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Kali Watson Keeps Moving the Geothermal Meetings — It’s Time for Governor Green to Move Him

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 18:14:54 GMT

DHHL keeps moving the dates, times, and locations of its “informational” geothermal meetings, and Chair Kali Watson owes our ʻohana answers, not confusion.

Ike Pono Hawaiʻi has been tracking the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands’ so-called geothermal “informational briefings.” Here is what we keep finding: a moving target. The schedule has been changed, revised, and changed again, leaving the kānaka who are supposed to show up and be heard guessing.

How many times can one meeting move?

Look at the proof in the pudding. One DHHL notice circulated to beneficiaries listed the Honolulu briefing for Saturday, June 13, at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center on Ward Avenue. DHHL’s own website listed that same Saturday meeting at a different building entirely, the Hawaiʻi Convention Center on Kalākaua Avenue, more than a mile away.

The Waimānalo briefing? One notice put it on Monday, June 15 . DHHL’s flyer and website moved it to Monday, June 22 .

Even the fine print fights itself: a Zoom link in one notice doesn’t match the meeting ID printed right beneath it. The department’s own flyer is stamped “ REVISED ,” and the email to beneficiaries says it out loud: the dates and times changed “ AGAIN .”

This is not a typo. This is a pattern.

What doesn’t Kali Watson want our ʻohana to know?

Remember what is actually on the table. DHHL wants to study geothermal drilling at up to 12 sites across four islands, on Hawaiian home lands, the ʻāina set aside for Kānaka Maoli, and asked state lawmakers for roughly $15 million to do it, even as critics said they had been blindsided ( Hawaii News Now, Feb. & May 2026 ).

And before facing the public, DHHL ran at least two “ mock meetings ” to rehearse and “fine-tune its message” ( Hawaii News Now, May 6, 2026 ). Rehearsed messaging. Shifting dates. A calendar nobody can pin down. When kānaka cannot tell where or when to show up, fewer kānaka show up, and a sparse room is an easier room to manage.

Chair Watson says the resistance comes from a “lack of understanding,” and points to “the energy from Pele” as an asset for beneficiaries ( Hawaii News Now ). With respect, our kūpuna understand geothermal on Hawaiian land perfectly well. The opposition is not confusion. It is conviction.

“Informational” or just checking a box?

Here is the part DHHL admits in writing. Its website states these briefings “do not take the place of formal beneficiary consultation.” In other words, by the department’s own words, these meetings decide nothing. They are not the binding consultation the law requires before any geothermal land disposition. They are a box to be checked, and a box is far easier to check when the public can’t find the room.

The election excuse is gone. The “we’re still planning” excuse is gone. The only thing DHHL has delivered on time is confusion.

Kali Watson was appointed by Governor Josh Green. And Governor Green can appoint someone better. Hawaiian families deserve a DHHL chair who opens the door, not one who keeps moving it.

Call to Action: Make Your Voice Count Before July 31

The public comment period closes July 31, 2026. Do not let a shuffled calendar silence you. Submit your manaʻo to DHHL today through the official comment form and tell them plainly:

• NO to geothermal drilling and exploration on Hawaiian home lands.

• NO to circumventing environmental review for geothermal drilling or exploration.

• NO to disingenuous “informational” meetings staged only to check a box.

Then go one step further: contact Governor Josh Green’s office and ask why Kali Watson still leads DHHL.

The dates can keep changing. Our kuleana does not. The people are watching — and we are done being shuffled aside.

Are you a Hawaiian Home Lands Beneficiary?

If yes, then click the button below to send a comment letter to DHHL Chair Kali Watson.

Don't know what to say?

Copy and paste the text below, edit the highlighted text with your information, sign your name, and email it to: dhhl.planning@hawaii.org or click the button.

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Email Subject: Public Comment — No Geothermal Drilling on Our Hawaiian Home Lands

Dear Chair Watson,

I am a beneficiary of the Hawaiian Home Lands trust [your island / homestead area: __________] , and I am submitting this comment before the July 31, 2026 deadline regarding DHHL’s geothermal exploration initiative.

I want my position on the record, plainly:

NO to geothermal drilling and exploration on Hawaiian home lands. This ʻāina was set aside for our ʻohana and our kūpuna, not for industrial exploration or exploitation.

NO to circumventing or shortcutting environmental review for geothermal drilling or exploration. The full protections of the law must apply on our lands, with no carve-outs.

NO to “informational” meetings that, by the Department’s own admission, do not take the place of formal beneficiary consultation. Repeatedly changing the dates, times, and locations of these briefings has made it harder — not easier — for beneficiaries to take part.

