Inside Honolulu – Honolulu Government, Politics

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[civilbeat-blog]

Ethics Commission: City Employee Misused Sick Leave, Accepted Inappropriate Gifts

An unnamed city employee has admitted to misusing sick leave and accepting inappropriate gifts from an employee of a private company that had business before his/her department, according a city Ethics Commission advisory opinion. 

In November 2013, the city employee accepted a gift to play in a golf tournament that consisted of fees for registration, lunch, complimentary golf shirts, refreshments, a post golf banquet and prizes, according to the opinion. 

The employee also misused sick leave to attend the tournament. 

The Ethics Commission recommended that the employee be suspended for 1 — 3 days.

You can read the full advisory opinion here. 

Matthewjs007

 — Sophie Cocke

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Survey: Oahu's Homeless Population Increased 30% In Past 5 Years

Oahu’s homeless population has increased 3.4 percent since last year, according to the 2014 Point in Time Count, a survey required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. And since 2009, it’s increased about 30 percent. 

Overall, there are an estimated 4,712 homeless people living on Oahu, according to surveys conducted by outreach workers at the end of January. 

The biggest jump was in the unsheltered homeless population, which increased by more than 11 percent to 1,633 since last year. However, this increase may be attributable, at least in part, to more accurate statistics, according to a press release from the city’s Department of Community Services. 

The figures come at a time when Mayor Kirk Caldwell and the the Honolulu City Council are embroiled in a dispute over the direction of the city’s homeless policy. 

For the 2015 fiscal year, Caldwell sought to transfer $18.9 million from the city’s Affordable Housing fund to his Housing First program, which aims to get homeless into permanent housing. He also hoped to boost the city’s homeless outreach services by $3 million. 

However, City Council leaders have cut into this funding during budget hearings in past weeks and criticized the mayor’s policy for not focusing enough on homeless families. 

At a Tuesday budget committee hearing, Council Budget Chair Ann Kobayashi allocated $4 million to a Waikiki Housing First program and left another $8 million in the budget to assist homeless families. 

Pamela Witty-Oakland, director of the Department of Community Services, protested the budget changes during the hearing, noting that there are more individuals that need housing than there are families. 

There are an estimated 1,445 street homeless on Oahu, as opposed to 188 unsheltered people with families, according to the 2014 homeless survey. 

You can read the full survey here. 

The Caldwell administration has also cracked down on the homeless through arrests. During a weekend sweep of Waikiki in late April, the Honolulu Police Department arrested 195 people, many of whom were homeless, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported on Tuesday. The arrests were reportedly for such things as outstanding warrants, drugs and alcohol violations. 

Photo: A homeless Honolulu resident walks by the Hawaii Capitol. (PF Bentley/Civil Beat)

— Sophie Cocke

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Report: Honolulu One of Cleanest Cities for Air Pollution

The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air 2014” report, released this week, shows that Honolulu “has maintained its year-round particle pollution (soot) levels and the city of Honolulu remains on the list as one of the cleanest cities in the nation for ozone.”

Nearly half of all Americans live in counties in the U.S. “where ozone or particle pollutions levels make the air unhealthy to breathe.”

“The air in Honolulu is certainly cleaner than when we started the ‘State of the Air’ report 15 years ago,” said Kim Nguyen, Hawaii director for the American Lung Association of the Mountain Pacific. “The continued reduction of year-round particle pollution is thanks to cleaner diesel fleets and cleaner power plants. However, the increases in unhealthy days of high ozone around the nation tell us we still have work to do.”

Nguyen noted, “Volcanic smog (vog) is a concern for those with respiratory disease. Residents should take extra care when vog levels are high by staying indoors, limiting outdoor exercise and drinking plenty of fluids.”

Photo: A voggy view of Waikiki from Kapiolani Community College, 2013. (Civil Beat)

—Chad Blair

[civilbeat-blog]

Waimanalo Landfill Managers Indicted For Polluting Coastal Waters

A federal grand jury has indicted managers of the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill for allegedly violating the U.S. Clean Water Act and lying to state and federal health officials in connection with a series of stormwater overflows that sent raw sewage and medical waste into nearshore waters and onto beaches of the Leeward coast more than three years ago. 

