of a saferoom costs between $5,000 and $7,500 per house equivalent to the cost of granite countertops in the kitchen This would enable occupants to remain safe in their homes during a hurricane The added safety and peace-of-mind for the homeowner/occupants during future high wind events is priceless the council voted unanimously in support of the windborne debris region as anywhere with design wind speed exceeding 130 mph as requested by the Building Industry Association of Hawaii — which is an affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders — all six members of the committee suddenly reversed their opinions and voted to change to a design wind speed of 140 mph This would make the weakened criteria unique to Oahu and contrary to the State Building Code The map of Oahu (below) shows how this would exempt most of the new housing construction along the south shore of Oahu (portions of Makakilo Halawa Heights and Salt Lake) from windborne debris protection Gray regions in this map would no longer be required to provide opening protection or saferooms Some of these gray regions are tiny or taper down to very narrow widths that will be confusing and unenforceable These problems do not exist with a 130 mph design wind speed Why the apparent sudden change in City Council member opinions on these two items Lobbying behind the scenes for months by developers and the Building Industry Association of Hawaii To avoid tsunami design of tall buildings and the possible strengthening that might be required and the need to include saferooms or window protection in new residential construction these parties are vehemently opposed to these two provisions in Bill 65  Bill 65 CD2 will have these code provisions erased and tailored to the lobbyists’ demands Their lobbying was successful in this past Zoning Committee hearing but might not necessarily carry over to the final full council hearing on this bill If you are concerned that developer profits are being put ahead of public safety then you should contact your city council member and insist that they reinstate tsunami design for taller buildings located in the tsunami design zone and require saferooms or opening protection wherever the hurricane wind speed given in the code exceeds 130 mph Honolulu Civil Beat is a nonprofit organization and your donation helps us produce local reporting that serves all of Hawaii Chiu Distinguished Professor of Structural Engineering in the University of Hawaii’s Department of Civil Environmental and Construction Engineering a structural engineering and hazard risk assessment company in Honolulu Ideas is the place you'll find essays, analysis and opinion on public affairs in Hawaiʻi. We want to showcase smart ideas about the future of Hawaiʻi, from the state's sharpest thinkers, to stretch our collective thinking about a problem or an issue. Email news@civilbeat.org to submit an idea Sign up for our FREE morning newsletter and face each day more informed Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInHONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - HECO crews have restored power to over 1,150 customers in the Aiea/Waiau area on Sunday afternoon According to HECO’s outage map at least 1,154 customers were impacted in the Aiea 3p Aiea/Waiau update: Power restored to all customers. To report an #OahuOutage please call 1-855-304-1212 or go online to https://t.co/qNea1FzAix 3p Aiea/Waiau update: Power restored to all customers. To report an #OahuOutage please call 1-855-304-1212 or go online to https://t.co/qNea1FzAix “We can invest in education and training by assisting students with child care connecting them to transportation and encouraging paid internships.” Democratic candidate for state Senate District 16 His opponent is Republican Patricia Beekman Go to Civil Beat’s Election Guide for general information, and check out other candidates on the General Election Ballot The most pressing issues facing my district are public safety and concerning crime levels homelessness and lack of affordable housing sustainable economy for the future of our community To address these issues we need to recruit train and encourage more people to join the Police Department We need to improve public safety by creating communities where people feel welcomed and secure We need to build more housing with more housing tax credits and funding And we need to secure the future of our state and insure our keiki can afford to live here by creating opportunities in the workforce for local families We have to remember that we did diversify the economy once when Hawaii moved away from a plantation economy with our major sectors of the economy including tourism We need to support other sectors like start-up businesses education and creative media through incentives such as tax credits providing educational opportunities in these sectors to grow our next workforce and making Hawaii a great place to do business a problem that reaches far beyond low income and into the middle class With many businesses allowing people to work virtually this creates an opportunity for livable wages for our residents so they can continue to raise their families here We can incentivize these businesses to recruit