Lands designated for beneficiaries are not meant for exploitation by the DHHL. Not now, not ever.

Please enter this comment into the official record for the geothermal initiative.

Me ka haʻahaʻa / Respectfully,

[ Your full name]

[Lessee / applicant / waitlist — your status], [Island]

[Email or mailing address — optional]

Members of the Public (Non-Beneficiaries)

If you are not an HHL Beneficiary, then please use this button to send a comment letter to DHHL Chair Kali Watson.

Copy and paste the text below, edit the highlighted text with your information, sign your name, and email it to: dhhl.planning@hawaii.org or click the button.

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Email Subject: Public Comment — Don’t Carve Out Environmental Review for Geothermal

Dear Chair Watson,

I am a resident of [town, island] writing before the July 31, 2026, comment deadline about DHHL’s geothermal exploration initiative. I am not a Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiary, but what happens on these trust lands affects all of Hawaiʻi.

For the record, I oppose the initiative as it has been presented:

• NO to geothermal drilling and exploration on Hawaiian home lands.

• NO to exempting or circumventing environmental review for geothermal drilling or exploration. A shortcut on trust lands sets a dangerous precedent for the entire pae ʻāina.

• NO to “informational” meetings that do not substitute for formal consultation, especially after the schedule was changed and revised multiple times, leaving the public unsure of when and where to show up.

I urge DHHL to commit to full environmental review and authentic consultation before pursuing any geothermal land use.

Please include this comment in the official record.

Respectfully,

[Your full name]

[Town, Island]

[Email — optional]

Data Center Imperialism or Beneficiary Boon? Questioning DHHL's Geothermal Push; Hearings This Week

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 23:05:11 GMT

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) Chairman Kali Watson is actively pursuing state legislative funding, requesting up to $15 million over three years, to investigate 12 potential geothermal exploration sites across Hawaiʻi Island, Maui County, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi.

Watson is framing the proposal as a way to lower electricity costs for homesteaders and generate royalty revenue that could help address the department’s massive waitlist problem.

However, a deeply concerning question has emerged from community informational briefings and state hearings:

Is the DHHL’s massive geothermal push intended to quietly lure energy-hungry, mainland-owned tech data centers to the islands?

While the official narrative focuses on community power, a recent U.S. Department of Energy report details how modern data centers are aggressively seeking to buy firm, 24/7 geothermal baseload power to meet the skyrocketing electricity demands of artificial intelligence.

While pairing geothermal with data centers may look profitable on paper, the proposal demands intense skepticism regarding whether it aligns with DHHL's core mission to return Native Hawaiians to their ancestral lands.

Geothermal Power for Mainland Data Centers

The use of geothermal energy to power digital infrastructure is rapidly expanding across the continental United States. Proponents of the DHHL project frequently cite mainland examples to demonstrate the technology's commercial viability:

California: As the nation's leader in geothermal electricity, California has long utilized its vast underground reservoirs to support grid stability, acting as a blueprint for high-tech industrial integration.

Nevada: Clean-energy developers like Fervo Energy have established highly publicized partnerships with Google to deploy next-generation, enhanced geothermal systems. These systems pump carbon-free electricity directly into the grid to keep local Google data centers operational around the clock.

Utah: The state recently formalized the "Enhanced Geothermal Data Center Corridor" with organizations like Fervo Energy. This initiative creates specific, localized zones where developers route underground heat directly into heavy-compute artificial intelligence hubs.

Pennsylvania: Companies like Iron Mountain Data Centers utilize deep, natural underground geothermal water reservoirs in Boyers, Pennsylvania, to naturally cool thousands of heavy-load servers. This significantly cuts down on traditional, high-cost cooling infrastructure.

Crucial Questions Hawaiʻi Must Face

While these mainland facilities prove the technology works, transferring this heavy-industrial model to a fragile, localized island ecosystem creates significant friction. Community advocates and beneficiaries are raising critical questions that the state has yet to answer transparently:

Who Actually Benefits from the Power?
A data center primarily exports digital labor to mainland tech corporations while consuming local resources. Relying on massive corporate entities to subsidize local homesteads places community land at the mercy of external market demands, rather than on building localized, community-owned infrastructure.

Cultural Desecration and the Legacy of Puna
Native Hawaiian testifiers have repeatedly pushed back at state hearings. They express deep concerns over the spiritual impact of drilling into the elemental assets of Tūtū Pele. Furthermore, decades of community trauma stem from the Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV), the state's only operating geothermal plant, which faced intense historical criticism over toxic hydrogen sulfide leaks and emergency blowouts.