The 13-count indictment handed down on Wednesday charges Waste Management of Hawaii, as well as two of its top managers, Justin Lottig and Joseph Whelan, with multiple felonies.

If convicted, Lottig and Whelan could face prison time and fines of up to $250,000 for each count. 

Waste Management Hawaii, a subsidiary of Houston-based Waste Management Inc., faces fines of up to $500,000 for each count. 

The 46-page indictment charges company officials with making false statements to Hawaii’s Department of Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about having adequate stormwater controls in place to handle heavy rains. 

Company officials conspired to cover up the fact they had removed two 48-inch pipes used for stormwater control with a 36-inch pipe in the months leading up to stormwater spills in December 2010 and January 2011, according to the indictment. 

The indictment also alleges that company officials lied about properly covering waste in the landfill that ultimately contaminated stormwater runoff. 

In January 2010, pounding rains overwhelmed the landfill, sending masses of garbage and untreated sewage into the stormwater system and into near shore waters. 

Ko Olina Resort was heavily affected, with syringes, vials of blood and catheters washing ashore of its four lagoons. 

Several weeks after the January spill, health officials revealed that there had also been a spill in December. 

At the time of the January spill, state health department officials said that they had allowed the discharge into nearshore waters to avoid a catastrophic failure of the landfill that could have sent a massive wall of water and garbage into the sea. 

Waste Management Hawaii issued a statement following Wednesday’s indictment saying that “there is no basis for these charges” and that it intends “to vigorously defend against this extraordinary action.”

“Safety, ethics and environmental protection are core beliefs of our business at Waste Management and we operate our facilities with the utmost regard for the health and safety of our employees, neighbors and the environment,” according to the company statement released to the media by Honolulu public relations firm, Communications Pacific. 

The indictment, posted below, provides a detailed chronology of events surrounding the spill: 

Indictment from Civil Beat

The U.S. Department of Justice released this press release regarding the indictment: 

Press release from Civil Beat

Civil Beat reported extensively on the spill in the weeks following the discharges. You can read our previous coverage here:

New Details Emerge About Landfill Spill Response Plan

Hawaii Silence On Landfill Inspections Speaks Loudly

January Garbage Spill Was Second In A Month

Stormwater Released Into Ocean to Avoid Larger Landfill Catastrophe 

Fact Check — Health Department: EPA Approved Release of Landfill Water

Waimanalo Gulch Landfill Spill — a Timeline

Inspection Photos of Waimanalo Gulch Landfill

Photo: Landfill inspection photo, 1/2011 (DOH)

— Sophie Cocke

[civilbeat-blog]

Honolulu Tightens Security On Driver's Licenses

The City of Honolulu is stepping up security when it comes to issuing driver’s licenses in order to comply with a federal law passed after the 9/11 attacks.

Currently, applicants seeking a driver’s license have to show proof of their legal name, date of birth, social security number and legal presence in the United States. But starting May 1, residents will also have to present two forms of proof of their principal residence, according to a city press release. 

Proof of residence can include the following: 

These include bank, or agency-issued documents mailed to a resident’s principal residence, such as utility bills (electric, water, sewer, cable TV), vehicle registration or title, current driver license, voter registration, property tax assessment form, student identification card, and medical insurance cards, among others.

Names on documents must be identical. 

More detailed information about the document requirements can be found here.

The new requirements are part of the Real ID Act of 2005, which the Department of Homeland Security is in charge of implementing. 

— Sophie Cocke

[civilbeat-blog]

UPDATED: Salary Commission Gives Final Approval to 8 Percent Salary Hike Proposal

Honolulu’s Salary Commission voted 5-1 on Tuesday to approve 8 percent raises for top city officials, including Honolulu City Council members, the mayor and department heads. 

The raises now go to the City Council for decision making.

Council leaders, including Budget Chair Ann Kobayashi, have expressed reservations about their own salary increases, saying that 8 percent seemed like too much and they were willing to consider a 4 percent increase instead.

UPDATE: In a letter sent to the Salary Commission last week, and posted on the city’s web site on Tuesday, Kobayashi and Council Chair Ernie Martin also take issue with the 8 percent raises for city management positions. 

