GaryHooser's Blog

There’s lots of ways to serve, and lots of ways to help make the world a better place – but you gotta show up, you gotta “do politics” and you gotta take ownership of your own government.

Only 269,912 people in Hawai’i showed up to vote in the 2024 primary election (32% of registered voters).

Those choosing not to show up, clearly think it doesn’t matter, their vote doesn’t make a difference, and “doing politics” is ugly, dirty, complicated, and contentious.

I’m here today to say, “Yes, perhaps, maybe…but…”.

Avoiding the political conversation, staying home, hanging out with similarly disengaged friends at the beach, bar, or coffee shop – is not going to change the world and in fact contributes to its demise.

Eldridge Cleaver said “You either have to be part of the solution, or you’re going to be part of the problem.”

You don’t have to give up family, hobby’s, or health. But you do have to show up – at least virtually “online”, and sometimes in person at a community meeting or public hearing.

If you’re serious about making our world a better place, learning more, doing more, and increasing your effectiveness in the political process – here are some key steps to getting there.

Step #1 – Identify a nonprofit organization involved in issues relating to your “subject matter interest” (economic, environment, cultural, education, etc). Get on their email list and receive “action alerts”. Subscribe also please to my “info/action email” https://policy-and-politics.mailchimpsites.com/

Step #2 – Know who represents you at the Federal, State, and County levels. Know their names. Have their contact information in your phone and on your refrigerator.

It’s critically important that you communicate directly with the elected official that represents you, in your home district.

When the elected policy-maker knows the person behind the email or phone call to their office actually lives in the district they represent, they pay attention.

As a constituent living in the district, you must share your concerns and hopes regularly with your elected representatives via email and occasionally by telephone. Short and on-point messages are best. Always request “the courtesy of response”, and always let them know you’re a constituent who lives in their district.

A primary (pun intended) goal of every elected official is to be re-elected. Consequently they’ll normally seek to please constituents who live and vote in their district.

At the State Legislative and County Council level, the districts are small enough to actually meet your elected officials in person.

Do it. Meet with them. Call and request a meeting to share your thoughts and concerns, and to hear theirs.

Constituents living and voting in the district control the political future of every elected official in that district, and they’re keenly aware of this fact.

Step #3 – Support others who’re doing the heavy lifting.

Even if you don’t testify at the microphone, it’s important to be “in the room” and at the public meeting in person. The number of people in the room, by itself, sends a message.

“Like and share” social media posts and “action alerts” that reflect your values. This will impact algorithms helping those posts to show up more frequently.

Show up at protest gatherings happening regularly and everywhere – march, hold signs, speak out.

Other key elements of effective advocacy:

* Think globally; act locally. Focus first on local issues and actions where your voice and participation will have the most impact.

* Help and support elected officials who do the right thing.

* Oppose elected officials who act contrary to your values.

Show up. Speak out. Send that email. Make those calls. Attend the public hearing and write that letter to the editor.

Change happens when regular people pay attention, get involved, and take ownership of their own government.

If you want to learn more about how to get more involved, and how to be more effective, please join Co-host Aria Juliet Castillo and I tomorrow, Monday June 2 at 5pm on YouTube and streaming live on FaceBook our new Policy + Politics “video podcast” https://m.youtube.com/@PolicyandPoliticsHI – talking story and sharing ideas – on how the average person can influence the political process.

Gary Hooser
garyhooser.com

When we catch elected officials doing the right thing in difficult situations, let’s lock them into a PFL.

It’s important we catch the new ones before they decide “going along to get along” is the best path forward.

I’ll never forget the first time it happened to me.

It was back in 1998. I’d just been elected to the Kauai County Council.

One of the first issues I had to vote on was a proposed zoning change for lands at Kukuiula on Kauai’s south side. Alexander and Baldwin (A&B) were the land owners.

The request before the Council was to allow A&B to build a luxury golf course/resort-type development. Years earlier, when the lands were first rezoned from agricultural to residential, A&B had promised to “build housing for local Koloa residents for generations to come.”

Now, after sitting on their residential zoning for decades and building almost nothing, A&B had come before the Council claiming the original residential plan was not economically feasible. A resort component was essential, they declared.

On the day of that public hearing back in 1998, the room was standing-room only, packed with carpenters.

