GaryHooser's Blog

Will it be business as usual in the upcoming legislative session?

Or will the House and Senate decide, at last, to start complying with the Constitution of the State of Hawai‘i, and their OWN rules of conduct and procedure?

Per Article III of that Constitution: “Every meeting of a committee in either house or of a committee comprised of a member or members from both houses held for the purpose of making decision on matters referred to the committee shall be open to the public.”

Both House and Senate rules require committee decision-making to be conducted in public.

The House Rules actually begin: “It is the policy of the House of Representatives to: 1) Provide the general public with a meaningful opportunity to participate in the legislative process. Public participation is a basic tenet of our democratic process. Public participation is vital to maintaining a check on the legislative process and legislative decisions.”

But the House and Senate both routinely ignore the Constitution — and their own rules.

While Committee decisions may be announced at a public meeting (with no opportunity for meaningful public comment), the actual decision-making, deliberation, and discussions – happen secretly and behind closed doors.

With a public trial set to begin in early summer, it will be interesting to see how Acasio v. House of Representatives impacts the upcoming legislative committee hearing process.

Needless to say, many will be watching.

Some background: Early last year, House Speaker Nadine Nakamura formed the House Advisory Committee on Rules and Procedure. She named Vice Speaker Linda Ichiyama, Majority Leader Sean Quinlan, Minority Leader Lauren Matsumoto, and Chris Todd, now Finance Chair, as members.

This Committee met entirely in secret and held NO public meetings. They came to decisions, conclusions, and recommendations via a process that was never shared with the public. They did not generate committee reports or meeting minutes.

Eight citizen advocates, confronted with this audacious abuse, said ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. They filed a lawsuit in the First Circuit demanding that the House follow the Constitution and its own rules.

At the time, House rules clearly stated: “Every meeting of a special committee, interim committee, or the Advisory Committee on Rules and Procedure shall be noticed in the same manner as applicable to a standing committee.”

Citizen advocates and plaintiffs include Laura Acasio, Ka‘apuniali‘ionālanikiʻekiʻe Kanaloa Aiwohi, Sergio J. Alcubilla III, Tanya Aynessazian, Douglas L. Cobeen, Karen K. Cobeen, Michaela ‘Ilikeamoana Ikeuchi, and Robert Hale Pahia.

For the past year, these citizens have been patiently and persistently navigating the legal system, with help from attorneys Lance Collins and Bianca Isaki.

It didn’t have to be this way.

The House could have acknowledged its mistake, and simply followed its own rules for public meetings and decision-making. It could also have instructed all Committee chairs and members to be diligent about ensuring that decision-making was conducted in public.

But they didn’t.

The facts are unequivocal.

1) The State Constitution, and the House’s own rules, state clearly that Committee decision-making must be conducted in public.

2) The House formed a Committee whose meetings were secret and whose decisions were made privately.

The trial for Acasio v. House of Representatives is tentatively scheduled to start early this summer – AFTER the close of the legislative session, but prior to the primary elections.

Will the House Speaker and four members of the Advisory Committee on Rules and Procedure deny that they met and made decisions in secret?

Or will they simply refuse to take the stand, under the guise of legislative immunity?

Is it possible that some members of the House, or others involved in the process, might choose to voluntarily testify?

Rather than fighting community members to preserve and perpetuate a legislative process based on secrecy and closed doors, we need to reach out and encourage these legislators to instead embrace and honor their constituents right to meaningfully participate in the process.

And we must mahalo the plaintiffs for standing up for ALL of us.

Imua.

Here is the email contact for the House Speaker and 4 Committee members. Please contact them today, and request that they support transparency, sunshine, and meaningful citizen involvement in the process and to STOP fighting to maintain secrecy and backroom decision-making.

House Vice Speaker Linda Ichiyama
Fort Shafter Flats, Salt Lake, Pearl Harbor
repichiyama@capitol.hawaii.gov

House Majority Leader Sean Quinlan
Waialua, Hale‘iwa, Kawailoa Beach, Waimea, Sunset Beach, Waiale‘e, Kawela Bay, Kahuku, Lā‘ie, Hau‘ula, Punalu‘u, Kahana
repquinlan@capitol.hawaii.gov

House Finance Chair Chris Todd
Portion of Hilo, Keaukaha, Orchidlands Estate, Ainaloa, Hawaiian Acres, Fern Acres, portions of Kurtistown and Kea‘au
reptodd@capitol.hawaii.gov

House Minority Leader Lauren Matsumoto
Portions of Mililani and Waipi‘o Acres, Mililani Mauka
repmatsumoto@capitol.hawaii.gov

House Speaker Nadine Nakamura
Hā‘ena, Wainiha, Hanalei, Princeville, Kīlauea, Anahola, Keālia, Kapa‘a, portion of Wailua, Kawaihau
repnakamura@capitol.hawaii.gov

Please. Send the email and support the citizen plaintiffs in their efforts on behalf of all of us.

