GaryHooser's Blog

10 days later, after the fear and fury of Hurricane Lowell, after waking up to the destruction, after cleaning up, helping neighbors do the same, and checking on friends and family – the primary thought that comes to mind today is one of gratitude.

Gratitude and appreciation for our Kaua`i community.

I’m thinking today about the friends, neighbors, and community volunteers from every corner of our beautiful island, who’ve been working daily with chainsaws, backhoe’s, shovels, rakes, and just their bare hands – to help those in need.

Friends helping friends, neighbors helping neighbors, and people just helping people they’ve never ever met before – just because they can.

Some of our friends and neighbors have lost everything, and some of us survived without significant loss of property or personal injury.

Now we pull together, Kaua`i style, and help each other.

We continue delivering food, ice, and other essentials to those areas still without power.

We help recharge telephones, provide internet connections, or restart the generator that’s been sitting in the garage, unused for years.

And we do the unavoidable tasks, of sweeping, raking, loading and hauling away the debris.

I’m so very proud to call this island my home, to have raised my children here, and to see my grandchildren grow up here.

The important work of rebuilding our community will not end next week, next month, or anytime soon. While the electricity will be on, and the roads open, the rebuilding of homes and businesses will take time, and we must all continue to help and support each other.

While I’m not much good with a chain saw, or with repairing generators, or tools in general – I can, and I will, and I am, using the skills and energy I do possess, to help as best I can.

To support those friends who’ve lost their farms and orchards, we must focus now more than ever on “buying local” and shopping at the local farmers market.

Friends from across the islands and around the globe, have been reaching out, and checking in to make sure we’re ok.

The short answer is while many of us are ok, many also have been hit hard, knocked to the ground by this storm, and we really need your help.

Whether it’s a financial contribution to a local nonprofit such as Mālama Kaua`i or the Waipā Foundation, or direct assistance to families – the need is great and the time to help is now. Other worthy organizations are listed here in Civil Beat.

To those Kaua`i residents who’ve managed to get their own homes in order and want to help further in the community, a good place to start is your own neighborhood.

Take a walk down the block, talk to your neighbors, look for that yard or house that clearly needs attention, seek out that older person who may live alone – knock on their door, say hello, and offer to help.

Then, get out your phone and start checking on those friends “on the other side of the island” you haven’t seen or spoken with in years.

Trust me, they will appreciate the outreach, and you will feel good after making the effort.

Remember always to say mahalo, mahalo plenty to all who are working so hard to help bring our lives back to normal in the aftermath of this terrible storm.

Mahalo to the staff and management of K.I.U.C. (Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative) who stepped up to the daunting task of restoring our electrical service. They’ve been working 24/7, in dangerous conditions, clearing the trees, replacing poles, transformers, and getting our electricity flowing again.

Mahalo also to the airline workers at the Līhuʻe airport, especially those having to manage the endless lines at the TSA checkpoints. And to County and State workers, police, fire, and emergency responders holding down the fort, and keeping us safe.

There’s much work still yet to do, and we must get to it. But we must also pause for a moment in gratitude and appreciation for the many who’ve stepped up, and continue stepping up to help.

We are truly all in this together.

Gary

PS.
For those interested in more detail of my experience with Hurricane Lowell.

The short story is the evening when it hit was positively frightening. Fortunately, my home and family survived without significant damage. However islandwide the impacts have been devastating and it will take months to get back to any semblance of normal. Some, who have lost it all, will never recover.

On September 5th, I wrote “So tired, yet totally consumed by the waiting for Lowell”

On September 7th, “Wailua Homesteads, the morning of Hurricane Lowell”

Hurricane Lowell struck Kauai on the evening of September 9th and immediately we lost power and internet connectivity.

The next few days was spent in limbo, cleaning up, taking stock, checking with and helping friends and neighbors

And most recently, prior to today’s posting, I also posted on September 14th, a “Post Hurricane Lowell update – summary”.

Just realizing today that I’ve failed to post anything “post hurricane Lowell”.

I wrote earlier “Waiting for Lowell” and I wrote about “The preparations and morning spent waiting for Lowell” but until now I haven’t written about what actually happened when Lowell struck our island.

So here’s a first draft pass with no real editing or grammar checks…just want to get the thoughts out.

We lost electricity in our home on Monday night September 7th…and got it back on Wednesday September 9th. During that time we also had no “connectivity” via internet, phone, nor even commercial radio…both AM and FM stations were “off the air” at least from our home on Kaua`i in the Wailua Homesteads.