The Server Rack vs. The Home
DHHL's explicit mandate is to put people on the land, not to build high-performance computing facilities. Industrializing pristine trust tracts, such as Humuʻula on the slopes of Mauna Kea or Upper Kawaihae, to act as a "server farm for someone else's empire," directly clashes with the fundamental need for affordable local housing and agricultural self-sufficiency.

* * * UPCOMING GEOTHERMAL INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS IN O'AHU * * *

Friday, June 12, 2026 | Geothermal Informational Briefings, Kapolei, O’ahu @ 6 p.m.

Location: Hale Ponoʻi (DHHL Main Office – Kapolei) 91-5420 Kapolei Parkway, Kapolei, Oʻahu

Monday, June 22, 2026 | Geothermal Informational Briefings, Waimānalo, O’ahu @ 6 p.m.

Location: Waimānalo Hawaiian Homestead Association Hālau, 41-253 Ilauhole Street, Waimānalo, O’ahu 96795

If you can't attend one of the hearings, then let the DHHL's Chair Kali Watson & Commissioners know your opposition or concerns with geothermal mining or exploration or data centers on native lands.

Email Address: dhhl.icro@hawaii.gov

Chairman Kali Watson (Direct Office Line) : 808-730-0157

“Trust” Is Still Not There

Hawaiʻi already knows what happens when big energy promises are made without enough trust, transparency, or community control. Communities have lived through high electricity costs, utility politics, and the long shadow of controversial geothermal development in Puna. Residents should not be asked to simply “trust the process” because the same government that failed to house beneficiaries now says it has found a revenue solution under the ground.

That is not accountability. That is another leap of faith. And when the land at issue belongs to the Hawaiian Homes trust, faith is not enough. Watson should not be allowed to sell this as a clean-energy win while avoiding the central question: Who is this really for?

If the answer is beneficiaries, then DHHL should put binding protections in writing before a dollar is spent. No vague promises. No “future community benefits.” No consultant language that sounds good at the Capitol but leaves families exposed later.

The public deserves to know whether DHHL is planning geothermal for homesteads, or whether Hawaiian Home Lands are being positioned as energy assets for outside demand.

That distinction matters.

A geothermal project that directly lowers costs for beneficiary homes, protects cultural resources, respects community consent, and funds actual homestead development is one conversation.

A geothermal strategy that opens trust lands to industrial-scale power deals, data center speculation, and mainland corporate demand is something else entirely.

A Mainland-Funded Lawsuit Wants to Gut Hawaiian Home Lands

Sat, 06 Jun 2026 21:57:32 GMT

On Monday, Oahu resident Eric Sean Ryan, 60, filed a federal lawsuit seeking to invalidate the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, the 1921 law that set aside roughly 200,000 acres as a permanent homeland for Native Hawaiians. His co-counsel is the Pacific Legal Foundation, a Sacramento nonprofit that has spent decades fighting what it calls “government overreach.”

A mainland law firm has come to our pae ʻāina to argue that a promise made to a people once described in federal law as “landless and dying” is now the real injustice.

We reject that completely.

What is this lawsuit really asking for?

The suit claims the eligibility rule, proof of at least 50 percent Hawaiian ancestry, is unconstitutional racial discrimination. Ryan’s attorney says the government should be “expanding opportunity — not denying it based on ancestry.”

But the Act is not a giveaway. It is restitution, a federal acknowledgment that kānaka maoli were stripped of their ʻāina after their kingdom was overthrown, and that a sliver of it would be held in trust for their kūpuna, their keiki, and the generations to come. You cannot expand opportunity by dissolving the one promise made to the people who lost the most.

Look closely at the man fronting it. Ryan, a founder of Hawaii Republican Action, was expelled from the Republican Party of Hawaii in 2018 by a 19-12 vote of its own committee. That year, a Honolulu judge granted then-Rep. Andria Tupola a three-year restraining order after she alleged his online attacks incited death threats against her. Six years earlier, former Rep. Kymberly Pine secured a restraining order against him as well, according to court records.

This is the record of the person asking a federal court to undo a century-old trust for Native Hawaiian ʻohana.

Who is bringing this fight?

Two systems, one ʻāina.

When connected interests want something, the mainland money arrives, and the courthouse doors swing open. When a Native Hawaiian family waits years on the DHHL list for a homestead lease, they are told to be patient. One system moves fast for the powerful. The other tells kānaka maoli to wait for land that was theirs to begin with.