Over and over, they testified: “We need the jobs!”

“Trust us” said A&B, “We’ll build homes for local people, but we must first build the resort component, and the golf course, and the luxury shopping center, and the high-end homes.”

I knew in my heart this was a bad, bad, bad proposal and that our community would likely never see the promised housing. Certainly it wouldn’t be built any time soon.

On the night before the vote, as I lay in bed preparing to doze off, my life partner Claudette turned to me and asked, “So how are you going to vote tomorrow?”

“NO,” I responded, without hesitation. “I’m going to vote ‘No.’”

“You’re never going to get re-elected” was her immediate response.

“I don’t care” was my reply.

Of course, I cared. Actually, I cared a whole lot.

I was proud to serve my community on the Council. I’d worked hard to get elected. Many people had spent countless hours knocking on doors, holding signs along the highway, attending meetings and coffee hours. They’d donated money to my campaign.

They were counting on me.

The next day came, the vote was held, and mine was the only No vote.

My mind was swirling as I walked out of the Council Chambers and awaited my political world to end.

Incredibly, the first person I saw gave me a huge hug and told me thank you. Then another and another, and still ANOTHER came up, gave me a hug or a high-five and told me “Right-on Gary, I knew I voted for the right person.”

My phone messages and email over-flowed with people offering their aloha and gratitude.

I was caught in a positive feedback loop (PFL) unlike any I’d ever encountered.

I followed my na’au, did what my gut told me to do, and what my constituents expected of me. I could look myself in the mirror. It was an incredible feeling.

Let’s entangle others in that same, PFL, and keep them there. All it takes is an email, a text, or a phone call to acknowledge the good work of others. We all can benefit from the positive reinforcement.

And in case you’re wondering: I was reelected in 2000, then elected to the State Senate in 2002 – 2010.

And to this day, 27 years after that vote – there are still practically zero homes for local residents built on those lands (1,000 acres). Yes, there’s now a golf course with a private clubhouse, and a beautiful shopping center, and broad array of multi-million dollar homes (mostly second homes and vacation rentals). Far away from the “resort component” tucked away out of sight and “off site”, away from the beach, and without those beautiful views – there are a pitifully small handful of affordable units.

But at least I can look at myself in the mirror, and know I did the right thing.

Mahalo to all who came up to me that day and the many days since then to share your support and encouragement. Because of you, other decisions made after that were done with more confidence as I grew into my role on the Council and later in the Senate.

Sincerely,

Gary Hooser
Former member of Kauai County Council
Former State Senator and Majority Leader

The words of former State Representative Roy Takumi have been keeping me awake at night.

It was 2003 and I was a brand-new Senator, preparing to vote on my first state budget. That’s when Roy told me, “Never forget, Gary, the budget we’re voting on is a moral document.”

The budget recently approved by the U.S. House of Representatives saves money by taking food and healthcare from children, old people, and the very poor.

The proposed budget also decimates funding for public education, parks, environmental protection, international humanitarian aid, and countless other valuable services and programs.

These savings will then be transferred to the wealthy, the privileged, the powerful, and of course, the defense industry.

The budget of the United States of America, now before the U.S. Senate, represents a new era of amoral depravity.

It’s worse than gross and disgusting, and we cannot remain complacent and silent on the sidelines.

We are each responsible for this. After all, WE let it happen.

WE all should be ashamed of it, and WE must fight back and stop it from being implemented.

Our voices must be loud, our actions swift, and our resolve unshakable.

We must stand united and tell the Trump Administration — and our own local government leaders – NO, loudly and clearly.

“NO, we don’t want your tax cuts for the rich to be paid for on the backs of our less fortunate brothers and sisters, living in our own neighborhoods and around the world. And don’t try to appease us by offering us money — military money, blood money — that will fund even MORE guns, bombs, missiles, and bodies buried in trenches in foreign lands.”

I use the words “we” and “our,” above and below, very intentionally. We are each responsible for the actions of our government.

Our State Legislature must immediately prepare to increase taxes, dollar for dollar, on the very wealthy, to offset the federal tax cut benefits that will soon be flowing to those who need it the least.

These funds must be used to support and, if possible, expand Hawai’i’s Medicaid program and Supplemental Nutritional Aid Program (SNAP).