Gary Hooser

The ends do not justify the means.

Claiming to defend itself from “narco-terrorism,” the U.S. has, in the past four months, blown to smithereens 35 small boats, murdering 115 Venezuelans in cold blood.

It’s obvious now that this was all for show. This was Trump’s depraved, corrupt administration, throwing out red meat for its MAGA base – and quietly preparing to invade Venezuela.

I do not know how our President and his enabling gang of thugs are able to sleep at night.

It’s not about drugs, of course.

It’s about oil — greed, money, and power.

The destruction of 35 small boats; the invasion of Venezuela; the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Adela Flores; the seizure of Venezuela’s government and – of course — the OIL… ALL of these actions were illegal, immoral, and unethical.

Yes, of course Maduro is a corrupt tyrant who deserved to be deposed, as is President Donald Trump – as are many other corrupt tyrants in countries across the globe.

But until last week, no other tyrant was sitting on so much oil.

Venezuela is ranked #1 with 303 billion barrels of oil reserves in the ground. Saudi Arabia is #2 with 267 billion barrels and Iran is #3 with 208 billion barrels. The United States, prior to our recent invasion of Venezuela, came in a distant #9 at 55 billion barrels.

There’s more oil in Venezuela than anywhere on the planet.

And the United States – Trump’s family and friends – are now in control of that oil. (Google Paul Singer and Citgo, for starters.)

So…what are we going to do about it?

We can scream into the wind and pound on our keyboards (which I’m doing at this very moment) but we can, and MUST, also take positive action that really, truly moves us forward toward a better world.

Yes, absolutely we must demand that Congress do its job and hold President Trump accountable.

Impeachment would be too kind a fate for him, but is likely the only legal, moral, and ethical path forward.

We absolutely must hold ourselves to higher standards and not sink to the level of those we oppose. (Remember when we descend into the gutter to fight with pigs, the pigs have fun and we get dirty.)

And we must resist provocative actions that simply add fuel to the fire.

Beyond pressing on Congress, what can we do to make a difference TODAY?

Openly, loudly, and publicly rejecting the values and actions of the Trump Administration at a local level is an obvious critical starting point.

Imagine if our Governor and the Mayors in every County joined together to condemn Trump’s action, reject foreign oil and fossil fuels, and pledge increased support for solar, wind, and other non-fossil fuel alternatives.

We MUST insist our local elected leaders speak out and take a stand — before Trump takes military action against Columbia, occupies Greenland, bombs Nigeria again, or joins with Israel’s Netanyahu to take over Iran.

Looking the other way, heads down and mouths shut, is just appeasement by another name.

A universal truth of policy and politics: When a majority of elected leaders want something to happen, it absolutely can and will become a reality.

Assuming for the moment they’re not cancelled by Trump, the all-important mid-term elections are rapidly approaching.

We need fighters, not appeasers.

This is the answer, my friends. We must, at this particular moment, pour all of our time and energy into identifying, supporting, and electing new leaders at all levels — State, County, and Federal – leaders who share our core values, our sense of urgency, and who are willing to speak out and fight to restore our democracy.

This is where our energy and actions must remain focused.

Overthrowing Trump, his authoritarian regime, and his enablers — the corporatists, the corrupt, AND the complacent — at the ballot box in 2026 is the answer.

Gary Hooser
Former Hawai’i State Senator/Majority Leader
Former Kaua`i County Council Member
Just a regular guy trying my best to make the world a better place

Don’t ask me when I first heard this quote or who said it first – because I don’t know and neither apparently, does Google.

But it’s stuck in my brain and I’m hoping it will stick in yours as well.

As we head into a new year, I encourage all to tell good stories.

Tell your children, your neighbors and friends – stories of joy and happiness, of courage and achievement, of discovery, of gratifying work, of ohana who love and help each other.

And yes, tell stories about politics and policy – about how together as a community, united in purpose AND committed to showing up and engaging in the process, we can make a difference.