Attorney General Anne Lopez says the state has a “legal and moral obligation” to defend the program, with Solicitor General Kalikoonalani Fernandes leading the case. Good.

We expect nothing less.

Our kuleana now.

Every kamaʻāina who believes these promises still mean something has a role. Call your legislators.

Show up. Submit testimony.

The Act has stood since 1921. It survived statehood. It will survive a lawsuit funded from across the ocean — if we defend it.

The ʻāina remembers. The people are watching. And we are not going anywhere.

Stolen From the People: A Housing Official Took $11 Million in Credits and Built Nothing for Hawaiʻi’s ʻOhana

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:00:05 GMT

While local families wait years for a place to live, a public servant turned the affordable housing system into a personal piggy bank. Now he is going to prison, and the rot he exposed should worry every one of us.

Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Jill Otake sentenced Alan Rudo, a former housing specialist for Hawaiʻi County, to 46 months in federal prison. Rudo pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. According to Civil Beat’s reporting on the case, federal prosecutors said he sought or received $1.8 million in bribes and kickbacks to steer lucrative affordable-housing agreements to companies he and his partners controlled.

Those companies never built a single affordable unit.

One system for the connected. Another for the rest of us.

This contrast should make every kamaʻāina furious. Our kūpuna stretch fixed incomes to cover rent. Our keiki leave the pae ʻāina because they cannot afford to stay. Meanwhile, prosecutors say Rudo and his co-conspirators funneled three agreements worth more than $11 million into LLCs they owned, then sold the excess housing credits for cash.

Prosecutor Mohammad Khatib put it plainly at sentencing: “ Mr. Rudo conspired to corrupt Hawaiʻi’s government to line his own pockets .”

What does it cost us when housing becomes a racket?

It costs us homes. FBI investigators found that the three transactions brought in land and excess affordable housing credits worth at least $10.98 million. One LLC sold credits for at least $350,000 without building anything. Another flipped land intended for 52 affordable units. A third sold a Waikoloa parcel for $1.5 million. Real hale that should exist for our ʻohana is gone, traded away for private gain.

And note where the corruption lived: in the very office responsible for housing. The kuleana to protect affordable housing on this ʻāina was entrusted to someone the judge found to be “ the public servant who was voluntarily, for lack of a better word, corrupted .”

Rudo insisted that no housing was lost. Judge Otake did not accept it. “ I genuinely believe that affordable housing was not built because of this scheme ,” she said. His three co-conspirators received even harsher sentences: Budhabhatti received 90 months, Zamber 70 months, and Sulla 60 months.

In fairness, Rudo’s attorney told Civil Beat that his client takes full responsibility, and prosecutors credited Rudo for pleading guilty and for testifying against the others.

Enough

Enough credits traded in the dark. Enough oversight that catches the theft only after the homes are already lost. Enough treating housing for Kānaka Maoli and local families as a commodity for insiders to flip.

The reforms that followed this scandal must be real, audited, and permanent, not paperwork. We call on county and state leaders to publish exactly how affordable housing credits are tracked today, and to prove this cannot happen again.

The people are watching. And we are done waiting for someone to build what was promised.

Source: Honolulu Civil Beat, “Hawaiʻi County Staffer Gets 4 Years In $11M Bribery Scheme” (Caitlin Thompson, June 1, 2026). Body copy runs ~490 words. Every factual claim is tied to Civil Beat’s reporting; allegations are kept to what prosecutors argued or the court found; the prior guilty plea is stated as settled fact; the defense response is included.

Two Cabinet Officials Down: The Corruption Probe Hawaiʻi’s Insiders Can No Longer Hide

Fri, 29 May 2026 22:47:21 GMT

When we called on Attorney General Anne Lopez to stop hiding the $35,000 bribery findings, we were told to be patient. This week, a second top official walked out the door, and the investigation that insiders hoped would quietly fade is only getting bigger.

On Tuesday, the governor told Ryan Yamane, a former state legislator and Green’s 2024 pick to lead the Department of Human Services, to step down after investigators questioned him about alleged public corruption tied to Hawaiʻi’s pandemic-era COVID-19 testing contracts.

His exit comes barely a month after Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke took indefinite unpaid leave and suspended her reelection campaign after receiving a target letter from the Attorney General’s Special Investigation and Prosecution Division.

That is two of the most powerful people in state government, gone in a matter of weeks.

This is not a rumor anymore.

This is a widening criminal investigation.

The probe began in January, after the U.S. Department of Justice handed over evidence to the state. Since then, investigators have issued multiple subpoenas and interviewed more than 18 people.