Even after getting our power back, our internet/phone connectivity was limited and we had to drive to find “hot spots” to use phones to call, text, check email etc.

Needless to say, except for a few FaceBook posts, I’ve not done much writing during or since then.

It’s been 7 solid days since Lowell arrived and departed.

The first day Monday September 7th…started out ominous and ended up verifiably frightening. The winds came up during the late afternoon and continued building through the early evening…then the power went out (I saw the flash of what was probably a transformer blowing up)…and then there was just darkness.

Darkness and the sound and fury of the wind.

Claudette and I were mostly sequestered in our bedroom which seemed to be the safest and furthest from the winds…but all night long it seemed…the entire house would flex and shudder…and you could feel the pressure changing…and hear the thuds of whatever objects were flying through the air in the darkness…as they hit our roof.

We lay on the bed fully clothed with our shoes on…ready to run and hide further should the roof go.

We had not put plywood on our windows (which I regret) and we kept thinking that at any moment the wall of windows we have facing the winds…was going to blow in…with shards of glass everywhere…but thankfully that did not happen.

Fortunately the winds subsided and the sun came up the next day…as my mother would always remind me was the case.

Probably about 5:45am I ventured outside to an absolutely beautiful orange/red sunrise and light winds…which quickly turned to clear skies and no winds as the morning progressed.

A quick walk around the inside of the house discovered zero issues or problems, outside a small section of roofing shingles had blown up and off, but nothing major, and no water had come through the roof/ceiling.

In our back yard, both our mango and our ulu trees had lost large branches…our young papaya trees had been pretty much shredded…and the ground was littered in avocados…probably 70 of them at least…on the ground…large and small…some ready to ripen and eat and others not so much. Fortunately the tree survived…but lost 90% of its fruit.

(more on the avocado story later (IYKYK) )

On the State lands behind our house several large African Tulip trees were knocked down…but not in a way that was harmful or dangerous to anyones home or property.

Amazingly our 3 bunches of banana’s survived the winds AND I was greeted by 3 enormous and incredibly beautiful Dragon Fruit Flowers…they only “bloom” for one day and must have started the process during the night as the winds started to dissipate. Was amazing to see them. An omen perhaps?

By this time it was just after 7am. The winds had definitely subsided…and I then decided to “walk the neighborhood”…and was greeted on the street by several neighbors all who had survived the storm with minimal damage but lots of “clean up” to do.

There was one home where the trees had fallen across the driveway and myself and others on the street proceeded to help the owner who was home alone at the time…one neighbor grabbed a chain saw…and with about 5 of us (from 3 different neighboring homes) helping…the driveway was clear after 30 minutes or so.

I’m thinking 2 or 3 homes sustained serious damage…out of 30 or so on my road. I did not see any structures that appeared to be “totaled”.

On the main “feeder road”…Kuamoo Road…I started to see cars driving up and down appearing to indicate the road was “open”.

Later that day I drove down towards the main Kuhio Highway and was able to drive into Kapaa Town…all of the traffic lights were “out”. People were very courteous at the intersections, taking turns letting each other drive through the intersection.

I drove around seeking a “hot spot” that might have “2 bars” or more so I could find out the extent of damage island wide and to contact my son and his family who live in Koloa on the other side of the island. They lived in a 100 year old plantation house…and own a “food truck” business “The Smash Cafe”…and of course I was concerned about their safety.

Unfortunately it was not until late that afternoon when I finally found a place with the much sought after “2 dots or more” and I parked at the side of the highway near Hanamaulu and was finally able to connect…discovering much to my relief that my family was ok…no major damage…but also no electricity…but the home was intact and the family of 4 (including my 2 grandchildren) were ok…stressed and worried about their food business and losing all refrigeration…but ok.

Wednesday morning we continued struggling with the lack of power and connectivity…but slowly started hearing news of major damage on the south and west coastlines from the waves and storm surge…, there was major flooding from the rains on the north shore…and some of our farmer friends had entire orchards flattened by the winds…avocado trees especially seemed to have been a favorite target of Lowell…and there were avocados everywhere…we literally could not give ours away…even though they were beautiful and tasty. But yes…our farmer friends were hit hard…and it will take years to replace those trees that were lost.

Late afternoon on that same Wednesday our electrical power and internet connectivity was restored to our home…which was a HUGE relief.

