Report to the Makakilo/Kapolei/Honokai Hale
REPORT TO THE MAKAKILO/KAPOLEI/HONOKAI HALE
NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD NO. 34
March 23, 2005
Dear friends and neighbors, the current legislative session is a little more than half through, and there have been a few surprises. It is still too early to discuss most legislation, but there are a few items of interest.
Items discussed in this report include:
- Kapolei Judiciary Complex
- Kapolei High School
- Bad Legislation
- Hawaii SuperFerry
- Kapolei West Project
- Hawaii Railway Society Funding
Kapolei Judiciary Complex:
The funding for this badly needed project was cut at the last minute in the Finance Committee, without any explanation. The meeting, called without the required 48-hour notice, was held at 5:30pm on the last day for hearings before crossover. Surprisingly, only a few people were there to testify, all opposed. Supporters of the Judiciary Complex were not notified.
Fortunately, Senate President Bobby Bunda and Senators Colleen Hanabusa and Brian Taniguchi obviously realize the importance of this project and seem willing to see the funding restored.
School Improvements:
Kapolei High School needs more classroom space to avoid going multi-track. One solution is the placement of portable classrooms at the school. Unfortunately, the school was sited without adequate space for new classrooms.
I am working with Micah Kane of the DHHL, the HCDCH, and Al Nagasako, Principal of Kapolei High School to obtain sufficient land for the placement of portable classrooms.
New High School for Kapolei:
There is a growing need for a new High School in Kapolei. Kapolei High School, originally designed for 1,800 students is already at the 2,600-student mark and rising.
In conversations with Al Nagasako, Kapolei High School Principal, the desirability of keeping Kapolei High below the 2,000-student level remains clear. Several short-term solutions are being considered, including dividing Kapolei High School into two separate schools on the same campus, but ultimately a new high school will be needed.
I have been in preliminary discussions with the UH Board of Regents about siting a new high school on the UH West Oahu Campus. I feel, and Mr. Nagasako agrees, that this would be the ideal site. The High School would benefit from the nearby UH Campus and the availability of UH professors for Advanced Placement courses, and from the ability of gifted students to take University courses.
Bad Legislation:
A key principle of American democracy is the separation of powers between Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches, in order to prevent any one of these branches from becoming dictatorial. Our founding fathers instituted these "checks and balances" as blueprint for proper governance, and at our Constitutional Convention the same was done in the Hawaii State Constitution.
In 2002, the people of Hawaii elected a Republican governor in the hope for a new and constructive direction for the state. Instead of accepting the voters expressed desire, the Democrat-dominated legislature has chosen to introduce bills that would violate Hawaii’s Constitution by usurping the powers of the Governor and transferring them to the Legislature.
Some of these bills strangle the Governor and handcuff the Executive government agencies, others waste your tax dollars by preventing State departments from implementing cost savings. One, HB1666, would force the Governor to release all funds appropriated by the legislature, whether state agencies need the money or not and even if the recipient has defaulted in the past or has performed in a less than satisfactory manner.
This is extraordinarily bad law. Appropriations are passed based on Council on Revenues estimates, and are made for a two-year cycle. The Legislature is in session for only 60 days each year. The Council on Revenues revises these estimates four times a year, some long after the session has ended. There is not always as much money as had been thought, and the money comes in month by month during the year.
Thus, when the expenditures must be postponed until the money becomes available, or because there isn’t as much money as had been anticipated, the Governor must restrict the release of funds, as provided for in our State Constitution. The Legislature can’t do this, they’ve already gone home. The Constitution gives this power to the Executive Branch for a reason, and the Legislature is wrong to try and violate Hawaii’s Constitution.
If the purpose of these bills is to not seize power, but simply to maintain “checks and balances” as some Democrats claim, then why didn’t they pass these laws when Democrat Governors such as George Ariyoshi, John Waihee, and Ben Cayetano were still in office? Interestingly, if passed, one of these laws will expire in January 2007—just when Governor Lingle’s current term expires.
Hawaii SuperFerry:
The Hawaii SuperFerry, a new inter-island ferry, has survived an attempt to kill it by requiring an EIS before it could begin operations. The claim that an EIS should be required is hard to understand, since the ferry uses existing harbor facilities, and no other shipping company has ever been asked to do an EIS for use of the open ocean.
It is unclear what the motivation behind this was, but I will continue to monitor the progress of this much-needed inter-island travel alternative.
Kapolei West Project:
The Draft EIS for Kapolei West has been published. The document is close to a thousand pages, but I am including a map of the proposed development. Those wishing to examine it may do so at my office, Room 310 at the State Capitol, or at the Aina Nui Corporation, 1001 Kamokila Boulevard, Suite 255, Kapolei, Hawaii.
The deadline for submitting comments is May 6, 2005. Comments can be filed with the State Land Use Commission, 235 S. Beretania Street Room 406, with Aina Nui Corporation or with the Office of Environmental Control, 235 S. Beretania Street #702, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Please feel free to contact me with your ideas. You may call my office at 586-8500, FAX 586-8504, or you can email me at . I look forward to hearing from you.
Hawaii Railway:
On March 21, 2005 I was informed by Director of Transportation Rod Haraga that $40,000 of federal matching funds were being made available to the Hawaii Railway Society for the repair of tracks running from Fort Weaver Road to Kahe Point.
The Hawaii Railway Society was formed in 1970 to save what remained of Hawaii's railroad history. This educational, non-profit organization was able to get the remaining stretch of track on Oahu (from Ewa to Nanakuli) placed on the State and National Registers of Historic Sites.
The Society has restored about 6.5 miles of track and is working to restore more. Three vintage diesel locomotives have been restored to operation and several steam locomotives have been cosmetically restored, along with the famous Dillingham parlor car.
Hawaiian Railway, the operating arm of the Hawaiian Railway Society, has the only active railroad on Oahu. They offer regularly scheduled rides each Sunday. The train is available for charter Monday through Friday.
I am pleased to see this important part of Hawaii’s history being preserved and used. Over the years, Hawaii has had more than forty private railways, and for a time the military operated its own railway.
The only remaining part of that history left on Oahu is the length of track in Leeward Oahu operated by the Hawaii Railway Society. It is not only important historically, it is also a pleasant and interesting opportunity for local families to spend a pleasant afternoon and see a part of our island in a way not possible by any other means. It is also a potential tourist attraction that could help to shape the Ko Olina area as a second tourist destination on Oahu, bringing jobs to the Leeward area.
Join me Saturday mornings from 7 to 8 am on “The Voice of the Majority" at 1080
on the AM dial. Call me at 524-1080 to share your comments, concerns, and opinions.
Always remember,
GOOD THINGS DON'T JUST HAPPEN – THEY ARE MADE TO HAPPEN
TOGETHER WE DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS AMERICA
State Capitol, Room 310 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
586-8500 (Office) 672-8550 (Res) 586-8504 (Fax)