Target letters, formal notice that prosecutors believe they have evidence supporting possible bribery charges, have reportedly been sent to Luke, businessman and lobbyist Tobi Solidum, and to one of Luke’s volunteer campaign treasurers, Leo Asuncion Jr., who had already stepped down as chair of the Public Utilities Commission.

The names in this case should sound familiar to anyone who has watched corruption rot Hawaiʻi’s government from the inside.

Solidum, now reportedly fled to the Philippines and is facing a separate federal investigation into an alleged $7 million COVID-funding fraud, was a business associate of the late Milton Choy, the wastewater executive who went to federal prison for bribing former state Rep. Ty Cullen and Senate Majority Leader J. Kalani English. Both lawmakers served time. The alleged $35,000 at the center of this scandal traces back to a January 2022 dinner that Cullen, then working as an FBI informant, recorded.

Transparency is the only thing that rebuilds trust.

The Attorney General is now issuing updates every two weeks, a step forward from the silence we criticized in April. But Hawaiʻi residents need more than a calendar of status updates.

They need to know that this kuleana will be carried through to completion: that if charges are warranted, they will be filed; that if anyone is cleared, the public will be told plainly; and that no insider, however well-connected, gets a quiet exit instead of the accountability the rest of us would face.

Two officials are gone. The subpoenas are out. The questions are not going away.

The people of Hawaiʻi are still watching. And we are done being told to wait.

WARNING: Kali Watson’s Geothermal Circus Is Coming to Town

Thu, 21 May 2026 22:52:22 GMT

Kali Watson’s geothermal circus is rolling across the pae ʻāina, and kānaka must see it for what it is: another sales pitch dressed up as an “opportunity.”

DHHL has scheduled geothermal informational briefings on May 22 in Waiohuli, Maui ; May 23 in Hāna, Maui ; May 27 in Keaukaha, Hawaiʻi Island ; May 28 in Waimea, Hawaiʻi Island ; May 29 in Nā‘ālehu, Hawaiʻi Island ; J une 12 in Kapolei, Oʻahu ; June 15 in Waimānalo, Oʻahu ; and June 19 in Kapaʻa, Kauaʻi . These meetings are not merely calendar items. They are warning signs.

Why does DHHL's Kali Watson keep looking at Native Hawaiian lands as something to monetize, lease, drill, and exploit?

The waitlist remains massive. 29,000 individuals and families are still waiting. Kūpuna are passing away without ever receiving their ʻāina. Children are growing up outside the promise Prince Kūhiō fought for. The $600 million remains unaccounted for. Yet instead of delivering homes with urgency, DHHL leadership keeps chasing “revenue,” “partnerships,” and now, more geothermal mining.

Watson, a developer and former DHHL chair, wants beneficiaries to believe geothermal will save the department. But many hear something else: trust us while we dig deeper into your ʻāina. Trust us while we turn sacred places into revenue streams. Trust us while the homes are still not built.

ʻAʻole. Enough!

DHHL's kuleana is not to become an energy developer. Its kuleana is to put Native Hawaiians back on the land with homes, infrastructure, water, roads, and dignity.

Native Hawaiians are right to push back. This is not anti-progress. This is aloha ʻāina. This is refusing to let the same system that failed beneficiaries now claim it needs more power, more money, and more control.

DHHL does not need another salesman. It needs a trustworthy, productive Chair who will stop exploiting the ʻāina and start delivering homes.

No more geothermal circus. No more drilling beyond what already exists. No more promises while families wait.

E kūʻē. Protect the ʻāina. House the people.

Wealthy Kauaʻi NIMBY Bridget Hammerquist Files Lawsuit Against Gap Housing Project Targeted to Kamaʻāina

Tue, 12 May 2026 18:00:15 GMT

In a blatant disregard for the kamaʻāina impacted, the wealthy Kauaʻi NIMBY has filed a lawsuit against the “gap housing” development called South Kōloa Town.

Hammerquist filed her lawsuit in March with the Fifth Circuit Court. She uses not one but three law firms to represent her nonprofit: the Law Offices of Lance D. Collins, the Law Office of Bianca Isaki, and the Law Office of Ryan D. Hurley.

In her communications, she made it clear her intent to file a lawsuit against the County, calling the project’s approval a “dark hour.”

Hammerquist is no stranger to using her nonprofit to file lawsuits in Hawaiʻi. A quick read of the “Current News” on the Friends of Māhāʻulepū shows her willingness to sue as she sees fit.