Ditto to the weakening of federal environmental protections. Our State AND County governments must pass new local laws to offset federal actions that will impact environmental protections, climate change, and even nuclear development safeguards.

And we cannot truly clean our hands and look our moʻopuna in the eyes until we confront the elephant in the room. The United States spends more money on “defense” than any other country on the planet, approximately $895 billion per year. For context, Russia spends $126 billion, and China’s at $267 billion.

The budget recently approved by the U.S. House proposes increasing military spending to $1 trillion in fiscal 2026. That increase will be funded by cuts to programs that now help our poor, sick, old, and hungry.

We are, by far, already the largest exporter of weapons worldwide, and we have more military bases in more countries than any other.

It’s time we say NO to the renewing of land leases at Pohakuloa, Kahuku, Kawailoa-Poamoho, and Makua. We must also refuse expansion at Barking Sands and the bombing of Kaʻula Island.

Support for American troops, belief in the importance of national security, and rejection of the endless expansion of the U.S. war machine: these are values that can, and MUST, co-exist.

At ALL levels, our elected officials must lead on this — or get out of the way.

If they fail to do so, we must challenge them, primary them, run against them ourselves, help others run against them, and — whether Democrat or Republican – we MUST defeat them at the polls in 2026.

Gary Hooser
former Hawai’i State Senator and Majority Leader

Both former Mayor (now County Councilmember) Bernard Carvalho AND County Council Chair Melvin Rapozo are hoping to be chosen by voters in 2026 to serve as Kaua`i’s next mayor.

Kaua`i voters deserve a choice, and I’m hoping other candidates will also enter the race.

There’s no shortage of potential candidates; Senate President Ron Kouchi, former Councilmember Mason Chock, Councilmember Arryl Kaneshiro, former Mayor JoAnn Yukimura, former Rep. Hermina Morita.

There are others of course, presently serving in the ranks of government, in nonprofits, and in the private sector, but these five are “top of mind” potential candidates.

Council terms for Carvalho and Rapozo expire on Dec. 1, 2026.

Does this mean both men will actively campaign, from (presumably) now through the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026 – while also serving as councilmembers?

If either (or both) men resign from the council to run for mayor (which is not required), the council will appoint new members to fill their position(s). When we consider how this scenario could impact the council election, things get really complicated really quickly.

Councilmembers Felicia Cowden and KipuKai Kualiʻi are “terming out” and not running in 2026.

Consequently, four council positions will be up for election – without those four incumbents in the race.

Kaua`i County Council seats are elected “at large,” not “by district.” This means all seven existing council seats are up for election. However, with two members running for mayor, and two members “terming out,” only THREE incumbent councilmembers will be running for those seven seats in 2026 — thus the four “openings.”

The coconut wireless now says former Councilmembers Billy DeCosta and Ross Kagawa will both attempt to regain the council seats they lost in 2024.

As for Carvalho, Rapozo and the mayor’s race? Both gentlemen are nice guys who represent the status quo. Both would no doubt continue balancing the budget while making minimal changes to business as usual. Neither has a history of rocking the boat.

Both were ardent supporters of the chemical companies during the Bill 2491 period.

Both supported extending the “Iniki Ordinance” to benefit the developers/owners of the Coco Palms Hotel, allowing the developer to avoid compliance with current building codes and development standards.

Neither candidate has spoken out publicly in opposition to the actions of the Trump administration, nor in support of ensuring “due process” rights are upheld in Kauai County.

Nothing personal, guys, but IMHO, Kaua`i voters deserve a broader choice of experience and values.

We have good people, working full-time jobs, forced by high rents and nonexistent housing inventories to live in their cars.

We obviously need more affordable housing, more shelters for the unhoused, and some basic, safe, clean, legal place for those forced to live in their cars to park for the night.

We need safe, healthy and pesticide-free county parks. Other counties are doing this; why not Kauai?

A full-time Kauai auditor position/office is required by our County Charter. Yet neither the mayor nor the council has chosen to fund this essential component in the fight to eliminate government waste, fraud and abuse.

I’m hoping fervently that additional candidates for mayor and council will step forward in the coming months. Kauai voters deserve to hear from each one. What ideas, solutions and proposals will they put forward to resolve these — and other — pressing issues?