The “recommendations fail to take into account the city’s ability to meet all of its financial obligations,” they write. “To presume that the city can simply raise taxes and fees to cover the added costs is unacceptable.”

The council leaders go on to write that the raises send a poor message to the public.

"While the commission is under no obligation to consider the public perception of its decisions, the City Council is very much concerned about how this affects our taxpaying constituents," they write. "After all, it is they who must foot the bill."

Kobayashi and Martin did say they support the 8 percent salary hikes for the chiefs of the Honolulu Police Department and Honolulu Fire Department. 

(You can read the full letter here.)

In making their recommendations, the Salary Commission considered salaries in comparable cities and the neighbor islands, inflation and the scope of responsibilities for positions. The commission also recommended increasing the salaries of department heads because they had staff making more than them.

A recent city comparison by Civil Beat found that even with the raises, top city officials would still be making significantly less than their counterparts in comparable cities.

As for the the City Council, members haven’t received a pay raise in five years. The first two years, the commission didn’t recommend salary increases for the council because of the poor economy and the council rejected raises during the past three years.

The Salary Commission also recommended more moderate raises of about 2 percent for the Royal Hawaiian Band director and directors in the Medical Examiner’s office.

You can read more about the proposed hikes here.

The Salary Commission’s proposed raises:

— Sophie Cocke 

[civilbeat-blog]

Ala Wai Bike and Walk Path to Reopen

Eight years after a pipe burst in Waikiki prompting the city to divert 48 million gallons of raw sewage into the Ala Wai Canal, residents are finally getting their bike and walk path back. 

The path that runs mauka of the canal was closed as city workers used the land as a staging area for emergency pipe repairs. 

The city recently finished installing a 5,800 foot force main and rehabilitated an existing pipe. 

Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Councilman Stanley Chang and other city officials will gather Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m. to officially reopen the path. 

The city has irrigated the area, replanted grass and trees and installed lights in the city park. Caldwell has also promised to open a new dog park near the path by the end of May, according to a press release from the mayor’s office. 

More from the city: 

Three other city park areas were also impacted by the sewer repairs.  Those are at the section of Ala Moana Beach Park at the corner of Atkinson Drive and Ala Moana Boulevard, in the park area behind the Ala Wai Recreation Center at the corner of McCully Street and Kapiolani Boulevard, and in the Ala Wai Field area.   Construction fencing is now down and those parks have also reopened. 

Last September, contractors removed the 5,135 foot emergency wastewater bypass pipe (called the “black noodle” by area residents) from the Ala Wai Canal.

The bike path and park rehabilitation were included as requirements in the contract for the Beachwalk Force Main construction project. 

Photo: Mayor Kirk Caldwell pretends to push William Wanner, construction manager at AECOM, into the canal as they pose in front of the sewage pipe known as the “black noodle.” 5/2013 (Sophie Cocke/ Civil Beat)

— Sophie Cocke

[civilbeat-blog]

Navy Starts Inspection of Red Hill Tank Three Months After Leak

The Navy has begun visually inspecting a massive tank that leaked an estimated 27,000 gallons of fuel in January at its Red HIll Underground Fuel Facility, mauka of Pearl Harbor. 

The Navy had to drain the fuel and air out the fumes before workers could safely climb into the tank that’s big enough to hold Aloha Tower. 

The Navy said that no official findings as to the cause of the leak are available at this time. 

From a Navy press release: 

The visual inspections are part of the process to determine what may have caused a drop in levels at the tank that were reported on Jan. 13.  Calculations of those changes in level indicate that a release of up to 27,000 gallons may have occurred.

The visual inspection work is on schedule following preparations to vent the tank and install proper lighting, scaffolding and other safety requirements.  The visual inspection is expected to continue for at least several weeks.  No initial findings are available at this time.

The Navy also provided their Initial Release Response Report to the State Department of Health today, on schedule as required within 90 days.

"Both the inspection of the tank and our report to DOH are within the timelines we have committed to," said Captain Mike Williamson, commanding officer of Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Hawaii and regional engineer for Commander, Navy Region Hawaii. "And all drinking water samples continue to be in compliance with all State and Federal regulations," he added.