We woke up on Thursday feeling good…and then read that during the night there had been a major fire at the Lihue Civic Center – which houses numerous Kaua`i County services including the Department of Motor Vehicles where you get your drivers license renewed and pay car license fees, AND the Real Property Tax Office, AND the Planning Department and I think the Building Department…this is potentially a MAJOR disaster itself depending on the extent of the fire and how well the County has “back up” electronically all of the information held by these offices…all the tax records for the entire county…all the building approvals and permits for the entire county…and the history of those permits (think Coco Palms Resort)…it’s going to be a mess that is for sure…how big a mess we do not know…AND it will be a mess that the NEXT mayor will have to figure out.

So…now here it is one week later…the full extent of the damage island wide is still not fully known. It’s bad…but we don’t know how bad…

But I do know we will survive this…as we survived Iniki and Iwa…and Dot…and yes Lala brushed against us as well.

Now that I have electricity, connectivity, and some basic life stability…I’ll return again to my regular writing…though it’s hard to write about politics, elections, and policy…when you remain surrounded by the very real struggles of everyday life following a natural disaster such as hurricane Lowell…but at the same time “life goes on” and the statewide elections will go on…and the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) will be scheduled AND it is essential that all of us…make our voices head…

Bye for now…apologies for the disjointed nature of the above ramblings…but it’s the best I got at the moment.

gary

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Was hard to sleep last night.
Phone kept “going off”, loudly and persistently, with emergency beeps, and messages telling me that dangerous and damaging winds were on the way.

It’s 5am as I write this.

The rain in Wailua Homesteads has been beating down since about midnight.

There doesn’t seem to be much wind.

We’ve closed tight all the windows, and it’s pitch black so all we have are the sounds.

Trying to let go of the apprehension.

We’re prepared as best we can be I think.

1) Cut down a beautiful “pony tail palm” that was too close to both our house and our neighbors. Made me sad.

2) Moved or secured various items in the yard that might otherwise become “missiles” when the wind kicks in.

3) Bought charcoal, bottled water, and various food items that don’t require refrigeration.

4) Double checked – we have a spare flashlight, portable radio, and batteries.

5) Keeping our phones and laptop fully charged.

6) Diverted one of our gutter “downspouts” so if the 14” of rain arrives over our house, the water will be diverted away from and not at risk of flooding our garage or filling our cesspool.

7) Checked-in with our immediate neighbors.

8) In contact with son and family who live on the other side of the island in Kōloa, AND with daughter now living on the continent with her young family. Both grew up in this same Wailua Homesteads home, and both have their own “post-Iniki” memories.

9) Called Mom and reassured her again that we would be ok. She assured me that she had her “prayer circles” working overtime asking the Lord to look out for us.

10) Considered installing plywood over windows and perhaps “retrofitting” hurricane straps in our open beam, mostly single wall construction, 70 year old home, that survived hurricane Iwa and Iniki – but did not. Some of our neighbors have put plywood over their windows, but we did not.

11) We have “to go bags” already prepared as we were actually hoping to take an off-island trip anyway, which we’ve now postponed.

12) Important papers, insurance documents, etc are in a secure container and area.

13) Developed a plan to move as much “stuff” as possible into “safer areas” that would not be directly impacted if the winds get crazy and it looks like the roof might go or windows blow out. Stuff like art and photographs hanging on the walls, small “memories and mementos” now sitting on counters and tables, etc.

14) At this moment Claudette is filling up a large “picnic water cooler” to store extra drinking water should the electricity go out and disrupt the County’s water transmission pumping ability.

15) We’re also are filling random 5 gallon buckets to “flush” the toilets if needed (TMI).

16) Claudette baked banana bread yesterday. Lots of it. Will share with the neighbors once the storm has passed.

There’s more…but mostly now it’s just constant checking the news, texting friends, following social media etc –

If you are reading this – I also posted on my blog thoughts and memories from the “thinking about Lowell” and “aftermath of hurricane Iniki” which ripped the roof off our home on September 11, 1992 – (located just 4 houses from where we are living today).

Love to all.

Be safe.

Will keep you posted as best I can.

We got this.

Gary
(look closely and you can see Kauaʻi “just on the edge of the purple”)

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Like you, I’m oh so tired, yet totally consumed by the “waiting for Lowell” – speculating, predicting, watching one weather report after another, waiting for that inevitable “turn to the north and north-east”. My “go to” weather source is the NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER and CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER (NOAA)

But at the end of the day, I’m waiting, wondering, and thinking about September 11, 1992.