In both small ways that impact directly our friends and neighbors AND in large ways that move the needle for everyone – as individuals and as a collective community, we can change the world.

I don’t make this statement lightly. I’ve seen it happen, up close and personal.

During my own nearly 30 year journey navigating the path of policy and politics I’ve seen previously homebound kūpuna smile and laugh in public without shame or hesitation – after free dental care was provided by a local government grant.

I spoke recently to a man working multiple jobs – who 6 months ago was living with his wife and 2 children in his car. Today, due in large part to the unified voices of affordable housing advocates in the community – they occupy a 2 bedroom permanently affordable apartment.

10 years ago the minimum wage in Hawaiʻi was $7.75 per hour, today it’s $16. This huge achievement happened because regular people united in purpose AND engaged in the political/policy process – showed up to demand it and refused to leave the room until it was passed.

Because of unrelenting community action, we now have pesticide-free buffer zones around schools, mandatory reporting of restricted use pesticides statewide, and a total ban on some of the worst.

The people of Maui County conceived, created, and passed Bill 9 which has the potential of converting thousands of Maui transient vacation rentals (TVR’s) into housing for local residents – AND sends a massive message of change and community empowerment across the entire archipelago.

The list of positive changes that only happened because of a community BOTH unified in purpose and ENGAGED IN THE PROCESS, is way too long for this story.

And yes, of course we need universal healthcare and permanently affordable housing for ALL local residents, a true living wage, stronger buffer zones, and the elimination of TVR’s outside of hotel/resort districts.

We need to stand up strong against the illegal, unconstitutional, and authoritarian policies of President Trump, stop the bombing at Pōhakuloa, eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels (NO liquid natural gas), be food self-sufficient, fully fund public education, reform our broken criminal justice system, expose and prosecute bribery and corruption in government, and so much more.

And YES, we can achieve all this and more when we’re truly unified in purpose and actively engaged in the process.

These are the stories we must tell.

Screaming into the wind, pounding out our anger on a keyboard – is not enough.

To win, we gotta show up, testify at the hearings, send those emails, make those phone calls AND get our friends to do the same.

We must engage in the process of policy-making, support and join organizations engaged in this work, and contact directly those public officials elected to represent us.

2026 is an election year, and there’s no better time than now to tell stories about finding, supporting, and electing the change-makers we so desperately need.

Yes, we must do it all and yes it’s a whole lot of work – but the stakes are high and losing is not an option.

Please join me today and every day during the coming year. Let’s together tell stories of a better world, stories of how we banded together, climbed the mountain – and helped make it happen.

Imua.

Gary Hooser
Just a regular guy trying his best to learn, and grow, and do good things along the way.

The actions and commitment of the people of Maui County, backed by a majority of Councilmembers and Mayor Richard Bissen, epitomize leadership and democracy in action.

It’s absolutely true that Kaua`i, Honolulu, and Hawai`i County are all doing some excellent work eliminating single-use plastic food containers, banning disposable boogie boards, speaking out against the policies of ICE and in support of due process, and more.

But without question, Maui County’s Bill 9 is the biggest, best, most impactful, and most challenging to get across the finish line – of any county policy initiative to pass into law during 2025.

Bill 9 represents systemic change that will have direct, tangible, and positive impacts on regular everyday people. It’s definitely NOT the sort of nibbling-around-the-edges “incremental change” that has become the norm for most risk-averse political bodies.

According to Mayor Bissen, “The passage of Bill 9 corrects a long-standing zoning exemption that allowed transient vacation rentals (TVRs) to operate in apartment-zoned districts — areas originally intended to provide long-term housing for local families. By phasing out…TVRs in these districts, the legislation is expected to return more than 6,000 units to long-term residential use, significantly expanding Maui County’s housing inventory without the need for new construction.”

The passage of Bill 9 follows nearly two years of extensive public engagement, policy review, amendments and deliberation.

The pressure and lobbying efforts against Bill 9 by big money, tourism-related businesses, and real estate interests was relentless.

But the people’s support never faltered.

Mayor Bissen together with a majority on the Council stood strong and pushed back against the naysayers, negotiating the rough spots as needed, united in purpose and commitment to their community.

The scale of this win goes far beyond the unfathomable potential of 6,000 housing units being returned to long-term residential use — without the turn of a single shovel of dirt.