Hawaii’s own we need to create good-paying jobs within the public sector and encourage new technologies and industries to invest here and provide residents with options to work here We need to create more housing opportunities for the middle class and low-income households One way we can create housing is to look into transit-oriented development around the rail stations The state owns the majority of land around the rail stations We not only need to invest in our University of Hawaii system but we also need to think about ways to provide more training opportunities Hawaii has the most lopsided Legislature in the country with only one Republican in the Senate and only four in the House How would you ensure there is an open exchange of ideas transparency and accountability for decisions What do you see as the consequences of one-party control I have always worked with all of my colleagues leading my colleagues as chair of the National League of Cities Large Cities Council It is important for views to be discussed in a respectful way in order to move Hawaii forward In order to come up with solutions for the problems that we all face we need to elect people who are committed to serve and I truly believe that characteristic is not associated with a political party affiliation and citizens are encouraged to reach out to their elected officials through multiple channels One of my favorite parts of my job as a legislator is meeting people in our neighborhoods It truly brings me great joy when I get a thank-you note or email as it is how I know I’m doing the right thing incumbents are almost always re-elected in Hawaii legislative races as there are for the governor’s office and county councils I’m open to the idea of term limits for state legislators I currently serve in a seat that has a term limit One useful thing about term limits is that it allows different people to serve their districts bringing new ideas and solutions to the table Hawaii has recently experienced a number of prominent corruption scandals prompting the state House of Representatives to appoint a commission tasked with improving government transparency through ethics and lobbying reforms Are you open to ideas such as requiring the Sunshine Law and open records laws to apply to the Legislature or banning campaign contributions during session We need to do an assessment of our ethics laws I’m open to the idea of Sunshine Law applying to the Legislature as I have had to adhere to this law for the past eight years Ways we can do this are by strengthening our ethics and disclosure laws; fine-tuning our Sunshine Laws so that we balance the ability for our legislators and other board members to do their work while keeping government transparent; and providing more information to the public about each of our government agencies We do have campaign contribution laws on the books and I see the issue as more of disclosing the contributions versus accepting legal contributions the laws for conflicts of interest as it relates to voting can be reviewed The bottom line is the public wants to know if your votes follow your campaign contributions I disclose contributions and relationships prior to voting I also do not always vote in favor of the people who have supported me We could also livestream or televise all of our meetings as is currently done at the Honolulu City Council Hawaii has seen a growing division when it comes to politics What would you do to bridge those gaps and bring people together in spite of their differences I believe that my last eight years of experience as a legislator in key positions and chair on several challenging committees has taught me how to bridge gaps and bring people together I serve as chair of the Planning and Zoning Committee and previously served as chair of the Transportation Committee I also chaired the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Committee which allocates all federal transportation and planning dollars for Oahu This has given me a breadth of experience in working with all levels of government through actively collaborating with my fellow legislators in city I support good dialogue and respect different viewpoints I believe that with each piece of legislation you have to involve the stakeholders in the community because good legislation isn’t written in a vacuum the relationships I have established throughout the government would serve as a key asset as I continue to advocate for the best interests of the community I serve The coronavirus pandemic has exposed numerous flaws in Hawaii’s structure and systems from outdated technology to economic disparity If you could take this moment to reinvent Hawaii to build on what we’ve learned and create a better state Please share One Big Idea you have for Hawaii I would modernize and diversify our economy We have depended on tourism for many years and we will always need and welcome tourists from beyond our shores; however I think we need to leverage the advantages of our location and population to become a leader in innovative industries like sustainable agriculture One big idea is to bring the Olympics here to our state City transportation officials say the goal is “one integrated system.” But the changes have made commutes more difficult in some cases Gliding above Kamehameha Highway on Honolulu’s new Skyline rail Jennifer Pang passes over Pali Moma Street pointing to the Route A bus stopped below.  