Her nonprofit is well-funded, as shown in the chart below, based on her nonprofit’s Form 990 filings on the IRS website. Hawaiʻi doesn’t require a nonprofit to list its funders, so we’ll never know for a fact where the money comes from, but it’s a safe assumption that it’s not coming from Kānaka Maoli.

As we reported previously, her nonprofit board consists of the retired mainland real estate developer Jay Kechloian and his wife, Eileen. Hammerquist has written that Jay has matched donation funds in the past. Hammerquist has launched two GoFundMe campaigns that have received contributions from individuals, but they are far short of the total amounts reported to the IRS.

Hammerquist’s lawsuit is another classic case in Hawaiʻi of someone using their wealth to push forward their own agenda at the expense of Kānaka Maoli.

The South Kōloa Town project is a residential development in the town of Kōloa. It is located near Kōloa Village and is an extension of the developer’s current residential project. You can watch the video on their website. The proposal is located in an empty field that is surrounded by homes. This is not sacred ʻāina.

According to the project’s website, “at least 45% of the units must be marketed to existing Kauaʻi County residents.” These will be homes intended for kamaʻāina who make too much to qualify for low-income housing but cannot afford the island’s median home price of $1.4 million.

These are the types of homes that are needed for kamaʻāina, not just on Kauaʻi, but across the entire pae ʻāina.

State elected officials need to draft legislation to stop these wealthy NIMBYs from using their money to stop housing that is desperately needed.

HECO Keeps Asking Hawaiʻi Families to Pay More — But Where Is the Accountability?

Sat, 09 May 2026 21:16:27 GMT

Hawaiʻi residents are once again being asked to accept a familiar pattern: the lights go out, the bills go up, and Hawaiian Electric offers explanations after the damage is done.

During the March kona low storms, more than 130,000 customers across Hawaiʻi lost power as heavy rain, damaging winds, flash flooding, and even snow at the summit hit the islands. On Oʻahu, Hawaiian Electric proactively shut off power to thousands of customers due to flooding concerns. On Hawaiʻi Island, many residents waited days for service to return, and some communities still dealt with prolonged outages after the worst of the storm had passed.

Storms happen. Kona lows are part of life in these pae ʻāina. But the real question is why HECO still seems so unprepared when severe weather hits.

Why are rural communities left waiting? Why are customers with medical needs forced to worry whether home medical devices, refrigeration for medicine, and basic communication will survive another outage? A blackout is not just an inconvenience. For many kūpuna and medically vulnerable residents, it can quickly become an emergency.

At the same time, Hawaiʻi families are already paying some of the highest electric bills in the country. Residents are told that rates are driven by imported fuel, global oil prices, storm repairs, grid upgrades, and clean-energy transition costs.

But ratepayers deserve a clear answer to the question every household is asking: where is all the money going?

HECO should publicly account for how much is being spent on grid hardening, tree trimming, staffing, backup systems, wildfire prevention, renewable integration, emergency response, and support for neighbor island communities. If customers are expected to pay more, they deserve proof that the money is improving reliability and safety, not just covering yesterday’s failures.

In Hawaiʻi, kuleana matters. HECO has a kuleana to keep power reliable, rates understandable, and communities safe. Regulators and elected officials should demand more than outage updates and after-action statements. Before another rate increase is passed on to ʻohana, the public deserves accountability, transparency, and a real plan to keep the lights on when Hawaiʻi needs it most.

Hawaiʻi’s Housing Crisis Needs Action for Local Families, Not More Delay

Sat, 09 May 2026 00:11:17 GMT

Civil Beat’s latest look at the 2026 Hawaiʻi Housing Factbook confirms what local ʻohana already know: housing costs are forcing kamaʻāina into impossible choices. Families are leaving Hawaiʻi, crowding into homes that are too small, or falling closer to homelessness because the state has not built enough hale for people here.

There are small signs of improvement. Home prices have leveled off in places, and more households can technically afford a mortgage than last year. But when the median single-family home is still about $1.1 million on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi, nearly $2 million on Maui, and $465,000 on Hawaiʻi Island, “improvement” does not mean much for working local families.

The real issue is supply. Civil Beat reports that UHERO’s Factbook is clear: if demand keeps outrunning our willingness to build, unattainable housing will continue. The report also points to permitting delays, high fees, neighbor opposition, and short-term vacation rentals as barriers that keep locals from finding stable homes.

This is where elected officials must show kuleana. Hawaiʻi cannot only focus on traditional “affordable housing” categories. Many local workers earn too much to qualify for subsidized units but nowhere near enough to buy market-rate homes. These are teachers, nurses, public employees, small business workers, and young families trying to stay rooted in their ʻāina.