Hurricane Iniki ripped the roof totally off our Wailua Homesteads home.

Fortunately we were “off island” when the storm hit but I’ll never forget those post-Iniki days.

I remember going through my half destroyed home, salvaging photos and personal memories – praying that I’d paid the insurance bill.

Our family of 4 moved into a nearby house, along with my brother and his family of 4, plus my wife’s parents and her sister – 11 of us living in a 3 bedroom house.

We lived without electricity for weeks, perhaps months.

The National Guard brought food through the neighborhood in the form of MREs (Meals-Ready-to-Eat), and I’ll never forget standing in long lines waiting patiently with cooler in hand, for ice.

I remember seeing those South shore ocean front homes, devastated by the monster surf that washed completely through the ground floor units, pushing furniture and appliances out into the yards.

My business at the time included publishing “Kauaʻi Magazine”, a hotel “coffee table magazine” which depended entirely on advertising sales from tourism based businesses.

On 9/12 every single one of our customers was closed, along with every single hotel on the island. Some would never open their doors again, and certainly none were interested in purchasing advertising.

The entire Kauaʻi economy shifted overnight from tourism to construction, and stayed that way for a long, long time.

I remember wondering if our lives would ever return to normal again.

But we survived, adapted, and learned from the experience.

And here we are, waiting and wondering, rehashing our memories, and praying and hoping Lowell will pass us by.

In any case, we again will survive – of that I am sure.

Stay safe my friends.

Stay safe and check on those friends and neighbors who might be without a support network, but too embarrassed or shy to ask for help.

Blaming immigrants, the mail man, and local election officials for manipulating our elections is convenient, and makes for easy sound bites that resonate with many.

In reality illegal voting by illegal immigrants, occurs in minuscule numbers, voting by mail is hugely popular, and the entire local election process is closely monitored.

The real culprits, hiding in plain sight, are the rich businessmen and their SuperPacs who spend millions to elect candidates who will then help them get even more rich.

But yes, it’s much easier to beat up on a faceless, nameless immigrant.

Pacific Resource Partnership (PRP) via its SuperPac “For a Better Tomorrow” has already spent nearly $7 million in Hawaiʻi this election cycle, AND has over $8 million in the bank, awaiting the next round. *per Campaign Spending Commission

The $7,000,000 was spent on manipulating voter opinion, and electing “their candidates”.

Countless television ads were purchased. Thousands of “direct mail” pieces were sent out. Extensive voter polling – voter identification – and “push polling” was conducted. ALL paid for by the SuperPac AND all in support of their chosen candidates.

They were clearly successful. The millions spent by “For a Better Tomorrow” ensured that PRP’s choice for Lieutenant Governor, numerous State legislators, and a number of County Councilmembers, made it successfully through the Primary Election.

The outcome is totally understandable, and predictable. The money advantage was overwhelming in favor of their chosen candidates.

Elections are won and lost based primarily on positive name recognition, and the candidate campaign supported by the most money – will nearly always win. *70-80% of the time according to the Campaign Legal Center

When China or the Soviet Union have attempted in the past to sway public sentiment and manipulate U.S. elections, the headlines were full of outrage and indignation.

Yet, when the state’s largest construction union—along with more than 250 of the largest contractors in Hawaiʻi, join together to manipulate election outcomes, there are only yawns, winks, and shoulder shrugs.

To be absolutely clear: “Manipulate” means, “the act of skillfully or unscrupulously altering something or someone to accomplish one’s own objectives.”

This is what’s happening today.

What exactly does PRP and SuperPac “For a Better Tomorrow”, get for their $7,000,000?

First and foremost, they get eternal gratitude from their chosen candidates.

And of course they get access. Without question, the candidate will always take the call, and always make space in their calendar, when asked to do so by the big money benefactor.

The continued wealth of PRP’s member contractors, depends on increased government spending on capital improvement projects (CIP), AND minimizing government regulation for real estate development and construction in general.

Consequently they have a huge stake in the decisions made by Federal, State and County government and are willing to spend large sums of money to elect candidates who will help move these two main planks of their agenda forward.

This does not mean the candidate who benefits from the PRP SuperPac generosity is “crooked” or “corrupt”, but it does mean they are seen as someone who when elected, will lean towards accommodating their needs and policy preferences.