She used to be able to take the Route A bus straight from Waipahu to her office in Aiea but with the launch of the Skyline on June 30 the Route A bus no longer runs from her neighborhood.  Pang takes the Skyline rail past her old bus stop all the way to Aloha Stadium where she then catches the Route A bus back the way she came to her office She has arthritis and so needs to minimize the amount she walks Skyline began its first phase of operations last month with great fanfare after years of delays and cost overruns with service running on just under 11 miles of the roughly 19-mile project while key locations like the airport and Chinatown wait for the next phase The rail is also currently only running until 7 p.m Meanwhile, the city’s Department of Transportation Services introduced several bus route changes in tandem with the opening including six modifications and 12 new routes throughout neighborhoods including Kalihi The most significant change affected Route A which previously served an average of roughly 5,000 daily riders That line now ends at Pearlridge instead of Waipahu and bypasses the Kalihi Transit Center and North King Street to run along the rail The goal with the changes is to let “Skyline kind of take over the segments that Route A used to represent before,” said Jon Nouchi deputy director of the Department of Transportation Services But for residents like Pang the changes have altered daily routines for the sake of a rail line that The truncated rail line has meant limited utility and thus, ridership. In the most recent week of full data, the Skyline saw its lowest ridership totals to date, excluding promotional days. Huge crowds of Honolulu residents rode the rail at no cost in its opening days Part of the issue may be that riders are opting for other bus routes instead of taking the Skyline then transferring to another bus at Aloha Stadium Alternative routes suggested by DTS showed upticks in ridership in the week following the changes although several of those route’s ridership numbers have returned to June levels since then who also had her Route A stop in Waipahu removed has forgone rail for the Route E bus which drops her downtown then she backtracks on the 51 bus to get to work in town “T​​he rail leaders need to try to get as many people on the rail as they can because the numbers are really low right now,” said Joe Kent executive vice president of the Grassroot Institute “I think the rail leaders are trying to justify the cost of the rail and the cost of operating it right now,” Kent said.  But chair of the City Council’s transportation committee Tyler Dos Santos-Tam urged people to think about bus and rail as “one integrated system.” In response to concerns about the bus being used to prop up rail “I think if you think of them as two separate entities maybe that criticism is fair making appearances at neighborhood boards including Waipahu Kalihi and Aiea in an attempt to prepare residents for the impending changes “People were pretty happy to see the amount of new service we deployed,” Nouchi said citing an over fourfold increase in bus riders on what used to be Route 74 in Aiea Heights and Halawa Heights Some riders also said they were excited about the rail’s cleanliness and speed residents still expressed concerns over the changes At a Kalihi-Palama Neighborhood Board meeting on May 17 board member Ken Farm said he was worried about shifting Route A off of King Street where it supported Route 1 on a busy corridor that serviced several schools including Farrington High School Farm said that introducing Route 1L in place of Route A “is not going to be enough.” “We never had enough to begin with because of the amount of people that use it,” Farm said “I don’t think that they took in consideration what it will look like when school starts.” The state Department of Education recently announced that driver shortages would force the cancellation or suspension of school bus service at several campuses forcing many students to take public transportation Nouchi said his office is actively monitoring passenger loads on the Kalihi corridor and others where alterations have been made The former lobbyist replaces Breene Harimoto David Ige on Thursday appointed Bennette Misalucha to fill the seat of Sen is “a community leader” who has held “key executive positions in banking public policy and community outreach sectors.” She has owned a business strategy and communications company since 2008 and is a former reporter was as an executive at Central Pacific Bank The press release did not mention that Misalucha was a lobbyist for the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association — the local seed industry — until August 2019 Misalucha will take office “once the state Senate qualifies” her and administers the oath of office State Senate District 16 includes Pearl City The governor selected Misalucha from a list of three candidates provided by the Democratic Party of Hawaii The administration did not provide the names of the other