GaryHooser's Blog

The 2022 Kauaʻi election line-up is slowly starting to take shape. As of 04/15, 10 residents have formally expressed interest in running for the 7-member County Council. In 2020 there were 21 candidates on the primary ballot, with the top 14 going on to the general election.

The actual filing deadline is June 7 so there’s still plenty of time for new candidates to step forward as this nonpartisan race will ultimately be decided in the November general election.

Due to term limits capping Councilmembers to 4 consecutive two-year terms, current Council Chair Erryl Kaneshiro and Vice-Chair Mason Chock are “terming out” and thus unable to run for re-election.

In theory, this term limit provision creates two “openings” on the Council and an opportunity for new candidates, new voices, and new ideas.

I say, “In theory” because both former Council Chair Melvin Rapozo and former Council Vice Chair Ross Kagawa have signaled their intentions to run once again for the Council.

There are 7 seats on the Kauaʻi County Council and all are up for election. In theory (there’s that phrase again) every single seat is “open”. But in reality, incumbents and former incumbents have a significant advantage.

Councilmember Felicia Cowden has filed her papers and Kipu Kai Kualii has pulled his. The 3 remaining Council incumbents Luke Evslin, Billy DeCosta, and Bernard Carvalho will also likely run for re-election.

So it may be deja vu all over again. Or not.

While at first glance we seem to get to 7 pretty quickly, me thinks things are a bit more nuanced than simply, same ole same ole wins again.

After analyzing past elections the question for the Council race seems to boil down to who is fighting for the bottom. CM Evslin who has consistently finished at the top of the list, and CM former Mayor Carvalho are both solid. Former Council Chair Rapozo whose name has remained in the spotlight via the popular “Mel and Charlie Show” streamed live regularly on social media also seems to be set.

A review of the 2020 general election final results have DeCosta at #5, Cowden at #6 and Kualii coming in at #7 – all clustered within a 600 vote margin of each other.

First-time candidate Addison Bulosan came in #8 in 2020 which clearly makes him the most likely of the existing challengers to “move up” into a winning slot. A drive around the island shows he is once again running a strong campaign with signs and banners going up island-wide.

The bookmakers in Vegas would for sure say that, at this point in time, the 2022 battle for the bottom 4 slots will be between Cowden, DeCosta, Kualii, Bulosan, and Kagawa.

But of course, anything can happen, more candidates are sure to jump in, and ghosts from Christmas past could very well emerge.

The recent bribery charges against two sitting state legislators (Maui and Oahu), plus the fact that a former Kauaʻi County Councilmember is facing 15 years in prison on charges that he led a methamphetamine ring – are sure to raise questions among voters as to who knew what, and when.

It’s also possible, and if you are listening to the political rumor mill, highly likely that there may be movement, perhaps a retirement, at the state legislative level. If this occurs, it would likely motivate an incumbent Councilmember to attempt to “move up”.

Personally, I’d like to see us move forward, not backward. My hope is that candidates reflecting a broader diversity of viewpoints, new ideas, new energy, and new voices will soon step up to throw their hat in the ring. To say the “good ole boys” are over-represented at the moment, would be an understatement.

The above is speculation, below are just the facts.

Enjoy!

Per the Office of Elections, the following have either “pulled papers”, or actually filed to be a Council candidate. List is updated every Friday.
https://olvr.hawaii.gov/Controls/CandidateFiling.aspx?elid=87

Filed: Felicia Cowden, Nelson Mukai, Mel Rapozo, Clint Yago Sr.,

Pulled but not filed: Addison Bulosan, Rosemarie Jauch, Ross Kagawa, Kipukai Kuali’i, James Robert Lanstad, Jeffrey Linder.

Multiple media outlets reported last week that in a bid to cool off a hot housing market, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government announced it will ban foreign investors from buying homes in Canada for two years. The Canadian government took a number of steps to tamp down speculation and demand amid record home prices including higher taxes.

Could the State of Hawaiʻi or County Government likewise ban foreign ownership or non-resident ownership of real estate here? The automatic response from most who serve in public office will be, “No. That’s unconstitutional and there are federal laws against restricting interstate commerce (or similar).”