"We are wholly committed to protecting the environment and our vital fresh water sources," Williamson said.  "I believe we have taken prudent measures to ensure the water remains safe to drink and we look forward to continue working collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure public safety while maintaining this critical national strategic asset."

The Red Hill fuels facility is a national strategic asset and continues to provide vital, secure fuel storage for ships and aircraft of U.S. Pacific Fleet and other military branches.

The Navy is working with the State Department of Health and the City & County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply to maintain an open dialogue to ensure the safety of drinking water.

Photo: Gates to Red Hill (PF Bentley/Civil Beat)

— Sophie Cocke

[civilbeat-blog]

City Wants to Hear from Food Truck Vendors on New Permitting Law

A new law that requires food trucks operating in the Hawaii Capital Special District to obtain a permit is sparking opposition from food vendors.

To help placate concerns, the city is holding a meeting Thursday (April 24) at 6 p.m. at Mission Memorial Hearings Room to hear from the public as officials develops rules for implementing the ordinance.

From a city press release

The Department of Transportation Services (DTS), with the assistance of the Department of Enterprise Services (DES), will hold a public meeting to receive comments and concerns regarding the implementation of Bill 1 tonight, at 6 p.m. in the Mission Memorial Hearings Room.

Input from the public, particularly from food truck owners and operators, is greatly appreciated and will be helpful to DTS and DES in developing rules for the implementation of the bill.  A public hearing will be held once rules have been drafted.

Bill 1, relating to parking, proposed a 2-year pilot project to grant operating permits to mobile food units, or food trucks, within the Hawaii Capital Special District.  Mayor Caldwell returned the bill to Council, unsigned, due to the lack of sufficient input from food truck operators, who will be directly affected by the bill, during the hearing process.  Bill 1 automatically became law on March 28, 2014.   

— Sophie Cocke

[civilbeat-blog]

Bill That Would Place Ads on Buses is Resurrected

The Honolulu City Council’s Budget Committee deferred a proposal by Mayor Kirk Caldwell in January that would place advertisements on the sides of buses.

The bill has attracted strong opposition from groups like the Outdoor Circle, which led the successful fight to ban billboards on Oahu. 

But Bill 69 was resurrected on Wednesday during a budget hearing and could pass as City Council members grapple with how to balance the 2015 fiscal year budget. 

The bill passed out of the committee with a 5-0 vote. Councilman Joey Manahan voted yes with reservations. The bill now goes to the full City Council for review. 

Caldwell has said that the extra revenue, which could bring in about $8 million a year, would be used to help restore public bus service that was cut due to fiscal constraints. 

Photo: The Bus (Flickr courtesy of ninacoco)

— Sophie Cocke

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Can Aquaculture Revitalize Hawaii Ag?

ThinkTech Hawaii is hosting a public forum Wednesday, April 23, on new technology in agriculture. 

The focus will be on aquaculture and aquaponics, which have been all the rage in Hawaii for the past few years. But can the closed-system of farming produce, that often relies on tilapia for nutrients, live up to its promise of high, economic yields?

Ag experts will be speaking at a forum at the YWCA on Richards Street from 11:30 a.m. — 1:30 p.m titled, New Tech Comes to Hawaii Agriculture.

From ThinkTech Hawaii: 

Come to the Downtown Forum at the Laniakea YWCA on Richards Street, enjoy the panel program, the lunch from Cafe Julia and collegial networking among the people you know.

The agriculture that built the state is over. But with the advantages of new technology, especially aquaculture and aquaponics, locally produced food can give us the self-sufficiency we need.

What’s the technology? Who’s doing it? How will it change Hawaii? How can you get in on it?

Maria Gallo, Dean of CTAHR at UH Manoa, will moderate the program

Jessica Wooley – Chair, House Committee on Agriculture, will provide opening remarks

Our panel of experts:

Dong-Fang Deng - Oceanic Institute 

Alan Everson - Aquaculture Coordinator, NOAA 

Dennis Gonsalves - Agricultural Scientist 

Gavin Key - Researcher for Kampachi Farms 

Fred Lau - Aquaponics Famer, Mari’s Gardens 

Todd Low - State Department of Agriculture

Photo: Tilapia and catfish are used for nutrients at an aquaponics farm at Waiawa Correctional Facility (Sophie Cocke/Civil Beat)

— Sophie Cocke

[civilbeat-blog]

House Asks Health Dept. to Study Red Hill Fuel Leaks to Prevent 'Huge Catastrophe'

Hawaii’s House of Representatives has passed a resolution asking the state health department to convene a task force to study the effects of the January 2014 fuel tank leak at the Navy’s Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility. 