candidates and deferred an inquiry to the party said the other two names on the list were Jane Sugimura and Steve Canales “All three names submitted by the Democratic Party are proud and active Democrats in Senate District 16,” she said Breene Harimoto was a kind and dedicated public servant A special election to select a senator to serve the last two years of Harimoto’s four-year term will be held in conjunction with Hawaii’s Nov The traffic-calming measures are necessary to slow us all down and help save lives Yesterday I drove over eight speed humps on my commute — and I barely registered them It’s been four years since the state installed speed humps — or raised crosswalks — on the Pali Highway And though they have spurred heated debate among drivers speed humps or raised crosswalks on five islands — the most being on Oahu — with 28 more in progress but most drivers seem to fall into two categories: those who hate them and those who tolerate them According to the Federal Highway Administration raised crosswalks can reduce pedestrian crashes by 45% and cost less than installing traffic signal lights In 2018 — before the first raised crosswalk was installed — the state reported a high of 44 pedestrian deaths we have observed zero fatalities and zero serious injuries,” says Russell Pang spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation “We’ve seen a significant decrease in drivers going over the speed limit … Speed humps will remain part of our speed management strategy in areas where we expect potential for conflict between vehicles The latest speed hump was installed near Portlock this month I drive over three raised crosswalks on Pali Highway and 10 more in Waimanalo I polled my followers on Instagram and of the 140 people who responded 72% said they recognize the effectiveness of speed humps most respondents either like or don’t mind them; only a handful called them a waste of taxpayer money (Ask anyone who commutes from Ewa Beach along Fort Weaver Road or from Hawaii Kai along Kalanianaole Highway if they think there should be more traffic signal lights on Oahu.) I doubt lowering speed limits would help a hugely unpopular camera van program that ended in 2002 and cost taxpayers millions of dollars One Facebook friend suggested adding more potholes along Hawaii roads to slow down speeders Funny — it would probably work — but only in theory Virtually every major city uses raised crosswalks which saw a surge in traffic crashes during the pandemic due to speeding and reckless driving NYC committed to adding 100 raised crosswalks every year in an effort to make some of its most dangerous intersections safer for pedestrians It had already tried lowering speed limits expanding automated speed cameras in school zones re-timing walk signals to give pedestrians a head start and installing miles of protected bike lanes raised crosswalks in front of the Garfield Park Conservatory and Garfield Park Field House to encourage drivers to slow down and yield to people crossing the street Earlier improvements to nearby Central Park Avenue had already resulted in improved safety; data from the city’s Department of Transportation showed a nearly 60% decrease in people driving over 30 mph When you reflect on why we don’t like them the hard truth reveals itself: Maybe because we drive too fast Think about the family of 16-year-old Sara Yara who was killed by a hit-and-run driver while crossing Kapiolani Boulevard in a marked crosswalk Maybe an elevated crosswalk would have saved her life Maybe these new speed humps will save others She is currently the editor at large for Hawaii Magazine and lives in Honolulu with her husband You can follow her on Instagram @catherinetothfox Opinions are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Civil Beat's views “My top priority is kick-starting our local economy through smart tourism.” The following came from Kelly Kitashima, Republican candidate for State Senate District 16 representing Pearl City, Momilani, Pearlridge, Aiea, Royal Summit, Aiea Heights, Newtown, Waimalu, Halawa and Pearl Harbor. The other candidate is Democrat Bennette Misalucha Go to Civil Beat’s Elections Guide for general information, and check out other candidates on the General Election Ballot Hawaii has been deeply affected by the coronavirus pandemic Perhaps the biggest impact is to the economy and the tourism industry which has been Hawaii’s biggest economic driver Do you think state leaders have handled the response to the virus effectively including the approach to testing and health care as well as the stay-at-home orders that have caused serious economic harm Flattening the curve did not mean flatten the local economy Mismanagement and reactive versus proactive measures by the current administration negatively impacted Hawaii’s generational small businesses As an essential worker in the hospitality industry the mandatory 14-day quarantine was not properly executed and the burden fell on hotel workers in conjunction with local law enforcement Visitors entering the state should have undergone intense screening prior to entering our communities Hawaii demands a plan – this is going to take bold action by a two-party system or public will