But of course, for those who would like to achieve that end, there are always “workarounds”.

And a lot depends on the definition of “foreigner” that is used.

There are a handful of states that do ban foreign ownership of agricultural land. Iowa law, for example, forbids any “nonresident alien, foreign business or foreign government” from holding agricultural land in the state. (De Moines Register)

Bills have been introduced and passed out of the Hawaiʻi State Senate to restrict foreign ownership of residential properties, but as is incredibly predictable, those bills died in the House.

It’s not likely that the County has the legal authority to ban anyone from purchasing property here, but they could “disincentivize” such purchases via the property tax structure. In fact, the County already charges local owner-occupied properties the lowest tax rates, while charging investor-owned properties substantially more.

On Kaua‘i, the owner-occupied “Homestead Rate” rate is $3.05 per thousand dollars of valuation. For an identical property owned by an “investor”, not rented out at recognized affordable rates, perhaps left empty, or used only part-time, that “Residential Investor Rate” would be $9.40.

With an “effective tax rate” of .28% Hawaiʻi is considered to have the lowest property tax rates in the entire United States. In comparison with other high property value areas, Washington DC is.56%, California is .76%, and New Jersey is 2.49%. (source wallethub.com) Note: This is based on averaged statewide data for general comparison use only.

In Japan, the standard municipal property tax is levied at 1.4% on the assessed value of the land or building.

Clearly, the tax rates for investor-owned properties throughout Hawaiʻi could be substantially increased and still remain within the norms of other areas.

No one is fleeing our shores at the moment because their investor-owned property taxes are too high. The fact is wherever those investors are from, it’s a place that has significantly higher property taxes than Hawaiʻi has.

So what are we waiting for? Our part-time resident and investor friends utilize County services AND the additional funds raised could be dedicated to the development of affordable housing for local residents. In addition, demand from the insatiable investor market drives up the cost of real estate for the rest of us.

There are already mechanisms in place to protect owner-occupied properties and to incentivize affordable rental properties. These programs and others could be expanded.

If the higher investor tax rates cause investor activity in residential real estate to slow down, most would say that would be a good thing. Not such a good thing of course for the person selling the property. The builder and the workers constructing the luxury estate home also may have less work available, unless that was balanced out by an increase in affordable construction.

Let’s be real. The truly rich will keep buying property here even if their property taxes go up substantially. We might as well reap the benefits, charge what the market will bear, and shift those funds into high-quality, affordable homes for local residents.

Please take the time to show up.

That’s who wins you know. The people that show up.

On Kaua‘i at 6pm, there is a “must-attend” virtual panel and community discussion on what’s happened, what’s happening, and what still needs to happen with regards to climate change in Hawaiʻi.

In 2017 we became the first state to enact a law that aligned with the Paris Agreement. In 2021 Hawaiʻi became the first state to pass a Climate Emergency Resolution. What’s our Climate Action Plan in 2022 to back up these bold moves?

The discussion starts at 6pm. Register to attend at: https://bit.ly/climatelegislation

According to The Garden Island newspaper –

“The county’s four state lawmakers will tackle climate legislation and questions from their constituents at this Wednesday’s virtual Kaua‘i Climate Action Forum at 6 p.m.

The virtual event comes as the state Legislature’s 2022 session draws to a close, and one year after Hawai‘i became the first state in the nation to pass a climate emergency resolution.

Now, the forum’s hosts — environmental groups Kaua‘i Climate Action Coalition, Zero Waste Kaua‘i and the local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation — want to know what happens next.”

On Oʻahu –
Labor for Living Wages Rally @ State Capitol
Wednesday, April 13, 10 a.m.–Noon
Join Hawaiʻi’s labor unions and Raise Up Hawaiʻi supporters and rally at the Capitol in support of a strong minimum wage!

Add your body and your voice to send legislators a message they cannot ignore.

$18 by 2026 and elimination of the tip penalty is the demand.

All are welcome! A limited number of printed signs will be available on-site, but we encourage you to bring personalized ones if possible.