Even if the final number is reduced to just 50% of that 6,000, it’s still an incredibly large amount of new housing units going back into the hands of local residents as renters or owners.

AND – Maui County’s communities are now more organized than ever, and further prepared and empowered to take on the next big issue – be it water management, food self-sufficiency, housing the unsheltered, economic diversification, shoreline preservation or all the above.

This my friends, is what democracy looks like.

To be absolutely clear, Bill 9 would not have happened if not for the initiative and leadership of the community group – Lāhainā Strong. From the “fishing for housing” occupation after the fire, to Bill 9 being signed into law on December 15, Lāhainā Strong kept the Bill 9 discussion alive and moving forward – educating, informing, and motivating residents to take ownership of their government, to show up, and to engage the process.

And show up they did. From the first Planning Commission meeting to the last Council meeting, the people showed up. They sat patiently through endless hours hours of testimony and deliberation, listening and learning, then sharing their own perspectives – informed by facts, clothed in real-life experience, and delivered from the heart.

Councilmembers Tamara Paltin and Keani Rawlins-Fernandez introduced bills in 2021 that also sought to regulate the TVR’s industry. Discussion and debate on those measures provided the essential foundational conversations that culminated in the passage of Bill 9, introduced by Mayor Bissen.

Councilmember Keani Rawlins-Fernandez summed it up well in her remarks before voting, “Bill 9 is about getting closer to a quality of life we promised our residents… Profits are replaceable. Generational communities are not. We need to prioritize the people that love our home.”

Voting YES on Bill 9 were Councilmembers Gabe Johnson, Tamara Paltin, Keani N. W. Rawlins-Fernandez, Shane M. Sinenci and Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins. With Mayor Bissen, all five deserve strong public recognition for not giving in to outside monied interests.

Personally, I am inspired and deeply thankful.

The people of Maui County have done it once again. They’ve shown the rest of us what a people united in purpose AND engaged in the process can accomplish, and what democracy can, should, and MUST look like.

Gary Hooser
Former Hawai`i State Senator/Majority Leader
Former Kaua`i County Councilmember

Regardless of the island, town, or community you might call home, please join me in sending out best holiday wishes and deep appreciation to everyone on Maui who showed up and made Bill 9 a reality.

Lāhainā Strong

Mayor Richard Bissen
Mayors.Office@co.maui.hi.us

Councilmembers:
Gabe Johnson
Gabe.Johnson@mauicounty.us
Tamara Paltin
Tamara.Paltin@mauicounty.us
Keani N. W. Rawlins-Fernandez
Keani.Rawlins@mauicounty.us
Shane M. Sinenci
Shane.Sinenci@mauicounty.us
Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins
Nohe.Uu-Hodgins@mauicounty.us

Continue reading →

It’s not a “wish list”. It’s a take-action-go-to-the-wall-and-FIGHT-for list.

This list (and others will follow shortly) is mostly aimed at State government issues but can/should apply to ALL of our elected leaders in all sectors.

Please let me know what you think. Better yet, if you actually want to see things get done, let your elected leaders know.

1. Our government leaders at ALL levels must double down on the time, energy, and effort they invest in making things better for our community. Frankly, I’m tired of reading about “speaking engagements,” trips to conferences, and endless photo ops.

We need legislators and a governor who work full-time through-out the year, addressing the critical issues facing our community and planet. Postponing tough decisions until “next years session” and offering the lame excuse of “oops, we missed the deadline” – are unacceptable.

2. We must expand the availability of emergency shelters and “safe zones,” AND increase the availability of related services to the unsheltered.

Thousands of people are living on our streets and under our bridges. There’s – literally — no room at the inn. The funding is available; what’s lacking is LEADERSHIP.

3. The misperception that all politicians are crooked must be met head on. Our Governor, House Speaker, and Senate President must declare loudly and clearly that if Federal law enforcement fails to act on the $35,000 passed (in a paper bag) to an “influential legislator,” the State Attorney General will investigate and bring to justice, any and all legislators who were/are involved.

4. During the first two weeks of the upcoming 2026 legislative session, the House Finance Committee must resurrect and pass HB772 HD1 AND House/Senate leadership must reconvene the Conference Committee and pass HB371 HD1 SD1.

The “two-tickets-for-a-fundraiser scam” allows legislators and donors to circumvent normal campaign donation limits and disclosure requirements. HB772 closes this loophole.