Some 27,000 gallons of jet fuel is believed to have been released from one of the tanks.

Documents also show that there have been at least 30 leaks at the facility over the years that have contaminated the groundwater and threaten drinking water sources. The Navy estimates that about 1.2 million gallons of fuel has leaked over the years.

The House resolution also asks the task force to look into the implications of shutting down the fuel storage facility, which supplies the Pacific fleet, as well as ways to remediate contaminated soil and groundwater. 

"We are asking for a much more deliberative approach to this situation," said Rep. Mark Takai, chairman of the Veterans, Military and International Affairs Committee, in a press release. "The Navy, State, Board of Water Supply and all involved need to take aggressive mitigating action and to work together to prevent a huge catastrophe from happening."

You can read Civil Beat’s past coverage of the Red Hill leaks here: 

Red Hill: EPA May Force New Fuel Leak Detection System for Toxic Spills

Officials: Threat to Oahu’s Water Supply More Serious Than Thought

Photo: Gates leading to Red Hill (PF Bentley/ Civil Beat)

— Sophie Cocke

[civilbeat-blog]

Residents Warned About Informal Car Sharing Services

Hawaii residents seeking to earn some extra cash have been renting out their own vehicles at hourly, daily and even long-term rates.

Call it the informal economy or underground marketplace. But it’s in synch with a growing trend in which people are renting out everything from their lawnmower to salad spinner. 

Web sites like Craigslist and RelayRides are helping cultivate the marketplace for personal car-sharing services. A quick search of the sites, shows a cream Volkswagon Beetle offered for $89 a day. For those strapped for cash, there’s a Haleiwa cruiser, with “cosmetic problems,” that rents for just $20 a day or $120 for the week.

However, the state’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is warning both those that rent their cars, as well as the renters themselves, that they should be cautious and check with their auto insurance policies first. 

Either party could find themselves on the hook for major damages or costs associated with injuries if there is an accident. 

"Companies or individuals who are not in compliance with state motor vehicle insurance laws or with Hawaii’s Motor Vehicle Rental Industry law may run significant risks if that vehicle is involved in an accident," Office of Consumer Protection Executive Director Bruce Kim said in a press release. "They could suffer significant adverse financial consequences as a result." 

DCCA stressed that the consumer warning applies to car-sharing programs where people rent out their own vehicles, and not to car rental companies such as Avis or Zipcar.

Photo: random car (Flickr: JoshBerglund19)

— Sophie Cocke

[civilbeat-blog]

Tell the City What You Think About Affordable Housing

Now’s your chance to weigh in on an affordable housing strategy for Oahu. 

The city’s Department of Planning and Permitting and Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s housing office are conducting an online survey that gives residents a chance to share their views on local housing needs, according to a city press release. 

Developing better housing solutions for Oahu — which has some of the highest rents and housing prices in the nation — is all the more pressing as transit-oriented development gets underway with construction of the Honolulu rail line. 

You can take the survey here:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Honolulu_Housing

"The Affordable Housing Strategy will prioritize city resources in the construction and maintenance of affordable housing," according to the press release. "The plan also will be used to revise land use regulations, financial policies, and affordable housing programs. The city’s partners in this effort include the state, housing advocates and developers."

Photo: Honolulu housing (PF Bentley/Civil Beat)

— Sophie Cocke

[civilbeat-blog]

Aiea Towers Get Green Light from City Council

The Honolulu City Council unanimously approved a zoning change Wednesday for the Live, Work Play Aiea development, a $766 million project that includes five towers and up to 1,500 residential units. 

Bill 68 now goes to Mayor Kirk Caldwell for consideration. 

The developer, Los Angeles-based Robertson Property Group, plans to build on a 14-acre parcel that used to host the Kamehameha Drive-In Theater.