Wear Red! Sign, or no sign – Please just show up! Your body and your voice are important.

Jeff asked me to tell my story about Bill 2491 and our fight against the 4 largest chemical companies in the world. He wanted to know how it started and of course how it ended.

Jeff Gere, a Hawaiʻi storyteller known internationally for his creativity, put together this 3-part ECO-TOUR of HAWAIʻI – for the recent National Storytelling Network “Earth Up” Virtual Conference.

Gary Hooser vs. GMO Pesticides (20 min.)
Eco-Disasters & 2 Oahu Heroes (14:30)
Ha’ena Reclaims Itself (3 voices, 22 min.)

He asked me for the story, so I gave it to him.

I sat in my backyard on Kaua’i with Master Storyteller Jeff Gere and videographer extraordinaire Robert Zelkovsky and told them my story. Jeff prompted me with questions along the way, but mostly he just let me unload my thoughts and memories. He then took the nearly two-hour recording and condensed it into a concise 20-minute video: Gary Hooser vs. GMO Pesticides (20 min.)

It’s a tale told through my eyes, my memory, and my experiences of the time. It’s safe to say there are thousands of other stories from those who marched, who testified, and who spent many hours and days of their lives engaged in this monumental effort. It is a story shared by many.

On June 20, 2013, the now-infamous Bill 2491 addressing the health and environmental impacts of the agrochemical/GMO companies based on Kaua’i, was introduced before the Kaua’i County Council by myself and the late Councilmember Tim Bynum.

The following 6 months were probably the most intense, the most challenging, and the most fulfilling of my political life. The work and the fight continues, but those first 6 months were life-changing.

We won and we lost, and then we won again.

The effort started with only a handful of people on the ground, holding signs on corners and meeting in small groups in living rooms and coffee shops. It grew into thousands marching in the streets.

Due to the work of many, there are now modest buffer zones preventing the application of Restricted Use Pesticides on lands bordering schools. There are also requirements for full disclosure of every application of Restricted Pesticide Use – on all islands. The neurotoxin chlorpyrifos has been banned, as has atrazine. And public schools now have a policy banning the use of herbicides on school property.

The stories you tell are the stories you become, and the work of course goes on. Monsanto, Syngenta, Dow, and Dupont have all changed their names, but they and others, continue to develop, sell, and apply toxic chemicals on lands throughout the islands.

Monsanto has pled guilty to felony charges of knowingly using banned toxic chemicals on Oahu and Maui. Syngenta likewise was found guilty of poisoning their field workers on Kauai.

Yet the Hawaiʻil legislature continues to resist further attempts to increase regulation over the industry. The Chair of the State House Committee on Agriculture, Representative Mark Hashem, refuses to even schedule a hearing on increasing fines and penalties for pesticide misuse. Nor would he hear a bill proposing to increase pesticide buffer zones around schools.

However, he accepts campaign contributions from Bayer (Monsanto), a convicted corporate felon who knowingly used banned toxic pesticides, putting workers and residents at risk.

Fortunately, Rep. Hashem has an opponent in the upcoming August 13 primary election. She is a long-time resident of the district and shares our concerns as to the need for increased regulation of the agrochemical industry. She also believes in supporting responsible development, protecting our environment, improving our schools, raising the minimum wage to a living wage, and addressing the ongoing water crisis caused by Red Hill which affects all of Oahu

Her name is Kathy Feldman https://www.kathyforhawaii.com and I strongly encourage all who are as outraged and as frustrated as I am – to support her today. An online contribution of any amount I am sure would be most welcome. If you live in ʻĀina Haina or Hawaiʻi Kai or have friends that live in the area, please reach out directly to her and volunteer.

We need Kathy Feldman to win.

Sincerely,
Gary Hooser
* Written just prior to Bill 2491 It’s Not About Eating The Corn
* A short review of the SB3095 (post-Bill 2491) victory. This Is What Democracy Looks Like
* The most recent update on industry status. GMO Industry Footprint Shrinks By 50%

Today’s missive is about the reality of a primary election in which voters start casting ballots in less than 100 days. That’s right, on or about the first week in July overseas absentee voters will get their ballots, and then shortly thereafter every voter in Hawaii will get their ballot in the mail as well.