Simply maintaining the status quo is not leadership. We need more than that. Much more.

Footnote for context:
2024 Council General Election Results:
Carvalho at No. 1 with 15,435 votes, Rapozo at No. 2 with 14,403, Kaneshiro 13,049, Bulosan 12,385, Cowden 12,325, Kualii 12,276, Holland 12,041.

Kagawa at No. 8 with 11,933 and DeCosta at No. 9 with 9,977.

Top vote-getters in previous council elections now Rep. Luke Evslin 13,208 in 2022, and former Councilmember Mason Chock 18,599 in 2020 (and highest council vote count in Kaua`i history).

Gary Hooser
former Kaua`i State Senator and member of Kaua`i County Council

This year marks our 45th wedding anniversary. So, as I’ve done over the past few years I’ll be saying “Happy Anniversary” to an incredibly awesome woman and life partner, AND I’ll be telling the story of how Claudette pulled me off the streets of Waikiki and made me into the man I am today 😉

Some of you who’ve heard that story before might wonder, “What was Gary doing before he met Claudette?”

So that’s the story I’ll try to tell now, before I get to the one about how the surfer-looking dude on a pedi-cab met the beautiful South African girl in front of the Moana Hotel.

For me, it all started in Weedpatch, Arvin, and Bakersfield, California.

Yes, Weedpatch is the real name of a town in California. My grandparents settled there.  The Grapes of Wrath was actually filmed in Weedpatch. It’s where many post-Depression “Oakies” ended up after trekking across the Midwest, fleeing the Oklahoma Dust Bowl – the severe dust storms that ravaged the American prairies in the 1930s.

My mother Loretta Eileen Carter, her brothers and sisters, surrounded by all their worldly belongings and riding in the back of a pickup truck, were part of that migration — from Broken Bow, Oklahoma, to Weedpatch, California.

Interestingly enough, the man my mother was to eventually meet up with and marry, Marvin Lee Hooser, also ended up in Weedpatch after starting out in Natural Dam Arkansas.

I was actually born in San Diego. My father was a career Navy man, ultimately making the rank of Chief Boatswain’s Mate.

Fast forward through many, many, many stories about “growing up a Navy brat” all over the globe — in California, the Philippines, Japan, Florida; in Adak, Alaska; and finally in Hawaii, where my dad was stationed at Pearl Harbor in 1970.

I graduated (barely) from Radford High School in 1972.

Before (barely) graduating from Radford High School in 1972, I worked for EK Fernandez Shows in the concession/game area at their annual State Farm Fair and weekly carnivals. I also worked as a dishwasher at Sizzler Steak House. Over the next seven years or so, I worked as a truck driver for Attco; termite tenting guy at Orkin/ Terminix; manager trainee (bill collector) at Beneficial Finance; door-to-door salesman (fire alarms and cookware); apprentice operating engineer Local 3 (Aloha Stadium, reef runway, highway construction); a sales rep for Bose Sound Systems on Ward Avenue; a time-share sales rep for the Royal Aloha Vacation Club — and then, starting in 1979, I became a pedi-cab driver for the Open Air Pedi-Cab Co. in Waikiki.

Some might say my “pre-Claudette” days yielded a wealth of valuable experience, preparing me for that fateful Waikiki encounter.

Others will probably say it looks like I couldn’t keep a job; thank goodness she dragged me off the streets of Waikiki and whipped me into shape.

Regardless, I wouldn’t trade any of it. And although many tales remain yet untold, today is my 45th anniversary, and THIS is the story I wish to tell.

The next chapter – On the occasion of my 45th wedding anniversary

What happened after we got married? How did we get to Kauai?
Another “Fun Fact” (you will catch the pun later)

Because our community stepped up, made the calls, sent the emails, and filled the room, our people and our planet had two huge wins last week.

On May 6th, Representative Chris Todd (Hilo), the new House Finance Committee Chair, announced that the only bills that should require Finance Committee approval are those that affect state finances. Per Civil Beat, Todd said that House leadership is planning changes “in a way where we’re not dictating policy matters to subject matter chairs.”