HB371 HD1 SD1 would prohibit the ongoing “pay-to-play” practice of government contractors, company officers, and family members contributing to candidates and legislators who fund their government contracts.

5. Governor Green must stop the short-sighted, irresponsible, and harmful move expanding the use of liquid natural gas (LNG) in Hawaiʻi. Watch the first 10 minutes of this EXCELLENT VIDEO to understand why:

Hawaiʻi must instead double down on our vision of both clean energy AND energy independence — and go solar, solar, solar. Our state government must increase tax credits to compensate for federal cuts, and further incentivize rooftop solar installations. Additionally, we must require car rental companies to utilize 100% electric vehicles.

6. Governor Green must stop negotiating with the U.S. Army at Pōhakuloa until the Army has complied with HRS343 and conducted an acceptable environmental impact statement. In addition, live fire exercises must stop, AND impacted lands must be restored to some semblance of normalcy. Hawaiʻi’s constitution is clear and direct: Public lands must be preserved and protected, not bombed and desecrated.

Above are the issues “top of mind” for me today.

Depending on whose shoes or slippahs you’re wearing, or whether or not you have shoes at all – will determine your own priorities.

We need to fully fund public education, healthcare, permanent affordable housing, and natural resource protections, and many other needs.

We have the money.

According to Governor Green, our state has $1.58 billion in the rainy day fund, and $170 million in the Hurricane Relief Fund.

In addition, tax cuts passed in 2024 benefiting top income earners could be “rolled back”, generating an additional $500 million each year.

This is grotesque. We have nearly $2 billion sitting in the bank, we just gave everyone a tax cut, and the governor and legislators all got pay raises.

Yet, our schools are underfunded, health care services fall far short of our needs, public infrastructure is a disaster, and there are NO beds available in our emergency shelters.

What’s lacking is leadership and political will.

Please contact the governor and your legislators today. Wish them a merry Christmas, give them your own list, and ask them to step up and do better.

Gary Hooser
former state senator, majority leader, council-member
now just a regular guy trying my best to make the world a better place

Yes, the uninformed, misinformed, and ignorant who don’t really care about the facts anyway – have triggered me.

So please hold on while I vent.

To the know-it-all haters out there, just shut the front door (STFD), find a comfortable chair and do some research of your own before spreading the tropes and stereotypes.

There’s no room at the inn, no affordable housing, no beds available at emergency shelters. There’s not even a legal place for a houseless family to park their car and sleep overnight, let alone a campground with bathrooms and perhaps a shower.

That’s only a tiny sampling of the reality facing those in our community who for whatever reason, have found themselves houseless.

And you have the audacity to say, “They should just get a job. The vast majority can work if they want to. Until people take responsibility for themselves shelter will always be a problem.”

Tell that to the homeless children and their single mother, the kupuna, the aging veteran, and those living under the bridge with medical challenges.

Please. I’m begging you.

Don’t be that ignorant fool at the table bragging about how you worked 3 jobs, how you sacrificed, never took handouts, and pulled yourself up by the bootstraps.

If you don’t believe we have a basic human duty to help those less fortunate, just shut the front door (again) and take the drivel to your beer buddies outside.

How do you get a job when you’re a single mother with children to care for, and you’re living on the beach?

How are you supposed to get a job when you can’t seem to shake the cough in your chest, have no health insurance, no transportation, no address, and no place to sleep at night?

The truth is, many of the houseless do work full time, are not strung out on drugs, did not just fly into town, and are just doing their darnedest to survive.

Do the math. Minimum wage is $14, x 40 hours per week x 4 weeks = $2,240 per month minus taxes = approximately $1,900 monthly take home pay.

Wow! That’s almost enough to rent a 1 bedroom studio and pay for electricity and water – IF you could find such a deal.

Of course you’d still need to find money to pay for car expenses or bus fares, telephone/internet charges, clothing, toothpaste, soap, and other essentials commonly referred to as food and medical expenses.

While it varies a few cents from island to island, for a single individual without children, $30 per hour is a living wage in Hawai’i. Source MIT EDU

For too many of us, our first reaction is simply remove them from public spaces as if they don’t exist. We want to enjoy our days without the inconvenience and fear that sometimes comes with being in close proximity to those existing on the very lowest rung of the economic and social ladder.

But hold on a second. Just who are these people?