If you are a political junky, candidate, or one of those very special people who are helping candidates read on. The rest of you will likely want to turn the page.

For new candidates – I suggest you get moving, get those signs and banners up, and start knocking on doors.

I speak of course to the all-important primary election which is a make-or-break moment for legislative candidates in the House and Senate. For nonpartisan council races, the campaign for many continues on to the general election of November 8th.

Below is a calendar of key dates, election facts, and some historical data mixed together with just light touch of opinion and friendly editorializing.

May 5th – Legislative session ends

Voters and various advocacy organizations will begin preparing their “legislative scorecards” intended to inform voters about legislator actions and inactions. SuperPacs will likewise now begin to prepare their “hit pieces” in anticipation of attacking candidates they hope to defeat, who have failed to live up to their promises.

June 7 – Candidate filing deadline

All serious candidates should have already filed long before this. Candidates filing on the final day will often be those playing games. One such game involves the long-time incumbent announcing on this date they will not be running for reelection. A family member or favored friend then shows up and files on this same day – and as a result, runs unopposed.

June 29 – Deadline for Clerk’s Offices to mail ballots to overseas voters

This means ballots must be printed and prepared for mailing in 22 very short days. An ambitious timeline to say the least. It also means that people start voting in the first week of July.

July 26 – The latest day that voters can receive their Primary Election ballots in the mail. The law says ballots must be received at least 18 days prior to the election.

It’s important to note that this date refers to the final day ballots must be received and NOT the date when most will actually be received.

In 2020, primary election ballots were mailed out to voters on July 14. Consequently, some residents began casting their votes as early as July 17th and 18th, a full three weeks prior to the August 8th 2020 primary.

Of the 406,425 people who voted in the 2020 Hawaii primary election, 400,952 cast their vote using a mail-in ballot. While some preferred to drive their ballot to the elections office to drop it off in person, the majority voted from home via mail.

Pew Research analyzed national voting patterns for the 2020 general election and reported that 76% of mail-in ballot voters returned their ballots at least a week before Election Day.

51% of all registered voters turned out to vote in the 2020 primary election.

Translation: 388,058 ballots were literally left on the table. They presumably simply sat on kitchen tables or in a pile of unopened mail until they were lost or thrown away.

It gets worse, or better if you’re a candidate seeking opportunity. 30% of eligible voters in Hawaii are not even registered, adding several hundred thousand more untapped votes on to that same proverbial kitchen table.

August 1 – Voter service centers open and same-day voter registration begins.

Those voters who prefer to not mail in their ballots may personally drop off ballots and or vote in person. In addition, Hawaii first-time voters may simply walk into the voting center, register, and then vote.

August 13 – Primary election day or the final day to vote

Candidates – this is where you go to find out more: https://elections.hawaii.gov/candidates/candidate-filing/

And, if you hope to be successful, I suggest you not dally further.

It really shouldn’t be this hard. My intent today was to write something positive and uplifting. But I’m struggling to do so.

Yes, I am blessed, many would say entitled. My health is good, and I have a beautiful and growing family (a new granddaughter is due next month). I have a solid roof over my head, fruit trees in the back, and a family of Shama Thrush in the front. I’ve got my friend Max.

What’s there not to like? Why is it so hard today to be positive and uplifting?

Well, for starters there are those folks living under the bridge. Today I got an email from a friend attempting to find a home for a woman who is 9 months pregnant and living on the beach.

What kind of community do we live in that allows this to even be an issue?

We are surrounded by enormous wealth yet our government leaders refuse to spend the money needed to provide that young pregnant woman, and others in similar straits, the safety of a dry safe place to sleep?

We have plantation-era land barons, international chemical companies, corporate heavy hitters, real estate developers, hotel resort owners, and the billionaire part-timers whose mansions dot our coastlines.

If government budgets are lacking the funds needed to care for the most vulnerable among us, why not increase taxes on those at the very top in order to help those at the very bottom?