Any candidate who feels they’re being unfairly painted as “in bed with the big money” or otherwise believes their integrity is being challenged by their close association with PRP and “For a Better Tomorrow”- need only express out loud their support for “campaign spending reform”, publicly funded elections, and “closing the contractor loophole”.

But unfortunately they don’t and they won’t – because winning is what’s most important to them, AND they’ve convinced themselves the benefactor’s wealth and support will not impact their future decisions, and it’s all for the greater good anyway.

Fast-forward: The newly elected official is participating in their first public hearing, contemplating passage of Bill #4321 proposing to “reduce environmental protections and remove regulatory impediments to development”.

While listening to public testimony, a text arrives – “Hello Senator/Representative/Councilmember, I’m watching the live-stream on Bill #4321, and hoping we can count on your support to pass Bill #4321 “as is”. I can see the environmental community has packed the room and adamant it should be killed. Lmk if you need more info, otherwise I look forward to joining you for dinner at Morton’s Steakhouse Thursday (unless you prefer the Pacific Club).”

This is the way it works folks.

No one spends $7 million dollars without expecting something in return.

Gotta laugh, or cry, or be angry and frustrated – at some of the language:

“Hazardous materials and waste may be introduced from missiles that have landed in the GHA as a result of early flight termination”.

In other words “Missiles launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) may occasionally crash or blow up, and spread dangerous materials along the west side of Kauaʻi.”

However, nowhere does it say in the proposed Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) how many missiles are being launched, how often they can be expected to blow up or crash, and exactly what hazardous materials and waste is likely to be spread through-out the area.

The document also does not say how many of those missile launches will travel over populated areas, nor does it say what would happen if such a “flight termination” occurred over the towns of Kekaha, Waimea, Hanapēpē, or any other Kauaʻi town.

The subject lands are needed for “training and testing in the use of surface, subsurface, air, and space weapons systems as well as land-based weapons systems”.

The document references “long-term, minor, potential long-term adverse effects to public health and safety from the ongoing use and storage of fuels and oils, missile operations/assembly, ordnance storage and movement”.

But then offers no specifics.

It also says there will be “Potential effects to public health and safety, such as injury to people, from premature, unintentional, or unauthorized detonation of ordnance during transportation…”

Translation: There could be an accident (or terrorism incident) that results in a catastrophic explosion while the ordnance is being transported by truck from Port Allen through Hanapēpē, Waimea, and Kekaha.

Unfortunately there’s no discussion in the document analyzing what such a catastrophic incident might look like, nor whether the public is notified when the ordnance is being transported.

The word “ordnance” is used multiple times but nowhere is there a list of what kinds of “ordnance” are being used/stored/assembled and transported. Are these bombs, missiles, guns, drones, explosives, high-energy, nuclear, bio-weapons, tanks, bazooka, or chemical?

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser headline just a few months ago stated, “MILITARY WANTS HAWAIʻI TO BE A HUB FOR PACIFIC ARMS MANUFACTURING” and reported “Military leaders in Hawaiʻi have been telling their troops they need be prepared to deploy in the event of a potential conflict in the Pacific as early as 2027.”

Yet, there’s no mention whatsoever as to what impact a “potential conflict in the Pacific as early as 2027” may have on PMRF and consequently Kauaʻi County.

What is the likelihood of PMRF being the target of an attack by China, and how might that might attack impact surrounding areas?

The document does not discuss this at all.

In my role as a Hawaiʻi State Senator, and Kauaʻi Councilmember, but most importantly as the former Director of the Hawaiʻi Office of Environmental Quality Control (OEQC), I’ve reviewed hundreds of such documents.

I will say without hesitation, this particular FEIS is woefully inadequate.

My focus on the “ordnance” issues reflect just a small part of the documents shortcomings.

In my role as OEQC Director, I learned that a properly drafted FEIS document must include direct, indirect, AND cumulative impacts.

This document falls far short of that minimum standard, and the 700 words permitted for this column does not allow me to discuss them all here today.

This FEIS (see link below) is essential reading for anyone concerned about our island home and planet.

Please take the time review it closely, and send your comments, questions, and concerns directly to the State of Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) as soon as the meeting agenda is posted. (exact date of BLNR meeting is unknown at the moment but may be 09/25 and will update when known)

My hope is that the BLNR will reject this document and request the applicant “go back to the drawing board” and resubmit an improved version for future review and further consideration.