According to Bridging the Gap, the Neighbor Islands Continuum of Care – Metrics that matter – Chrome

56.1% of all unsheltered adults have lived in Hawai’i 20+ years
26.5% are families with children
30.7% of families led by a single mother
31.5% are children 17 and under
41.7% of the children are 5 and under
12.7% of the adults are over 62 years of age
5.1% are adults who’ve lived in Hawai’i under 1 year
4% served are veterans

Yes, as is the case with many families in our community, some struggle with problems of mental health and addiction. And yes a tiny handful just got off the plane.

But regardless – as a community we have a responsibility to reach out and help those who can be helped, who want to be helped, and who seek shelter, medical care, and nourishment.

We must stop perpetuating the untruths, the stereotypes, and the hate.

Gary Hooser
* Interested in my personal “evolution” on the houseless/homeless/unsheltered issue?

On the unsheltered. 7 missives. Starting with Jeffrey.

1997 – Leave Jeffrey Alone

Leave Jeffrey Alone – reflections from July 6, 1997

Something I wrote for The Garden Island newspaper in 1997 about a man who lived on the beach at the bottom of the hill from where I live (IYKYK).

2011 – On Christmas Shopping, The Homeless And Tough Love

On Christmas Shopping, The Homeless And Tough Love

Our first reaction is to clear them from the parks.  We want to be able to throw frisbee, barbeque our burgers, and take our early morning and late afternoon jogs without the inconvenience, the unsightliness, and the fear that sometimes comes with being in close proximity to the mentally ill and others who lack contemporary social skills and whose personal hygiene may be inadequate.

2023 Getting rid of all those homeless people – A primer

Getting rid of all those homeless people – A primer

An acquaintance grabbed my ear recently saying, “Gary, how can we get rid of all those homeless people?” He went on to bemoan the presence of the poor and unwashed that seem to be sleeping under every bridge and in every doorway.

2023 On the houseless – take the drivel to your beer buddies

On the houseless – take the drivel to your beer buddies

And please don’t be that ignorant fool at the table bragging about how he worked 3 jobs, how he sacrificed, how he never took handouts, and how he pulled himself up by the bootstraps. If you don’t believe we have a basic human duty to help those less fortunate, just shut the front door (STFD) and take the drivel to your beer buddies outside.

2025 #1 No room at the inn

No Room at The Inn –

There’s no affordable housing, no beds available at emergency shelters. There’s not even a legal place for you to park your car and sleep overnight, let alone a campground with bathrooms and perhaps a shower.

And yet you’re told to move along.

We can, and must do better.

2025 #2 Sheltering the houseless – ending the sweeps

Sheltering the houseless; ending the sweeps

So, Hawai‘i: What are we going to do about it? What CAN we do about it?

A healthy diverse economy with living wage jobs and permanent affordable housing for local residents is of course key to long term success.

However the almost complete lack of adequate emergency shelters with the related essential services, requires immediate action.

2025 #3 The Haters Are Gonna Hate – more on the unsheltered

Yes, the uninformed, misinformed, and ignorant who don’t really care about the facts anyway – have triggered me.

So please hold on while I vent.

To the know-it-all haters out there, just shut the front door (STFD), find a comfortable chair and do some research of your own before spreading the tropes and stereotypes.

Haters gonna hate – more on the unsheltered

Gary Hooser

Last week’s column, “No Room At The Inn,” discussing the clear, hard, ugly truth of our unsheltered – struck a nerve.

People in general were surprised to learn that for the vast majority of our houseless – there are no beds available at emergency shelters. There’s not even a legal place for houseless people to park a car and sleep overnight, let alone a campground with bathrooms and perhaps a shower.

The immediate, ongoing, and overwhelming response from readers has been alarm, shock and sadness.

So, Hawai‘i: What are we going to do about it? What CAN we do about it?

A healthy diverse economy with living wage jobs and permanent affordable housing for local residents is of course key to long term success.

However the almost complete lack of adequate emergency shelters with the related essential services, requires immediate action.

There are many paths forward and all of us, policy makers, service providers, business owners, and the general public must join together on this one.

Our collective starting point is of course, personally and individually helping our friends and neighbors in need. Then we expand to donating and volunteering at nonprofits that provide food, shelter, and services.

We must quickly however shift gears towards a much needed immediate and emergency expansion of basic shelter capacity and of core services – ALL of which requires funding.

We must actively encourage our government leaders to aggressively support expanding emergency shelters, AND to implement safe zones (safe, legal places to park your car and sleep overnight and/or perhaps pitch a tent).