Councilman Breene Harimoto praised the project, which has been in the works for more than four years, as the “wave of the future” and a model in transit-oriented development. 

“It is really important to our district to have this kind of project coming up,” he said. “It is a model project for livable, walkable communities. There are wonderful open spaces, green spaces, gathering spaces.”

However, the project has attracted controversy from some residents who say the development will increase traffic congestion, tax sewer capacity, add noise and potentially reduce trade winds for area homes. 

Councilman Ron Menor, who ultimately voted in favor of the project, also raised reservations Wednesday about how much affordable housing the development would actually create — one of the project’s key selling points.

He said the community had been misled to believe that much of the 1,500 units would be developed as affordable housing. 

 “A careful review of the development agreement indicates that the actual number of affordable (units) could be much fewer than what people expected,” he said.

Menor noted that the developer has the discretion to develop commercial, retail and office space in at least two of the towers. Furthermore, up to 50 percent of the affordable housing can be built off-site. 

John Manavian, an executive vice president at Robertson Properties, told Civil Beat after the hearing that three of the towers will be strictly residential. He said that while not all of the affordable housing has to be built in the towers it must remain in a half-mile vicinity of the project. 

The zoning change, which still must be approved by the mayor, allows the developer to exceed current height limits. 

Photo: Planned Aiea development (Robertson Properties Group)

 — Sophie Cocke

[civilbeat-blog]

City to Hold Public Meeting on New Food Truck Regulations

The city is seeking public comments on a new law that requires food truck operators to obtain a permit in order to operate in the Hawaii Capital Special District. 

Mayor Kirk Caldwell allowed the City Council bill to become law last month without his signature. He expressed concerns that the measure passed without hearing any input from food truck operators. 

Food vendors have since raised concerns about the measure. 

From the mayor’s office:

The Department of Transportation Services (DTS), with the assistance of the Department of Enterprise Services (DES), will hold a public meeting to receive comments and concerns regarding the implementation of Bill 1 on Thursday, April 24, 2014, at 6 p.m. in the Mission Memorial Hearings Room.

Input from the public, particularly from food truck owners and operators, is greatly appreciated and will be helpful to DTS and DES in developing rules for the implementation of the bill.  A public hearing will be held once rules have been drafted.

Bill 1, relating to parking, proposed a 2-year pilot project to grand operating permits to mobile food units, or food trucks, within the Hawaii Capital Special District.  Mayor Caldwell returned the bill to Council, unsigned, due to the complete absence of testimony from food truck operators, who will be directly affected by the bill, during the hearing process.  Bill 1 automatically became law on March 28, 2014.   

Food truck in Waikiki (Flickr: yortlabs)

— Sophie Cocke

[civilbeat-blog]

Honolulu Ranks #1 For Per Capita Solar Installations

Hawaii has once again received top honors for solar energy. 

Honolulu has ranked first among major U.S. cities for the amount of solar installed per person — 265 watts.

This dwarfs other cities. San Jose came in second with 97 watts installed per capita, followed by Wilmington with 96 watts and San Diego with 81 watts. 

Honolulu ranked fifth in the total amount of installed solar, with 91 megawatts, slightly below San Jose and Phoenix. Los Angeles came in first with 132 megawatts of installed solar. 

The rankings were compiled by Environment America, Research and Policy Center.

However, Honolulu’s ranking likely won’t stem the tide of disgruntled solar companies and customers who are facing increased constraints in hooking their solar systems up to Hawaiian Electric Co.’s isolated grid. 

The electric utility says that all the solar threatens to destabilize its grid.

Former U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently called HECO’s grid stability claims “another bullshit argument,” in a Forbes article. 

Chu said solar installations don’t threaten grid stability until they reach 20 percent of the customer base.

On Oahu, about 11 percent of customers currently have solar, according to HECO.

The recent solar “saturation issue” has not only depressed the solar market, but is also spurring a move toward battery storage which allows a customer to go completely off-grid. (PV and battery systems can also remain hooked up to the grid.)

ProVision Solar exec, Marco Mangelsdorf, has recent numbers on Oahu’s significant solar decline: 

— Sophie Cocke