lose all faith left in our government Please click on the website for our plan to reinvent the local economy The state budget is facing record shortfalls Remember what we learned in basic economics: Expenses cannot exceed revenues and now more than ever elected officials must have a laser-focused attitude to managing the state’s finances Although I do not have access to the state budget specifics I would agree with recommendations provided by UHERO establish a contingency plan no more than three years out and finding department-specific savings I Highly oppose any budget cuts to education social and emergency services especially during the pandemic would begin to restore the state’s financial balance which accounts for 30-35% of state tax revenues (pre-COVID-19) it will be impossible to overcome the current fiscal crisis What do you think should be done to diversify the economy What would you do as an elected official to make that happen I fully support opening smart tourism responsibly and safely 1 driver to get the economy kick started instantly with a quality-versus-quantity targeted approach this will provide immediate spend into the local economy from dining Employment will see overnight positive results when local jobs return this will give Hawaii an opportunity to diversify within the hospitality industry sporting and entertainment events and military leisure spending Are you satisfied with the current plans to pay for the state’s unfunded liabilities how would you propose to meet pension and health obligations for public workers Would you support reductions in benefits including in pension contributions for public employees in light of virus-related budget shortfalls The problem is there is there is no plan – without interrupting employee benefits I would support delaying contributions to the ERS (Employee Retirement System) until the state can collect sustainable revenues then moving in more stable investments with contingency plans I do not support reduction of benefits for hard-working retirees The state’s virus response effort has exposed deep rifts within the top levels of government so what would you do to ensure public confidence in Hawaii’s government officials and top executives “Without an opposition party to force public debate even seasoned political observers struggle to understand why some bills are passed and others fail No democracy can remain healthy for long without a loyal opposition.” Hawaii is long overdue for a strong two-party system so there is a check and balance civil compromise and a return of stability to local government Recent deaths of citizens at the hands of police are igniting protests and calls for reform across the country primarily aimed at preventing discrimination against people of color How important do you see this as an issue for Hawaii What should be done to improve policing and police accountability throughout the state Do you support police reform efforts such as mandatory disclosure of misconduct records by police agencies and adequate funding for law enforcement oversight boards that have been established in recent years our kupuna instilled kapu aloha – a nonviolent code of conduct and a commitment to act with love This practice should be embraced across the state Celebrating diversity is our strength in Hawaii Transparency is key and I support disclosure of misconduct records with completion of compressive investigations I do not agree with the current practice of “gut and replace” that occurs late in session and denies the public participation and a meaningful voice in democracy Hawaii’s public records law mandates that public records be made available whenever possible David Ige suspended the open government laws under an emergency order during the pandemic What would you do to ensure the public has access to open meetings and public records in a timely fashion To use emergency powers and withhold critical information regarding contact tracing mass testing results and use of CARE Act funds lead to deeper public mistrust The creation of the COVID Pau initiative is a step in the right direction and would support immediate funding for public service announcements as not all residents of Hawaii have access to internet What should Hawaii be doing to prepare for the effects of climate change including sea level rise and threats to the reefs it’s our kuleana (responsibility) to malama our aina (take care of our land) and natural resources — they are finite The simplest approach would be to place a moratorium on coastline building to safeguard against rising sea levels we must cultivate public/private partnership opportunities that can mutually benefit our environment and make financial sense there are a tremendous amount of fantastic grassroots organizations — like Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii — inspiring local communities and doing great work that should undoubtedly be supported through grants from the state What do you see as the most pressing issue facing your district we are not able to traditionally connect with the community for direct feedback My top priority is kick-starting our local economy through smart tourism As a director of sales and marketing for our No I have