The Mayor and the Governor are responsible for administering government programs and writing checks to private non-profit service providers. Council-members and legislators pass laws/ordinances and budgets to support and sometimes push the administration to take action.

Unsheltered people have ZERO political power, and so those of us with roofs over our heads and empathy for our neighbors must step up to help in that area.

The Council and the Legislature can and must pass policy initiatives that defacto REQUIRE the expansion of emergency shelters, safe zones, and related services.

A simple ordinance such as the following could greatly motivate ALL sectors of our community, public and private – to treat the matter with the urgency it deserves:

“No person shall be prevented from standing, sitting, lying, or parking on public property, if they do not have legal access to private property and/or if there is no safe, accessible, public property designated for them to legally occupy. This ordinance shall take effect 180 days from approval and shall not apply to public buildings, nor prevent trespassing laws from being enforced on private property.”

In other words, before the unsheltered can be told to “move along,” there must be somewhere safe and accessible for them to move along TO.

It is essential, of course, for non-profit program providers to also proactively seek expansion of their existing programs. These organizations must aggressively seek additional funding (both public and private) — to add beds, increase staffing, improve facilities, and adopt safe zones as well.

Safe zones come in all shapes and sizes. One might consist of clean, flat ground for temporary camping, or a parking lot for those who live in their cars. Safe zones could be open from 6pm until 8am for sleeping only, or be a proper camp/community open to residents 24/7.

All must be provided with security, toilets, and, at minimum, an outdoor shower.

Or, a safe zone could be MORE. It could be a community of the formerly houseless in partnership with a local agricultural nonprofit, based on principles of land stewardship and self-sufficiency.

Imagine THAT.

Imagine a land stewardship organization providing living-wage jobs to our community — centered around restoring the land and providing locally grown food.

We know where we need to go — and we mustn’t stop until we get there.

Gary Hooser

If you’ve been following the Pōhakuloa military land lease issue, the below piece I wrote for Civil Beat might interest you.

The governor must follow state law and honor the Hawaiʻi Constitution. Civil Beat 11/13/25 Please read, comment, and share!

Gov. Josh Green is actively negotiating a Pōhakuloa deal with the Trump administration and the U.S. Army that violates the Hawaiʻi Constitution’s Article XI mandating public lands be preserved and protected, and Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes 343 requiring environmental review.

Additionally, HRS 205 (pertaining to conservation lands) as well as HRS 171 (prohibiting the sale or gift of public lands except with approval by a two-thirds majority of the Legislature) will likely be violated if Green’s plan moves forward.

The U.S. Army may, under the guise of national security, attempt to circumvent Hawaiʻi law via condemnation and eminent domain.

However, the governor of the state of Hawaiʻi has sworn an oath to defend and uphold these same laws.

The language in the Hawaiʻi Constitution, Article XI, Section 1 is unequivocal:

“For the benefit of present and future generations, the State and its political subdivisions shall conserve and protect Hawaiʻi’s natural beauty and all natural resources, including land, water, air, minerals and energy sources, and shall promote the development and utilization of these resources in a manner consistent with their conservation and in furtherance of the self-sufficiency of the State. All public natural resources are held in trust by the State for the benefit of the people.”

Notice it says the state “shall” conserve and protect — not “may” and certainly not “unless the Federal Government or some other entity pays the State enough money” or “unless the land is taken by condemnation.”

The existing lease for the Pōhakuloa Training Area on Hawaiʻi island does not expire until 2029, yet the governor is insistent that a deal with the Army must be concluded by the end of this year.

On Nov. 5, Gov. Green said he will “convene a Joint Negotiation Team within 10 days to define settlement parameters.” (which he did) https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/11/hawaii-governor-advisory-panel-military-land-negotiations/

What’s the rush, governor?

Why not simply ask the Army to follow the law, including by conducting a thorough and complete environmental impact statement; to clean up the lands they’ve degraded during the past 60 years; and to stop the bombing?

Then, and only then, should negotiations begin.

Why not make this Hawaiʻi’s starting point for negotiation?

Why not explain to the Army — as directly, politely, and professionally as possible — that it’s inappropriate, unethical, and illegal for the governor of Hawai‘i to authorize a contract that violates state law and the state’s constitution?

Perhaps Gov. Green could also remind the Army about what happened at the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in Colorado. It took that community 10 years, but they never gave up, and the Army ultimately canceled their land acquisition plans.

