How will we preserve a place we love once the tourists return?During these COVID-19 times my family has rediscovered the beauty of Waikiki. Being from Windward Oahu, our visits to Waikiki are few and far between. We usually think of Waikiki as being a place that is too crowded and a pain to find parking!Back in May, on a whim, we decided to go surfing for Mother’s Day. Not having surfed in over 20 years, being middle-aged and the mother of two teenage girls, we thought it would be the best time to go since there were no tourists!Four months later, we are still surfing two to three days a...…How will we preserve a place we love once the tourists return?During these COVID-19 times my family has rediscovered the beauty of Waikiki. Being from Windward Oahu, our visits to Waikiki are few and far between. We usually think of Waikiki as being a place that is too crowded and a pain to find parking!Back in May, on a whim, we decided to go surfing for Mother’s Day. Not having surfed in over 20 years, being middle-aged and the mother of two teenage girls, we thought it would be the best time to go since there were no tourists!Four months later, we are still surfing two to three days a...WW…

A long-urged reform of Hawaii’s open records laws to make more police disciplinary records available to the public passed the Legislature Monday.cleared the Senate with little discussion in a 20-4 vote. It passed in the House after much deliberation, 37 to 14.Measures similar to HB 285 have failed to pass the Legislature for at least the past five years.Twenty-five years ago, the Legislature granted an exemption in the state public records law to county police officers, closing off the public’s ability to see disciplinary files of officers who were suspended for misconduct. Records of...…A long-urged reform of Hawaii’s open records laws to make more police disciplinary records available to the public passed the Legislature Monday.cleared the Senate with little discussion in a 20-4 vote. It passed in the House after much deliberation, 37 to 14.Measures similar to HB 285 have failed to pass the Legislature for at least the past five years.Twenty-five years ago, the Legislature granted an exemption in the state public records law to county police officers, closing off the public’s ability to see disciplinary files of officers who were suspended for misconduct. Records of...WW…

To do the right thing, consider these 10 recommendations on philanthropy as you arrive and take up residence.So you’ve landed in our islands. E komo mai. Maybe you were born or raised here and COVID-19 allowed you to move home. Maybe Hawaii has always been on your wish list and now’s the time for you to take that leap. Either way, welcome.Hawaii tells two powerful stories about the pandemic. One of resilience, innovation and community: we have some of the lowest infection and mortality rates in the country as we have all committed to the safety and well-being of human life.Community...…To do the right thing, consider these 10 recommendations on philanthropy as you arrive and take up residence.So you’ve landed in our islands. E komo mai. Maybe you were born or raised here and COVID-19 allowed you to move home. Maybe Hawaii has always been on your wish list and now’s the time for you to take that leap. Either way, welcome.Hawaii tells two powerful stories about the pandemic. One of resilience, innovation and community: we have some of the lowest infection and mortality rates in the country as we have all committed to the safety and well-being of human life.Community...WW…

These systems can serve as an effective cultural and economic strategy to improve food security.Scientific research over the past several decades has illuminated the and of precolonial agricultural systems in the Hawaiian archipelago.While debate persists about the size of the populations supported by these systems, it is clear that large amounts of food were produced prior to the onset of plantation agriculture.For instance, shows that the entire potato imports of the state today — 50 million pounds — could be met by the ancient breadfruit belt of Kona (now predominantly the Kona Coffee...…These systems can serve as an effective cultural and economic strategy to improve food security.Scientific research over the past several decades has illuminated the and of precolonial agricultural systems in the Hawaiian archipelago.While debate persists about the size of the populations supported by these systems, it is clear that large amounts of food were produced prior to the onset of plantation agriculture.For instance, shows that the entire potato imports of the state today — 50 million pounds — could be met by the ancient breadfruit belt of Kona (now predominantly the Kona Coffee...WW…

Hawaii is leading the nation right now because of government actions intended to stop the coronavirus.According to the state Department of Labor,  have lost their jobs over the past few weeks because of Gov. David Ige’s statewide shutdown — and the state is in a poor position to do anything about it.State tax revenues, meanwhile, are expected to . According to a Grassroot Institute of Hawaii , that would create a budget deficit for fiscal 2021 of between $710 million to $1.8 billion, undoubtedly forcing drastic budget cuts at a time when emergency services could be in extremely high...…Hawaii is leading the nation right now because of government actions intended to stop the coronavirus.According to the state Department of Labor,  have lost their jobs over the past few weeks because of Gov. David Ige’s statewide shutdown — and the state is in a poor position to do anything about it.State tax revenues, meanwhile, are expected to . According to a Grassroot Institute of Hawaii , that would create a budget deficit for fiscal 2021 of between $710 million to $1.8 billion, undoubtedly forcing drastic budget cuts at a time when emergency services could be in extremely high...WW…