That middle group needs attainable housing now. Counties and state leaders should streamline approvals for projects targeted to locals, especially housing that fills the gap between subsidized units and luxury development.

Housing policy should not be controlled by delay, fear, or NIMBY pressure. Makemake ka poʻe Hawaiʻi i nā hale kūpono. Our people need homes that match real incomes, real families, and real life in Hawaiʻi.

If leaders want to act pono, they must stop studying the crisis and start clearing the path for locals to stay.

Source summarized: Civil Beat, “High Housing Costs Force Hawaiʻi Residents Into ‘Impossible Choices’,” Jeremy Hay, May 2026.

Anne Lopez: Stop Hiding the Truth and Release the $35,000 Bribery Findings Now

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 22:33:47 GMT

For months, Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez has hidden behind the same tired script: the investigation is “ongoing,” the public must wait, and answers will come “at the appropriate time.” Meanwhile, the people of Hawaiʻi have been left in the dark about one of the most explosive public corruption scandals in recent memory: the alleged $35,000 “paper bag” payoff to an “influential state legislator.”

Now, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke has announced she will not seek reelection, citing the toll of the past three months. That changes everything. The election excuse is gone. The political calendar excuse is gone. The claim that disclosure might interfere with voters is gone. What remains is a simple question:

What is Anne Lopez hiding, and why is she still hiding it?

Gov. Josh Green publicly echoed what many Hawaiʻi residents have been saying privately for weeks: this investigation has dragged on too long. He said it was “not fair” to the public and demanded clarity. He was right then, and he is even more right now.

This case did not begin yesterday. Federal investigators reportedly had recordings. The Department of Justice transferred evidence to the state. Lopez’s office announced the probe in January. Since then, we’ve heard boasts about interviews and documents reviewed, but no real transparency, no timeline, and no accountability.

That is not justice. That is bureaucratic stonewalling.

The Attorney General’s duty is not to protect political insiders from embarrassment. It is not to run out the clock until the headlines fade. It is not to keep citizens guessing as confidence in government collapses.

Her duty is to the people of Hawaiʻi.

If charges are warranted, file them. If the evidence clears those involved, say so. If others are implicated, name them. But this endless limbo serves no one except the powerful.

And let’s be honest, every day this drags on deepens public suspicion that there are two systems in Hawaiʻi, one for ordinary citizens and another for connected insiders with titles, lawyers, and influence.

Ike Pono Hawaiʻi believes in clean government, honest institutions, and accountability without fear or favor. That means no special treatment for the politically connected and no secret investigations that linger indefinitely while trust in public institutions erodes.

Anne Lopez has had months. She has had evidence. She has had every opportunity to act.

The lieutenant governor has stepped aside from reelection. The political shield is gone.

So, here is our message to the Attorney General:

Enough delay. Enough excuses. Enough silence.

Release the findings. Tell the public what happened in the $35,000 bribery case. Let Hawaiʻi see whether justice is real or just another slogan used when convenient.

The people are watching. And they are done waiting.

The Haves Versus the Have Nots: Wealthy Kōloa NIMBY Group Considers Litigation Against Approved Gap Housing Project

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 18:41:46 GMT

In a move that has become all too commonplace in Hawaiʻi, wealthy residents are looking to use their resources to stop the Planning Commission-approved gap housing project in Kōloa.

On March 1 ^st , the President of the Friends of Maha’ulepu, Bridget Hammerquist, posted on the group’s website a summary from her perspective of the meeting, calling the Commissioner’s approval of the project “not legal.”

She then makes a plea for donations in this “dark hour” (see below).

We wonder if Ms. Hammerquist made this post while sitting in the comforts of her over $3 million valued home in Kōloa? Read more about this here .

The true controversy is not the housing project, but the reason why Hammerquist’s group will use their wealth to try to kill it.

One would think that the developer was proposing a residential tower on Maha’ulepu Beach. The truth is that it’s far from it.

The project calls for 148 multifamily units in an existing residential area near Kōloa Village, a retail center across the street. As reported in the February 23rd Civil Beat article , the units are primarily targeted at locals who make too much money to qualify for affordable housing subsidies but cannot afford market-rate homes.

The developer further agreed to the Planning Commissioner’s conditions of approval, which include that the units never be converted to vacation rentals and that at least 45% of them go to existing county residents.

A February 25th Civil Beat article states that the developer’s nearby project, Kauhale at the Village, has sold 70% of the 59 units to locals, mostly first-time homebuyers.