hands-on experience to bring a better understanding from the inside-out to the Hawaii State Senate Any additional delays will hurt local businesses The coronavirus pandemic has exposed numerous flaws in Hawaii’s structure and systems to build on what we’ve learned and create a better state By Dan Nakaso Editors' PicksHomeless in HawaiiVideo left and Kaily Kuikahi get supplies to treat Anthony Bonilla Anthony Sevache checks the bandage he just applied to the nose of his girlfriend Evansville Luad Luad was hit in the face by another homeless person Carol Akemoto settles in for the night on a North Pauahi Street sidewalk next to Chinatown Watch signs sat in his wheelchair on a River Street sidewalk last month “Most of these guys are drinking and doing drugs but I’m down to two 40-ounce Colt 45s (malt liquor) a day,” the 71-year-old Navy veteran said Eddie Launius sat on a North Pauahi Street sidewalk last month with his two dogs Koipu and Boy waiting for the River of Life Mission to begin distributing food Launius lives in the city’s Hale Mauliola transitional housing project on Sand Island who said she has been homeless for 23 years Leman Key said she’s been homeless for 23 years Key said she’s Hawaiian and either 46 or 47 years old with missing teeth due to smoking crystal methamphetamine She showed up in Chinatown’s Kekaulike Market on a recent morning with only tattered and mismatched socks on her feet that exposed some of her toes Key said she “turned a trick” earlier in the morning as if prostituting herself explained her missing footwear who bought her new slippers and a pair of shoes costing Green $25 “She said she turned a trick this morning and she’s regularly raped,” Green said “She buys a new purse every day for $2 because she’s always getting ripped off Each night she’s vulnerable to getting raped or robbed.” Key dropped her latest $2 purse to the ground and kept digging through it to show off a puppy that did not exist “She has delusions consistent with her schizophrenia,” said Green six tourists from Iowa visiting Kekaulike Market said they were not prepared for the number of homeless people they had seen on Oahu “We were surprised,” said Jose Molina who joined his wife and two other couples on their Hawaii vacation “There’s a lot of homeless people.” University of Hawaii medical students Kaily Kuikahi walked out of the year-old Joint Outreach Center on North Hotel Street equipped with hygiene kits to ease introductions with homeless people and a backpack full of medical supplies to treat wounds that can turn septic on the street or take months to heal who stood against a wall wearing a bandage on his left ankle where Bonilla said he was bitten by “a flesh-eating bug” 13 months before and had yet to heal Bonilla said he’s been homeless “on and off for six seven years” and spent the previous night sleeping on Bishop Street After getting a quick examination and a fresh bandage Bonilla called the work of the UH medical students “a beautiful thing they do Out of a handful of homeless people invited back to the JOC by Kuikahi and Tom on a recent 3-hour shift only Bonilla showed up and was given a more thorough examination on a medical table The work of both medical professionals and students at the JOC is designed to earn trust from Chinatown’s homeless so they take the next steps to receive further services at the Institute for Human Services in nearby Iwilei Some 1,486 unduplicated patients were treated at both IHS and at the JOC as of April 8 — far more than the 172 homeless people in Chinatown who were counted by Institute for Human Services outreach workers in all of 2018 The 45 med students who began working out of the JOC in July were already hard-wired to help long before they hit the streets of Chinatown looking for the wounded and vulnerable “Physicians should have a responsibility for caring for vulnerable populations … And it makes them more compassionate doctors,” said Dr Burns School of Medicine’s Hawaii Home Project “almost without exception there’s some variation of wanting to make the world a better place.” While Bonilla took the step of walking into the JOC Kuikahi and Tom were less successful with Anthony Savache who had spent the night in a tent on River Street Luab emerged from their tent with an open wound between her eyes and another wound on her right ankle “A couple of weeks ago during a brawl she was bashed in the head with a stick,” Tom said “Twice — right between the eyes.” While residents and merchants complain about unwanted and illegal homeless activity an unknown number of homeless people in Chinatown In an email to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser homeless Chinatown resident Nathaniel Staudt wrote that he has a mental disability and hears voices “I hear voices inside my head and sometimes those voices seem to come from outside my head,” Staudt wrote “It is to the point now that I can not tell real voices from those my brain fabricates “I have been assaulted numerous times and get death threats countless times each day,” Staudt wrote “People talk under their breath or as they walk away Spit at my feet and groups of people will cross the streets just to stand in my way so I have to detour It’s