The document discussed above: The Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed United States (U.S.) Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kōkeʻe Park Geophysical Observatory can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/mr2xh3jb

Let’s do this.

gh

She’d read my piece on the stress and trauma of Hurricane Lala, and when I failed to answer her phone call, she immediately went into her “mama bear” mode, calling others to make sure I was ok.

Needless to say, I called her back as soon as I was able. She didn’t immediately believe it when I told her “I was fine” and “Trust me Mom, I am ok!” But eventually she settled down and made me promise to take care of myself and to keep her posted.

I encouraged my beautiful 94 years young mother to read again the piece I wrote, but make sure she read it all the way to the end – where it stated clearly that “I’m feeling better now”.

Yes, I’d been feeling very low, dismal really, for days. Dwelling on the storm, wallowing in the fear of its approach, thinking about my friends on Hawaiʻi island especially who have been severely impacted.

But then, when I took a deep breath, called to check in on those friends, offered my help and support, and yes even made a modest donation in support of the recovery effort – voila!

I felt better.

Lessoned learned.

Or rather lesson remembered.

When we take action to move forward and make things better, we feel better.

When we help people, we feel better.

I’m asking you now, to help me feel even more better.

Regardless of where you might call home, whatever island, or state, or country that you might reside in – Can you chip in today to help folks through-out Hawaiʻi who continue at this very moment to dig out from the mud and destruction?

Many are still without power, unable to return to their homes, or have no homes left to return to.

Trust me. You will feel good, and I will feel even, more good, AND the lives of the people we help will be improved.

Today, I made a modest donation to a GoFundMe account that’s working in alignment with Hawaiʻi Mutual Aid Network.

And yes…it feels good that I can help, even just a little bit in this way.

I cannot shovel the mud or haul around generators, but I can give a little bit of money to help those that need it, AND I can ask others to join me in this effort.

And yes, as I mentioned before I’m also making a modest contribution to Shannon Matson, a candidate for the Big Island County Council, who is out in the field helping impacted people every single day.

Why is a Kauaʻi County resident helping a candidate for the Hawaiʻi Island County Council?

Because we’re all in this together.

Shannon Matson is a totally awesome, community based, hard working, passionate about helping, smart, proactive, change-maker individual who at the end of the day would do the same thing for us.

Regardless of where you call home, let’s help these folks, AND help ourselves at the same time.

Trust me on this.

Join me in helping, and you’ll feel better.

I did, and I do.

Love you mom!

Gary

“We hand out subsidies, tax exemptions, no-bid contracts, loan guarantees, land concessions, and regulatory favors — and we ask for almost nothing back. No enforceable promises. No penalty when the promises break. No accounting anyone can follow.” Richard Bodien Blog https://bodien.com/

It’s true. In terms of the big picture discussion, what Richard Bodien writes is absolutely true. I strongly encourage you (on every island – re State/County operations/accountability) to read his entire piece.

Yes, of course there are sometimes “provisions and penalties” but unless the F.B.I. gets a hot tip, the media sinks their teeth into it, the public initiates an investigation, or the State or County auditor dig in, there’s pretty much zero enforcement – at least for the big guys/issues/projects/permits.

That’s certainly what it feels like.

Perhaps ask a resident of Kōloa, or someone who has driven by the Coco Palms property – every single day for the past 34 years.

The County of Kaua‘i has no full-time independent auditor AND no full-time investigative office whatsoever. Agencies and Commissions will respond to complaints but never initiate their own investigations.

Every other County in the State has an “Office of the auditor” which has discovered, investigated, and sometimes referred to federal law enforcement – “waste, fraud, and abuse”.

An office of the auditor is required by the Kaua‘i County Charter, yet has been vacant for 11 years.

Consequently there are no independent eyeballs routinely reviewing Kaua‘i County subsidies, tax exemptions, new development compliance, no-bid contracts, land concessions, land purchases, and regulatory favors.

When the County purchases land is there an independent appraisal? Is the seller at “arms length” from the County person/agency initiating the purchase? Is there a real estate agent who receives a commission?

Millions of dollars change hands, with no independent watchdog.

The Kaua‘i Council does authorize a required financial audit of the County Budget, and occasionally will hire an “outside auditor” to conduct a performance audit – but there is no focused, sustained effort to detect waste, fraud, and abuse within the operations of County government.

According to the Kaua‘i Charter, individual Councilmembers may not “interfere with the administrative processes delegated to the mayor…”

However, “The Council or any authorized committee thereof shall have the power to conduct investigations of the operation of any agency or function of the County and any subject upon which the Council may legislate.”