The “behind closed doors” killing of good governance bills, campaign finance reform measures, and other worthy proposals that had ZERO IMPACT ON THE STATE BUDGET has generated a constant flow of bad press and angry emails from constituents on every island.

Apparently, a majority of House Representatives were, themselves, also “over it.” They were increasingly sick and tired of having their priority bills killed by the previous Chair of House Finance, with no reasons given.

They’d had enough already.

Thankfully, House leadership with Speaker Nadine Nakamura (Kaua`i east/north) at the helm, stepped up and did the right thing. They now say that the House is headed in a new direction.

This represents a potential seismic shift in how the House has historically done business. If House leadership does what they say they’re going to do, the Chair of House Finance will no longer maintain unilateral control over almost every bill that goes through the House.

That’s a big IF, but we should take them at their word. Send your mahalo to Speaker Nakamura repnakamura@capitol.hawaii.gov , and the new Finance Chair Representative Todd reptodd@capitol.hawaii.gov .

Yes, May 6th was a very good day.

Then, on May 9th, there was more good news. The Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) rejected the U.S. Army’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) regarding Pōhakuloa on Hawaii Island.

More than 1,300 pages of testimony were submitted. For more than eight hours, citizen after citizen from across the archipelago testified in opposition to the inadequacy of the FEIS, and to the ongoing bombing of Pōhakuloa lands.

Carpenters, farmers, and students spoke alongside lawyers, academics, and politicians. The message was strong, consistent, and unified: Enough already. 

For decades now, the U.S. Military has failed to deliver on a multitude of its promises to protect the host culture, the wai, or the aina.

The BLNR’s own staff report cited numerous deficiencies in the FEIS. 

The U.S. Army had clearly taken the process for granted, believing no State agency would have the audacity to reject them.

Thankfully, however, BLNR members, led by Chair Dawn Ching, did what was pono. 

Board Member “Kaiwi” Yoon made the motion to reject, which was seconded by Aimee Keli‘i Barnes. They stated emphatically that the FEIS was woefully inadequate. Additional votes in support of rejecting the FEIS were cast by Chair Ching, and members Doreen Nāpua Canto and Karen Ono.

Please mahalo them for doing the right thing. Mahalo also the department staff for its excellent analysis. (Share your appreciation and thanks via the Land Board Secretary at blnr.testimony@hawaii.gov )

To be absolutely clear, this win would not have happened if not for those of you who showed up. Mahalo to each and every one of YOU.

What’s next?

The U.S. Army will, of course, ask Governor Green to provide some sort of executive “workaround,” and to bypass the need for a thorough environmental review. The Department of Defense will also seek support from our four members of Congress.

Pōhakuloa is poised to become a political battle like no other in Hawaii’s post-statehood history.

Government leaders at the Federal, State, and County level will have to choose which side they’re on. 

The message from a very wide sector of the community across the archipelago is clear: Pōhakuloa is not for sale, lease, or trade.

Enough already.

Gary Hooser
#soproudofmycommunity

If you’re on Oahu, please show up. Wear black and red and request that the BLNR REJECT THE FEIS!

To: Board of Land and Natural Resources
RE: Testimony for Agenda Item D-1, scheduled for May 9th 2025
From: Former Hawaiʻi OEQC Director, Gary Hooser

Aloha Land Board Members
I am writing to urge you to reject the Army’s FEIS relating to the proposed retention of leased lands at Pōhakuloa Training Area.

According to the EIS: “Because the Army’s Proposed Action involves retention of State-owned land, this EIS also must fulfill the Hawaiʻi EIS statute and implementing rule, codified in Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 343…”

As the former Director of the Hawaiʻi Office of Environmental Quality Control (2011 – 2012), my job was to manage the administration of HRS Chapter 343, and to educate State agencies on its key elements.

I am keenly aware of the requirements of HRS Chapter 343, Hawaiʻi’s EIS statute and am testifying without reservation whatsoever, that the Army’s FEIS and related documentation are totally inadequate.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources own staff report states,

“Throughout the EIS process, Staff had and continues to have concerns with the following;
1) That the contents of the draft/final EIS do not fully declare the environmental implications of the proposed action and does not discuss all reasonably foreseeable consequences, and
2) The data and analysis do not commensurate with the importance of the impacts.”