Perhaps it’s also time for the governor to assure the Army that, although he believes in a strong defense and supports our men and women in uniform, it’s possible the residents of Hawaiʻi will respond negatively, loudly, and publicly, should the Army attempt to take these lands by force.

Imagine the road to Pōhakuloa lined with citizens, day after day, holding signs expressing their views to both hometown soldiers and visitors from other countries.

Imagine this scene at military installations across all the islands.

My hope is that Gov. Green will rethink his fast-track strategy.

Instead, I hope he’ll explain to the U.S. Army and the Trump administration, as clearly as possible, that if they choose to force a land seizure via eminent domain, just like the community at Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in Colorado – we will fight them every step of the way using every legal, moral, and ethical tool in the books — until we win.

Sincerely,
Gary Hooser

After reading about “homeless sweeps” occurring across all Hawaiʻi, I thought I’d try an experiment to evaluate the availability of emergency shelters in each County.

I went online, searched “homeless shelters” and “homeless services” in all four Counties, and started making phone calls. My goal was to help a fictional homeless couple searching for a safe place to sleep.

After over 20 phone calls, I could not find a single shelter on ANY island that could tell me they had a place for this couple to sleep.

My fictional homeless couple was invited to come down for an “intake interview,” after which they’d be put on a waiting list. I was also told, repeatedly, “There’s nothing available tonight,” and no promises for tomorrow or the next day.

If you’re a single male and don’t mind sleeping next to a bunch of other single males, there might be a place for you. First, however, you must come in for an evaluation. Only then will you know whether or not you’ll have a bed for the night.

80% of my telephone calls were answered by machines that required me to navigate through various responses and ultimately leave a message for a return call.

My first call to an organization purportedly offering statewide support for the homeless yielded this message: “The service you are calling is not available from this location. If this is an emergency, please dial 911.”

I searched online for the organization and found another number.

After navigating an unnecessarily complex AI menu — “Press 1, Press 2, Press 3, please complete the short survey” — I was eventually connected to a human, who gave me another number for a family emergency shelter.

No one answered there, and I was directed by an answering machine to leave a message. I then called the men’s shelter, thinking that if the couple had to split and stay in different shelters, that still might be acceptable.

The person answering at the men’s shelter told me the homeless man I was trying to help had to come down in person for an interview to determine whether there was space at the shelter for him or not.

I was trying my darnedest just to find a place for two people to sleep for the night, and was completely unable to do so. Unfortunately, the situation in every county was the same.

The 2024 Hawaii Homeless Point In Time census counted 6,389 people statewide experiencing homelessness. 62% or 3,961 of those individuals were unsheltered.

The entire inventory of emergency shelter beds on all islands COMBINED is less than 2,500.

Imagine: You’re homeless, living in your car, at the beach, in the woods, on the road… and YOU’RE the one making desperate phone calls (assuming you have a phone) and navigating a system that doesn’t have any beds available anyway.

Imagine the police coming through in the middle of the night, telling you to “move along.”

Where are you supposed to go???

There’s literally NO LEGAL PLACE for you to sit, lie down or sleep.

There’s no affordable housing, no beds available at emergency shelters. There’s not even a legal place for you to park your car and sleep overnight, let alone a campground with bathrooms and perhaps a shower.

And yet you’re told to move along.

We can, and must do better.

The lack of adequate shelters and related services and staffing is an EMERGENCY.

We must dramatically expand funding, staffing, and facility support for the obviously overworked and under-resourced providers of homeless services. They’re valuable members of our community, working in sometimes the darkest and most depressing of circumstances — and they deserve full-throated and tangible support from both State and County government.

Emergency homeless shelters and related services must be made a priority.

And we must STOP THE SWEEPS until that happens.

Gary Hooser
For those interested: Here is my very first piece on the Homeless written in 1997 entitled Leave Jeffrey Alone – about a man who lived on the beach at the bottom of the hill from where I live.

Another of my blog piece’s that try’s to put it all into perspective Getting rid of all those homeless people – A primer

Note: In my research I could find no evidence that validates the persistent rumors that other states or municipalities are sending us their homeless and houseless people. READ Are other states sending their homeless people here?

Also, while it’s true that some of the unsheltered do not like the “rules and structure” they must follow at the shelters – the fundamental fact of the matter is that our emergency shelters on every island are full and have waiting lists of people who DO want to use the shelter as a safe place to sleep. We must expand the number of beds and rooms and we must increase support for staffing and related services.