Individual Councilmembers may not meddle, give instructions to individual County employees, or attempt to manage the County day-to-day business.

That’s the Mayor’s job.

HOWEVER, a majority of Councilmembers may authorize and conduct an investigation to ensure that County operations are being conducted fairly, efficiently, legally, and ethically.

That’s the Councils job.

It’s called “checks and balances”.

If you ask Kōloa residents who’ve been tracking closely the seemingly never-ending real estate development in their town, and speak with those folks who’ve been driving by the Coco Palms fiasco for the past 34 years – I believe the consensus would be overwhelmingly clear.

The time for an up-close, independent review of both, is long, long, overdue.

It would seem impossible, irresponsible, and downright crazy to think the permits (County and State) granted to the Coco Palms developers are still valid. Clearly, for whatever reason, the County and the State has turned its head to look the other way, over and over again.

It’s way past time to crack down on the “developer/deal makers”, and the Coco Palms dream/fantasy that’s been sold and resold to investors and public alike, over and over again, for the past 34 years.

The development concessions granted to the various Kōloa developers, likewise seem excessive, unnecessarily generous, and fail to adequately protect cultural and environmental resources.

Is there favoritism? Have all County approvals made been “above board”, conducted in the Sunshine, by individuals without financial conflicts or benefits?

Are County agencies properly enforcing the law and protecting the publics interest, the unique historical, cultural, and environmental elements of Old Koloa Town and the Poʻipū/Kōloa community?

The investigation into the Kōloa situation and the Coco Palms fiasco, cannot wait until the hiring of a full-time independent auditor. The Council could and should, move forward now with a thorough, open, and transparent investigation of both.

The important, and long overdue task of hiring a new full-time independent auditor must then be undertaken by the new, incoming County Council. It makes no sense and will no doubt raise further ethical questions to have the existing Council that includes two Mayoral candidates, select the new auditor.

After-all, the new auditor will be responsible for auditing the new Mayors agencies and operations.

Gh

My blood pressure’s elevated, the quality of my sleep has deteriorated, my general “mood index” has tanked, and overall I feel like crap.

The trauma and stress from “Lala”, is weighing heavy on me.

And apparently, another storm is only a few days away.

For the past 10 days, from one end of our island chain to the other, we’ve all, each and every one of us I suspect, been wrapped in the anticipation and then the reality of Hurricane Lala.

Many have lost their homes, and some their lives. Countless friends and neighbors have incurred damage to personal property that will never be recovered. ‘Utter Devastation’: Lala Turns Hawaiʻi Upside Down – Civil Beat

The basic clean up will take months.

The bridges, roads, and homes that must be rebuilt – will take years to complete.

The number of us who’ve been traumatized by this event is unfathomable.

Even we lucky ones who escaped direct physical harm have been hit hard emotionally, which for many translates to our health, as there is a real cost of the cumulative stress.

So what’s next?

How do we move on?

How do we get better?

My first step after checking in with my own family, is reaching out to friends on Hawaiʻi Island. Just making the call or sending that text, is therapeutic.

If I can help friends who’ve been impacted by Lala with more tangible support and clean-up assistance, I will.

While I don’t have thousands to give to anyone, I can and will add my modest donations to that of others.

My instincts tell me to give and support first those people I know personally, and then only to those organizations I know and trust completely.
The Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA) has information on donating directly to impacted families via the Hawaiʻi Mutual Aid Network here. AND Civil Beat provides a list or community organizations that are also accepting donations and actively providing support to impacted families.

After reaching out, helping if I can, and getting my own yard and house in order – I/we then need to figure out a way to get back to normal, back on track with whatever we were doing prior to the Lala trauma.

For me, that of course is “policy and politics”.

Bad weather comes in all shapes and sizes, and the storm of corruption that engulfs our State government must also be stopped and stopped now. No doubt there will soon be many new “emergency declarations” and an increase in “non bid contracts” to deal with the disaster that is Lala.

Hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent by government in the coming years on the recovery efforts.

My sincerest hope is that our State legislature will use the coming weeks to proactively support Lala restoration efforts AND to close the “contractor loophole” that crooked contractors and their political friends drive through regularly, ESPECIALLY FOLLOWING TIMES OF DISASTER AND CRISIS.

The November 3 General Election is also coming at us.