The FEIS analysis of “direct impacts” falls far short of a complete analysis and I encourage Land Board Members to closely review the comments provided by the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi and other environmental stewards who have closely examined the EIS and submitted testimony.

The lack of a complete and proper analysis of the “direct impacts” is by itself sufficient reason to reject the FEIS.

Another huge concern is the almost non-existent review, documentation, and/or research on “indirect, secondary, and cumulative impacts” that are absolutely required for any HRS Chapter 343 compliant FEIS.

For example there is minimal discussion on the type of “ordinance” that will be deployed such as – explosive size and types, uranium tipped, chemical weapons, laser and or magnetic cannons now under development – and others.

What are the anticipated direct and long term impacts from the various weapons systems? How will the “residue” from the use of these weapons be “cleaned up”? Where will the “clean-up” materials (possibly toxic) be deposited? What materials will go into landfills located in Hawaiʻi County? What materials will be shipped outside of Hawaiʻi, and to where?

All weapons listed must be transported to and from the subject area. What are potential impacts of incidents that may occur at the harbor, airport, or along the highways during such transportation?

The entities listed as possible users and beneficiaries of the Pōhakuloa Training Area include foreign and “multinational” entities. What are the secondary impacts of training foreign or multinational armies on Hawaiʻi soil? Will the adversaries of these foreign countries consider Hawaiʻi now their adversary because of our support and assistance to their enemies?

These questions and more, must be asked and examined as legitimate “secondary and indirect” impacts.

The U.S. Army’s FEIS for Pōhakuloa is woefully inadequate and I strongly urge the State Board of Land and Natural Resources to reject it.

Gary Hooser
Former OEQC Director
Former Hawaiʻi State Senator
Kapaa, Hawaiʻi

First Circuit Court Judge Kawamura heard arguments on the plaintiffs motion to summarily decide the case and the House’s argument to summarily dismiss the case. She asked both sides questions and then asked the parties for further briefing on an issue not raised by the parties with a deadline of June 5.

As a member of the audience that day, I found the discussion fascinating, occasionally somewhat surreal.

The fundamental questions seemed fairly straightforward. Did a specific House Advisory Committee meet privately for the purpose of making a decision on a matter before them, and thus violate the Constitution?

And is this a regular practice of other House Committees?

The Plaintiffs’ position was a clear and resounding YES to both questions.

The House, on the other hand, never directly answered either one.

Remember, Article 3 Section 12, paragraph 3 of the Hawaii State Constitution states, “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.”

The House’s position, per its attorney: The Constitutional provision does not apply to the House Advisory Committee because it was formed for “organizational purposes” and committees formed for such purposes are not required to hold public meetings.

The Plaintiff attorneys opined that in addition to the Constitutional requirement, House Rules required public decision-making, and prior public notice of Committee meetings. In addition, there was no “organizational purposes” reference in the Rules at the time the Committee was originally formed.

The House attorney argued that it doesn’t matter what the House Rules say; the House can choose to follow its own Rules or not.

They also claimed that if the House was forced to conduct all of its meetings in public, it would be onerous, impractical, and impossible to do business.

Our Constitution requires public Committee meetings, “for the purpose of making decision on matters referred to the committee”. All 4 County Councils presently conduct their deliberations in public. Clearly the requirement is not unduly onerous.

The House also argued that information provided by the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB), cannot be relied upon by the public or the courts, and should be disregarded.

What?

The (LRB) is an official and respected source of information on the legislative process. Its online description of how legislative Committee hearings are normally conducted – supports the Plaintiffs’ position.

Briefly, Committees regularly “recess” after receiving public testimony; discuss and deliberate with staff and committee members privately, with microphones and cameras turned off; then “call the meeting back to order.” With camera and mics back on, they then publicly announce the decision made in private during the recess.

The recess may last a few minutes or a few days. Recess discussions may involve all committee members in the room, or they may be “serial meetings” held with individual members, via telephone, email, text, or maybe even the infamous chat app Signal.

The charade is most obvious during Conference Committee hearings. The House/Senate Committee Chairs will enter the hearing room, sit on opposite sides of the conference table, and summarily announce they’ve “reached agreement” (or not).