just a matter of time till the verbal harassment turns physical,” he said … I need help and have no one to turn to.” Some of the problems of Chinatown’s homeless are self-inflicted who sat in a wheelchair on River Street on a recent night Robert looked at the tents and encampments lining River Street and said “Most of these guys are drinking and doing drugs but I’m down to two 40-ounce Colt 45s (malt liquor) a day.” He said he’s a Navy veteran who was assigned to two different U.S warships in Vietnamese waters starting in 1969 has been homeless on Oahu since he arrived in 2015 for an auto repair job because being homeless in Hawaii is “bad Not too many people want to help you.” calls herself a “black Hawaiian from Makaha.” She’s been homeless for more than 20 years and on a recent morning came to River of Life Mission for a hot shower and donated clothes Wilkins is what’s considered a “sheltered” homeless person and takes turns spending the night with different friends “I won’t live on the street because I’ll get raped Eddie Launius is also considered “sheltered,” but still homeless He said he’s been homeless for 40 of his 58 years and grew up on the streets of Chinatown “I had my first fight at Smith’s Union Bar,” Launius said In early April Launius said he and his girlfriend and Launius’ two dogs — Koipu and Boy — moved into the city’s Hale Mauliola transitional housing project on Sand Island where housing is made out of converted shipping containers It’s the city’s first project to accept pets — one of the barriers that homeless people frequently cite for not moving into a shelter “The city is really pushing people out and into shelters,” Launius said He likes coming back to Chinatown to visit “it’s working out for me.” things were not working out so well for Mikey Alapaka who held up a cardboard sign asking for $5 “for clothes and stuff.” Alapaka produced his earnings for the night: three dimes and three nickels adding up to 45 cents where he sees Alapaka pan-handling every night “There are some crazies,” Broadous said “The reason I’m here is because we screen people from coming in You need proper ID and you gotta have shoes on You’ve gotta have a shirt on.” a dozen people sat or lay down on the sidewalk “I don’t know where they expect everyone to sit and stay,” said Laurice Alapai Alapai has been homeless “off and on for 17 years,” and said Alapai suggested that shelter life does not work for her “When you’re out here a long time it’s hard to acclimate to rules,” she said slouched on the sidewalk next to a sign created by frustrated Chinatown business owners who make up the “Chinatown Watch” that read: “No sitting or lying on sidewalk;” “No drugs or alcohol;” and “No shopping carts.” Akemoto pointed to the sidewalk beneath her and said Number of homeless people counted in January 2018 in the “downtown” area which stretches from Halawa Heights through Chinatown Number of homeless people living in Chinatown that Institute for Human Services’ outreach workers counted in all of 2018 Number of Chinatown homeless people who have accessed homeless services through IHS since 2018 David Ige has appointed Bennette Misalucha to fill the late Sen “Bennette is a long-time member of our community and she understands the current issues and challenges we face I know she will ably represent the residents in this district until the new senator is elected in November,” said Ige (function(d,s,n){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];js=d.createElement(s);js.className=n;js.src="//player.ex.co/player/bdc806f4-0fc1-40a1-aff0-a3d5239c169c";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}(document,"script","exco-player")); Misalucha is a community leader in Hawai‘i who has held key executive positions in banking public policy and community-outreach sectors She has owned her own business-strategy and communications company since 2008 she was vice president and regional director for government and community relations for Actus Lend Lease and she spent more than 16 years in banking where she fulfilled a variety of responsibilities Her last role was in corporate banking as a senior vice president and senior manager at Central Pacific Bank She spent seven years in the media world as a reporter both locally (KHON Channel 2 News) and in the Philippines Misalucha is a graduate of University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and an honors graduate of the Bank Administration Institute’s Graduate School of Retail Bank Management (based at the University of Wisconsin in Madison) She also attended two years of Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington as service to others has been my lifelong calling My great desire is to continue the meaningful work that Sen I think our community deserves no less,” said Misalucha Wear a Lei was the theme of this year’s annual Kauai Museum Lei.. Members of the Waimea High School girls football team arrived home on Sunday from the 2025.. Caterer Middle East Home » People » Chef Halawa: As a Palestinian I have a duty to showcase our cuisine to the world Growing up Ahmed Halawa was never told not to touch the stove he was encouraged from a young age to learn how to cook Today the Nablus-born chef is