My thoughts go out today to those candidates whose lives were already stressed and stretched thin, who now have the Lala trauma also pressing down upon them.

Many spent every last dime left in their campaign accounts just to make it through the Primary.

Now, they are faced with an impossible conundrum. They have their own Lala family impacts to deal with, AND they need to raise money for the General election.

However, political fundraising now and in the foreseeable future will be viewed by many, as politically and morally reprehensible.

What to do?

Yes, it’s up to us, those of us who did not incur great physical damage from Lala, to step up even more. And we must not wait to be asked.

Trust me on this, a $20, $50, or $100 campaign contribution, especially at this time when it’s impossible for them to ask – is much needed by every candidate with a tough General Election coming up.

For me, this means sending over a campaign contribution today in support of Hawaiʻi County Council candidate Shannon Matson. Please join me in supporting Shannon or any candidate, you feel good about, especially those with lives now immersed in the trauma of Lala.

That’s all I got.

And yes, I’m feeling much better now.

Mahalo for asking!

Gary Hooser

Pardon me while I go on a bit of a rant, but I’m sick and tired of legislative leaders who refuse to lead, preferring instead to just keep their heads down and look the other way.

70% of our friends and neighbors believe voting is a waste of time.

“Why bother? Nothing’s going to change. They’re all a bunch of crooks and big money controls everything anyway.” Is the common refrain.

Meanwhile, the bribery, both legal and illegal continues.

Please join me today in taking action to stop the corruption, make positive change happen, and start rebuilding the peoples faith in our government.

Reach out via email and phone to your District Representative and State Senator (type in your address to find) and tell them “ENOUGH ALREADY”, that it’s way past time for them to step up, support a special legislative session, and CLOSE THE CONTRACTOR LOOPHOLE.

Contact information for all State Representatives is here and all State Senators is here.

Hawaiʻi must do as other states have already done, and ban the practice of government contractors giving money to elected officials who authorize and fund their government contracts.

It is legal today for the head of a contracting company doing business with the State, AND its board of directors, AND their spouse, brother, sister, and mother to each give $2,000 – $4,000 to the Representative and Senator who approves the funding for their State contracts.
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The ability of government contractors to fund directly the campaigns of lawmakers who fund their government projects, is at the center of the “pay to play” culture that permeates that big square building on Beretania Street.

This is legal corruption and it must be stopped.

Please, make the call and send the email – TODAY.

Ask our Hawaiʻi government leaders to lead.

When they tell you “not now maybe later”, remind them they’ve been saying “later” for the past 4 years, and enough is enough.

When they tell you “it’s complicated”, “there’s no time”, “it’s not that easy” and “we can just wait until January and try again during the regular 2027 legislative session” – restrain your anger and and try not to swear.

Listen to them intently, take a deep breath, and then tell them again as politely as you can:

“This is important. I know that if you wanted to make this happen, it would happen. I’m asking you again, please lead on this, do the right thing and close the contractor loophole”

It is without question that if “House/Senate Leadership” wanted to end this practice and put a significant dent in the “pay to play” culture that now exists at the capitol – they could do it.

But they don’t, and they won’t.

They could close the “contractor loophole”, they could pass and fund a strong “publicly funded elections” program, AND they could stop the “two ticket to a fundraiser scam” (IYKYK).

But clearly they won’t do any of these things because the status quo works just fine for them.

“Leadership” in the Hawaiʻi House and Senate will not move on these issues until forced to do so by a majority of “their members”.

That’s the bottom line.

Until a critical mass of individual legislators (and candidates) make it clear that closing this loophole and re-instilling faith and confidence in government is a priority, nothing will happen and the corruption will continue.

Fortunately, 10 forward thinking House Members have already signed a formal letter in support.

If you have a moment, please send a huge mahalo to Representatives – Terez Amato HD11, Ellie Cochran HD14, Joe Gedeon HD18, Tina Nakada Grandinetti HD20, Kim Coco Iwamoto HD25,Della Au Belatti HD26, Ikaika Hussey HD29, Garner M. Shimizu HD32, Kanani Souza HD43, and Amy Perruso HD46.

This is what leadership looks like.

So while my friends on Kauaʻi must definitely reach out and contact Senate President Ron Kouchi AND House Speaker Rep. Nadine Nakamura – EVERYONE from across the islands must contact via phone AND email their own district State Senator and House Representative TODAY (prior to August 24th) AND ask them politely and professionally to support a special session and – “close the contractor loophole”.