Needless to say, it’s impossible to “reach agreement” (or not) without a meeting. These “decision-making meetings before the decision-making meeting”, are conducted in private, and thus violate the Constitution.

June 5th will be here soon enough.

Mahalo plenty to the Plaintiffs for taking on this important and necessary legal action – Laura Acasio, Sergio J. Alcubilla III, Ka’apuni Aiwohi, Tanya Aynessazian, Doug Cobeen, Karen Cobeen, Michaela Ikeuchi, and Robert H. Pahia.

And yes, financial help to fund ongoing legal expenses and inter-island travel for Plaintiffs is also needed, and greatly appreciated.

Gary Hooser

Screaming into the wind, doom-scrolling through social media, and showing up at a protest once in a while, is not enough.

If you truly want to make a difference, here are 14 essential rules and actions. These are the minimum starting point basics to being an effective policy advocate. Please, Please, Please – take the time to read and put into practice – these basic but critically important points.

Know who represents you at the Federal, State, and County levels. KNOW THEM BY NAME. Put their contact information in your phone and on your refrigerator. When you contact them, LET THEM KNOW YOU LIVE IN THEIR DISTRICT!

Reach out to them regularly via telephone AND email. Yes, your email and phone call matter. Every call and email adds to the volume; each one is important. ALWAYS REQUEST A RESPONSE, AND ALWAYS REMIND THEM YOU LIVE IN THE DISTRICT. Keep messages brief, and on point.

MEET THEM IN PERSON. At the State and County level, your elected officials should be willing to meet with you, especially when the legislature is not in session, between May 5 and January 1. Organize a small group of friends and neighbors, and request such a meeting.

SHOW UP AT PUBLIC HEARINGS. Even if you don’t testify at the microphone, it’s important to be there. The number of people in the room, by itself, sends a message.

SHOW UP AT PROTEST GATHERINGS happening regularly and everywhere – march, hold signs, speak out.

SHOW UP ONLINE. “Like and share” social media posts that reflect your values. This will impact algorithms and cause those posts to show up more frequently.

JOIN WITH OTHERS, virtually and physically.

SIGN UP FOR EMAIL ALERTS from the ACLU Hawaii, H.A.P.A., Indivisible Hawaii, Common Cause, Maui Tomorrow, HULI PAC, Our Hawaii, the Hawaii Sierra Club, 50501, and others.

SUBSCRIBE PLEASE to my “info/action email” Policy and Politics

LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS IMPORTANT. Focus first on local issues, and ask your local leaders to stand up and be counted on national challenges, too. As the old saying goes: “Think globally; act locally.”

HELP AND SUPPORT THOSE ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO DO THE RIGHT THING. Broadcast your support and their good work on social media. HELP THEM GET ELECTED AND STAY ELECTED.

If the elected official who represents you does not share your values, FIND AND SUPPORT SOMEONE TO RUN AGAINST THEM.

Give what you can to candidates you support. Shop at farmers’ markets and locally-owned small businesses. BOYCOTT those businesses who support the authoritarian federal administration now in control.

GET TO KNOW THE BASIC STATE AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT WEBSITE TOOLS, Sign up for hearing notices and submit testimony at www.capitol.hawaii.gov for the state legislature. For County info go to; Kauai County Council, Honolulu City Council, Maui County Council, Hawaii Island County Council

HELP YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS. We’re all in this together; walk the talk, wear your values on your sleeve, and go out there and change the world.

Positive change happens when regular people pay attention, get involved, hold their elected leaders accountable, and take ownership of their own government.

Gary Hooser

“Just the facts ma’am.” That’s the only way to write about the ugly death of HB371.

Below are those facts, sourced from the public record at http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov

If passed into law, HB371 would have extended the ban on campaign contributions from government contractors to include company officers and family members. It was described by good government advocates as a critically important measure needed to fight corruption.

But HB371 was not passed into law. It was, instead, killed behind closed doors by Senate President Ron Kouchi, House Speaker Nadine Nakamura, Senate Ways and Means (WAM) Chair Donovan Dela Cruz, and House Finance Chair Kyle Yamashita.

These 4 Democrats are the most influential legislators in state government. They held no public meetings to discuss the reasons behind their decision-making. They made their decisions in private; they discussed these decisions with the Conference Committee in private; and the Conference Committee then announced those decisions to the public.