Australia, South Korea and Japan show that real progress can be made to reduce mass shootings.Recently there have been many stories about mass shootings on the U.S. mainland including in Atlanta, Georgia, and Boulder, Colorado.In some of these situations, the perpetrators were prone to sudden rage, bought assault weapons within a week of the attacks, and appear to have suffered from mental illness. Often times the mass shooter was bullied and harassed in school.There are many warning signs that can prevent these senseless murders. The U.S. needs to follow other countries’ policies that have...…Australia, South Korea and Japan show that real progress can be made to reduce mass shootings.Recently there have been many stories about mass shootings on the U.S. mainland including in Atlanta, Georgia, and Boulder, Colorado.In some of these situations, the perpetrators were prone to sudden rage, bought assault weapons within a week of the attacks, and appear to have suffered from mental illness. Often times the mass shooter was bullied and harassed in school.There are many warning signs that can prevent these senseless murders. The U.S. needs to follow other countries’ policies that have...WW…

House leaders need to hear Senate Bill 132, which would prohibit sales of avobenzone and octocrylene.There is another big sunscreen issue in Hawaii, and this one needs immediate action.Although two harmful chemical sunscreens have already been banned in the state, there is strong scientific evidence that two more are harmful to both human health and coral reefs. In fact, mounting research suggests that these two chemicals, avobenzone and octocrylene, are life-threatening to Hawaii’s reefs and are bad for people, including our keiki.Neither the coral reefs nor the children can speak up to...…House leaders need to hear Senate Bill 132, which would prohibit sales of avobenzone and octocrylene.There is another big sunscreen issue in Hawaii, and this one needs immediate action.Although two harmful chemical sunscreens have already been banned in the state, there is strong scientific evidence that two more are harmful to both human health and coral reefs. In fact, mounting research suggests that these two chemicals, avobenzone and octocrylene, are life-threatening to Hawaii’s reefs and are bad for people, including our keiki.Neither the coral reefs nor the children can speak up to...WW…

But OHA’s support of Senate Bill 1334 on raising high-rise height limits is not the best approach.In a , Sylvia Hussey, CEO of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, argued that OHA should be allowed to build high-rise residential towers in Kakaako Makai. To further this goal, she asked for support of .I agree that OHA should be able to build high-rise residential buildings in Kakaako Makai, but not because Hawaiians are some kind of separate political class that deserves the right to decide how to use land that is somehow exclusively ours. I support OHA’s right to build homes in Kakaako Makai...…But OHA’s support of Senate Bill 1334 on raising high-rise height limits is not the best approach.In a , Sylvia Hussey, CEO of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, argued that OHA should be allowed to build high-rise residential towers in Kakaako Makai. To further this goal, she asked for support of .I agree that OHA should be able to build high-rise residential buildings in Kakaako Makai, but not because Hawaiians are some kind of separate political class that deserves the right to decide how to use land that is somehow exclusively ours. I support OHA’s right to build homes in Kakaako Makai...WW…

Gov. David Ige has not allowed two oversight boards to use monies approved by the Legislature. A third police reform board is being allowed to languish.It’s not easy to get a bill passed at the Hawaii Legislature.On average only around 300 bills make it out of a session where typically 10 times that many are introduced.If they don’t pass, the legislation might carry over to the next session or be resurrected in later ones.When measures finally do gain momentum and find their way to the governor’s desk for approval, it’s usually an indication that its been vetted fairly thoroughly and will...…Gov. David Ige has not allowed two oversight boards to use monies approved by the Legislature. A third police reform board is being allowed to languish.It’s not easy to get a bill passed at the Hawaii Legislature.On average only around 300 bills make it out of a session where typically 10 times that many are introduced.If they don’t pass, the legislation might carry over to the next session or be resurrected in later ones.When measures finally do gain momentum and find their way to the governor’s desk for approval, it’s usually an indication that its been vetted fairly thoroughly and will...WW…

It would be an elegant step for Hawaii during a tumultuous time.With our masks on and our hearts open, what might we do, here and now?How might we in Hawaii act in relationship to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the following and ongoing protests and violence?What should we in Hawaii do about the ongoing violence towards black lives and bodies in the United States?What might we do that responds to this moment, in a way that moves us all forward — and honors our home’s complex history around race?Are there actions that might simultaneously honor our home’s relationship to...…It would be an elegant step for Hawaii during a tumultuous time.With our masks on and our hearts open, what might we do, here and now?How might we in Hawaii act in relationship to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the following and ongoing protests and violence?What should we in Hawaii do about the ongoing violence towards black lives and bodies in the United States?What might we do that responds to this moment, in a way that moves us all forward — and honors our home’s complex history around race?Are there actions that might simultaneously honor our home’s relationship to...WW…