But of course, that’s not going to happen. It’s called the golden rule. Those who have the gold rule.

Hawaii’s oligarchs, both wealthy individuals and corporate power-brokers support the political elite with money, and with networks that connect the politicians to more money. The money is legally contributed to campaigns and SuperPacs. Some give their cash directly to politicians via consulting and legal fees. The clumsy and the arrogant stuff cash into envelopes, pass it in the shadows and wind up in jail.

Our current system requires increasing amounts of money to win elections and climb the political ladder. The wealthy and the corporate offer politicians access to money, the fuel needed to achieve their ambitions.

That pregnant woman desperately in search of a house? She offers them nothing.

The 23% of residents that work more than one job just to survive? They likewise add no value to the political elite. No value at all.

Kūpuna on fixed incomes in need of vision, hearing, or dental care? Nope, keep moving, nothing to see here.

I’m hoping you are starting to get it, why it’s a bit hard today to be positive and uplifting.

But it really doesn’t have to be this way. I’ve said it before and I will say it again. We have many good people serving in public office. We just need more of them.

There is no shortage of wealth; financial, intellectual, and cultural. The issues before us are not insurmountable.

We just need to do it. The climate is right, the stage is set. We just need to jump on it and put our pedal to the metal over the next 4 months.

On August 13th we will have the opportunity to elect some incredibly strong individuals at all levels, County, State, and Federal.

Kim Coco Iwamoto is without a doubt one of the strongest. She is smart, value-centered, and fearless. She is running to unseat Speaker of the House, Scott Saiki (McCully, Kakaako, Downtown), and came within 167 votes of winning in 2020.

She has a proven track record of community service and is eminently qualified by experience, education, and demeanor.

Without exaggeration, Kim Coco’s election to the State House will change the conversation in the entire state legislature – and not just small kine. Her voice, her intellect, and her unwavering commitment will by itself move the needle toward people and the planet.

Let’s make this happen. Visit https://www.kimcoco.com today, and offer to help.

There’s lots to do.

We need to help Kim Coco win, and we need to find that young woman and her newborn that’s on the way a home.

Then, on August 14th we can go to work on getting money out of politics, campaign finance reform, and publicly funded elections.

There, I feel better now.

Sincerely,
Gary Hooser
*Action/Testimony Needed Before 04-04-22 10:15AM In Strong Support Of HB2510 SD1 increasing the minimum wage to $18 per hour by 2026 – Fortunately, Senator Brian Taniguchi has amended this measure to now be worthy of strong support. Go online, Register, Sign-in, and testify in support of HB2510 Here!

Gambling with the needs of working families over who gets credit and how many crumbs to brush off the table is a sad and despicable testament to how far our House has fallen.

Speaker of the House Scott Saiki and Labor Committee Chair Richard Onishi continue to refuse a public hearing for SB2018 which increases the minimum wage in incremental steps from the present $10.10 to $18 in 2026. This measure passed the Senate almost unanimously and received supportive testimony from the governor. The House has blocked SB2018 for over 60 days while pushing their inferior HB2510.

It’s clear that Speaker Saiki’s goal is to force HB2510 into the conference committee process in order to demand the Senate pass “his bill” or no bill at all.

I was hoping that Finance Chair Sylvia Luke would step up and lead on this but unfortunately, so far she has not. While she did strengthen somewhat HB2510, her failure to insist on the passage of SB2018 continues the game of “chicken” between the House and Senate.

Don’t let anyone tell you anything different. If Representative Sylvia Luke the Chair of the powerful House Finance Committee wants this to happen, it will happen. While Speaker Saiki holds the title, at the minimum these two individuals are co-equal when it comes to power and control in the House.

Please take a moment to reach out to Finance Chair Sylvia Luke, Labor Chair Richard Onishi, and House Speaker Scott Saiki – today. Ask them politely and professionally to stop the games and do what’s right on behalf of workers – schedule and pass SB2018.