These are facts — not speculation, not opinion, and not hyperbole.

According to the Campaign Spending Commission, it’s common for government contractors to get around the existing campaign contribution ban by having those persons connected to the contractor make political contributions.

Civil Beat called House Bill 371, “arguably the biggest reform measure of the session.” The bill sailed through the House and Senate with unanimous votes of support – both in committee and on the floor.

99% of testimony was in support of HB371. Only one person testified in opposition, citing “freedom of speech” concerns.

Not one Senator or Representative ever voted in opposition.

The first indication there could be a “problem” occurred on 04/22, just prior to the naming of “conferees” to sit on the House Conference Committee. That’s when House Speaker Nakamura “re-referred” the now amended bill, HB371SD1 to House Finance.

This move ensured that House Finance would have a Conference Committee vote – even though the measure had no direct budget impact, and the Finance Committee would hold no hearings.

The Conference Committee is responsible for “working out the differences” between the Senate and House amended versions of the bill.

When the Joint Conference Committee met on 04/22, House Judiciary Chair David Tarnas announced that “leadership was now involved,” the measure would likely thus be “weakened,” and the Committee must await direction from “leadership” (House Speaker Nakamura). It’s important to note that the House Speaker is also an ex officio member of the Judiciary Committee, per House Rules.

At this same meeting, Senate Judiciary Chair Senator Karl Rhoads acknowledged he’d received similar information from Senate Leadership — Senate President Kouchi.

On Friday 04/25, the Conference Committee reconvened. The two chairs announced that “leadership” had proposed significant amendments that weakened the bill, and they’d been unable to receive a “release” from House Finance or Senate WAM. Therefore, the bill would be deferred and is now dead.

HB371 did not require any funding whatsoever, nor did the subsequent and final amended version HB371HD1SD1.

Yet both Representative Yamashita (Chair of House Finance) and Senator Dela Cruz (Chair of WAM) refused to “release” the bill. As of this writing, neither have yet made any on-the-record statements as to their reasoning.

Likewise, neither Senate President Kouchi nor House Speaker Nakamura have issued any public statements about the rationale for their last-minute opposition.

HB371HD1SD1 was killed in the dark and nobody’s talking.

The discussion, deliberation, and decision-making was done in secret, behind closed doors via private “serial communications,” and only announced publicly after it was a done deal.

Hawai’i Democrats can, and must do better. How can we push back effectively against the abuse of power and trampling of the democratic process now occurring in Washington D.C., when here at home on Beretania Street, the same thing is occurring?

Final Fact: Nothing will change unless you, me, and we – take action. Please call and email each AND your own district Rep and Senator. Let them know how you feel about this, and ask them to fix it. Even if they do not respond, it’s important they know how people feel about this.

Final Final Fact. If they do respond, they will say “It’s too late, we’ve missed the deadline.” The truth is every single Senator and Representative has said they support passing HB371 into law. They thus have the votes to extend the deadline or even the legislative session for a few days if needed.

The main 4 legislators responsible for killing HB371:
Senate President Ron Kouchi 808-586-6030 senkouchi@capitol.hawaii.gov
House Speaker Nadine Nakamura 808-586-6100 repnakamura@capitol.hawaii.gov
Senate Ways and Means (WAM) Chair Donovan Dela Cruz 808-586-6090 sendelacruz@capitol.hawaii.gov
House Finance Chair Kyle Yamashita 808-586-6200 repyamashita@capitol.hawaii.gov

The 2 committee Chairs who held the hearings, listened and responded to the public testimony, refined and amended the bill, and then had the rug pulled from beneath them by the above 4:
House Judiciary Chair David Tarnas 808-586-8510 reptarnas@capitol.hawaii.gov
Senate Judiciary Chair Karl Rhoads 808-586-6130 senrhoads@capitol.hawaii.gov

Your District Rep/Senator https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/fyl/

Please…make the calls…send the emails.
Express your thoughts on this important issue.
Take action.

Sincerely,
Gary Hooser
garyhooser.com (https://www.garyhooser.com/)
Former Vice Chair Democratic Party of Hawai’i
8 years – Kaua`i County Council

8 years – Hawai’i State Senate – 4 as Majority Leader

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