one of the most recognisable names in the Dubai supper club scene and proudly showcases his Palestinian roots in every dish he makes. Halawa also recently collaborated with our September cover star, Khaled Alsaadi for a special dinner hosted at Fa’e Abu Dhabi The chef sat down with Caterer Middle East to chat about getting into F&B how the pandemic propelled his business to new heights and why he’s on a mission to promote Palestinian cuisine He said: “I was brought up in a family where both parents cooked really well So I was raised with very high standards for food As I got older my curiosity piqued and I wanted to know more about how to make the dishes of my culture “I am not a trained chef and I saw cooking as a hobby I was living in Cairo and couldn’t find a decent Levantine restaurant that made food like my mother’s So I taught myself mama-style cooking.”  Halawa moved to Dubai and started working in advertising He said: “I always had friends over and I was always the one cooking I had a full-time job which was very demanding I reached a point where I wasn’t fulfilled anymore.  “I felt like there was something missing in my life so I thought that I should take a leap of faith to launch a supper club What’s the worst that could happen?” Halawa then moved from an apartment to a townhouse to start hosting dinners for Chef Halawa’s Supperclub He said: “I hosted my first four dinners I didn’t know if people would show up but they did. In the beginning friends and family supporting but by the third and fourth week I was hosting strangers and that feeling was crazy.” Even though Halawa was working extra hours on top of his already demanding job cooking for others energised him for the whole week just so I could work in the kitchen,” he said.   “I strongly believe that if you love what you do Cooking on that Saturday fuelled me for a whole week and I loved it I stayed like this for a few months until Covid-19 hit.” Halawa stopped hosting dinners for three months “But I was still hustling,” he added I worked from home and had meetings every hour but I would find time to cook for people and would deliver the food I would get the supermarket permit and do all my deliveries at once.” The chef continued on that schedule for a few months until restrictions eased and then got back to business as usual I was booked two to three months in advance people were still uncomfortable going to restaurants business for Halawa continued to go strong “I believe that supper clubs are a movement now Halawa eventually changed his house and moved to a bigger house He said: “I now host corporate events Many people have proposed to their girlfriends at my house.” When Halawa first launched the supper club his demographic consisted mainly of Arab diners “I would also see a lot of Egyptians and Emiratis. Emiratis love good food and when they love something they spread the news about me. Then I started getting a lot of different nationalities I see some well-travelled foodies from all across Europe and South America. I love seeing people react when they try Palestinian dishes It makes me so proud to serve them.” Palestinian food doesn’t have the same PR behind it as Lebanese or Syrian He said: “Those cuisines are fantastic but Palestinian food really deserves its place in the limelight I think Palestinian cuisine is very rich and the flavours are different.  I have a responsibility to show our cuisine the way it is And represent our country with these dishes that I make but I try never to do with Palestinian food Food is culture and our culture is being stolen from us on a daily basis It is a duty for me to showcase Palestinian food the way it really is I proudly call myself and my dishes Palestinian and need to normalise others saying that too I believe we should represent ourselves unapologetically HASBROUCK HEIGHTS — After a barber shop was reprimanded for going against a 100-year-old law mandating barber shops close on Sundays The ordinance wasn't enforced until February after a Top Cutz II neighbor complained to town officials citing the ordinance. Of the three barbershops in town Top Cutz II and Star Barbershop opened Sundays for years both businesses had to close on Sundays.   officials said the ordinance singled out barber shops while allowing salons to open Sundays.  Top Cutz II owner Kusai Halawa said his business until the 100 year ordinance was enforced earlier this year.  Halawa said he may remain with his Tuesday through Saturday schedule as he now spends Sundays off with his family. For now he plans to stay closed on Sundays during the remainder of the summer.  NY Star Barbershop owner Khlid Saif said he never knew about the ordinance and his nine-year-old business had always been open Sundays A town official notified him of the rule a couple of months ago but lobbied the town change the law.  I have customers that can only come in on Sundays." signs were posted thanking customers for their patience and loyalty during the unforeseen closure has served the community for 90 years and is typically open Tuesday through Fridays The barbershop is closed this week for vacation according to a sign on the front door.  Barber shops and salons will now be allowed to open from 9 a.m