Gary Hooser http://www.garyhooser.com
Pono Hawaiʻi Initiative https://ponohawaiiinitiative.org

Note: Are you a small business owner who believes you can grow a successful business while not harming people and the planet? If so, please consider joining the recently formed Hawaii “Chamber of Sustainable Commerce”. https://www.chamberofsustainablecommerce.org

SB555 is scheduled for Thursday March 31 at 2pm. Testimony in support with the amendment listed below is suggested. Testimony must arrive 24 hours before the hearing…though late testimony is accepted.

SB555 SD1 Relating to Campaign Fundraising
Testifying in Strong Support with Amendments

Aloha Chair and members of the committee,

The Pono Hawaiʻi Initiative (PHI) is testifying in support with suggested amendments to SB555 SD1.

SB555 SD1 is a good start but is not enough and should be amended to emulate Virginia state law which prohibits not just the holding of fundraisers but bans the “solicitation or acceptance” of campaign contributions during the session.

(c) During any regular session or special session including any extension of any regular session or special session and any recess days, holidays, and weekends, no legislator, or a person employed by or acting on behalf of a legislator, shall solicit or accept any campaign contribution.

Currently, 28 states place restrictions on giving and receiving campaign contributions during the legislative session.

Va. Code § 24.2-940. No member of the General Assembly or statewide official shall solicit or accept a contribution from any person or political committee on and after the first day of a regular session of the General Assembly through adjournment sine die of that session.

Thank you again for moving this important legislation forward and I respectfully request your positive consideration of the above amendment.

Mahalo for the opportunity to testify,

Gary Hooser
Executive Director
Pono Hawaiʻi Initiative

You really, really, really – need to watch this 7-minute video.

Produced by two of our very own, born and raised keiki o ka ‘āina, Chris Ka’iakapu and Racquel Jaclyn Segato-Figueroa – this video will both make you proud and hopefully motivate you to take action.

Two young people from our community motivated only by their own personal values and passion to make a difference – initiated, developed, and produced this powerful message,

I’m thinking they probably don’t realize how impactful their actions will prove to be. They’ve dropped not a pebble, but a sizable boulder into the water and now we’ll see how far those ripples will go.

The topic of their 7-minute presentation is the proposed multi-billion-dollar HDR-H radar facility at Pacific Missle Range Facility (PMRF) on Kauai’s west side. The tools they rely on are just the facts presented in a straightforward manner. There is no political posturing, grandstanding, or groundless accusations. Just the facts presented by two young people with nothing to gain except their future.

Too many of us shirk from the responsibility and hide from the risks that accompany leadership. It’s so much easier to just stay home, hang out on the beach, and throw rocks from a distance at those who do step up.

Watch the video to see for yourself. The moderators, one from the west side and the other from the north, seek only to inform and educate the viewer. None of the production is about them, but only about the facts and circumstances surrounding this important issue facing our community.

They put this all together. They took it upon themselves to initiate and implement this effort. They are now compelled to follow it through and we are compelled to join them.

They may not realize it themselves, but they are leaders. And for that, we as a community should be thankful. Given the dearth of genuine leadership in our world today, we should celebrate and support these two and others who on occasion step forward to embrace the obligation and accept the risk.

If you think as I do that the information presented is compelling, please then forward the link and share your thoughts on the issue with family and friends, AND with our Congressional Delegation.

Senator Brian Schatz https://www.schatz.senate.gov/contact
Senator Mazie Hirono https://www.hirono.senate.gov/share-your-opinion
Representative Ed Case https://case.house.gov/forms/writeyourrep/
Representative Kai Kahele https://kahele.house.gov/contact

And, when you see Chris and Racquel at the market, please tell them thank you – and offer to help.

Their actions have inspired me, and I hope likewise will inspire you.

We do not want to lose the ability to testify remotely and be forced once again to incur the high cost of flying to Honolulu for our 2 or 3 minutes of testimony. Please testify in support! Resolution SCR 60 will be heard Tuesday at 9:30am in the Senate Committee on Judiciary.

Testimony is needed 24 hours in advance. Resolution SCR 60 is needed to allow virtual testimony, hearing recordings, and internet broadcasts of hearings beyond periods of catastrophic events.

Testify before Monday, March 28th at 9:30am!