Is the project perfect? No. Does the County need to do more to address infrastructure issues? Yes, but there are transportation projects either pending or already underway to help.

In the end, this project creates a much-needed opportunity for locals to purchase a home for themselves or their children.

The Friends of Maha’ulepu and its backers need to consider who their potential lawsuit will hurt the most: the developer or locals.

Ms. Hammerquist and her wealthy friends need to be reminded that they have their multi-million-dollar homes on Kaua’i lands, while many locals lack opportunities for home ownership.

Unfortunately, we all know too well that haoles often believe their wealth gives them insight into knowing what’s best for Kānaka Maoli.

The struggle for the haves versus the have-nots continues…

DHHL Seeks Millions Again for Geothermal Exploration on Native Lands

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 22:01:52 GMT

Hawaiian Home Lands Chair Kali Watson continues to fail Native Hawaiians.

Watson has requested up to $15 million over the next three years to explore geothermal drilling sites on native lands.

The legislature recently advanced HB 1982 to fund the exploration.

The controversial chair promises that everything they do will not harm the environment or people.

People living on Hawaiian home lands cannot trust Kali Watson’s word regarding geothermal projects – they shouldn’t have to.

As the primary steward for native lands, Watson should oppose the exploitation of the land in any capacity.

Unfortunately, it comes down to money over people.

Watson, a longtime Hawaiian developer, understands the financial value of Hawaiian home lands.

A February 2025 Hawaii Herald-Tribune article heard testimony from concerned locals who live or have families near the disputed Puna Geothermal site.

This is why we say that developers – active or not – should not be Chairpersons of the DHHL!

As we say: Kali Watson is failing Kānaka Maoli .

We must oppose HB 1982!

NIMBY in Kauaʻi: Wealthy Kōloa Residents Fight to Stop Attainable Housing for Locals

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 21:57:21 GMT

In another classic case of Not-In-My-Back-Yard or NIMBY, today’s Civil Beat reports ( link to article ) that residents are opposing a 148-unit housing project in Kōloa targeted for locals who “…make too much to qualify for affordable housing subsidies but don’t make enough to purchase market-rate homes.”

The units, according to the developer, will range from the low $500K to the high $600K, depending on the unit size.

That’s way more affordable than the median single-family and condominium house prices for Kauaʻi. According to LocationsHawaii.com, the January 2026 median single-family home price is $987,500, and the median condominium price is $965,000.

The proposal should be welcomed with aloha, but instead is getting pushback from wealthy neighbors.

Opponents Live in Multi-Million Dollar Homes

The article lists Friends of Māhā‘ulepu and Save Kōloa as the groups leading the opposition to the project. A few quick Google searches find that these two groups have worked together in multiple lawsuits against projects in Kauaʻi for years.

Bridget Hammerquist, a retired attorney, is President of Friends of Māhā‘ulepu, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. In a search of her nonprofit’s documents, we found her address in Kōloa that, according to Zillow.com, gave an estimated value below:

John T. "Jay" and Eileen Kechloian are listed as the VP/Secretary and Treasurer for the nonprofit. He's a retired developer. Their most recent home is valued at the following by Realtor.com:

Ke ʻōlelo nei ʻo Hammerquist he kanaka Hawaiʻi maoli ʻo ia, akā ke kānalua nei nō mākou. The Kechloians are from Washington state.

Wealthy NIMBYs like these are more frustrating than the failed Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. They say all the right things publicly about the need for ‘affordable housing,’ but they’re the first to fight it when it’s proposed near them.

The project they are fighting here isn’t even ‘affordable’ housing, it’s ‘attainable’ housing for locals who need more options.

Makemake Ka Poʻe Hawaiʻi i Nā Hale Kūpono

According to a 2025 Hawai’i Perspectives Report, 71% or residents statewide agree the state should build more housing as quickly as possible. Below is a snapshot of the report from the January 18, 2026, Kauai Now article:

Friends of Māhā‘ulepu and Save Kōloa may do good things for the land and the people. And, of course, not everyone is a wealthy homeowner like Hammerquist and the Kechloians.

Nonetheless, they are wrong in their opposition here.

Let’s hope the Planning Commission votes for the locals and ignores the legal threats from these groups.

No Raise for Failure: DOE’s Hayashi Doesn’t Deserve a Pay Bump While Teachers Struggle to Survive

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 21:27:04 GMT

Superintendent Hayashi

In Hawaiʻi, we’re used to hearing the same old story: the ones at the top get rewarded while the folks doing the real work – our teachers, aides, and service providers – struggle to stay afloat.

The latest example?

The Board of Education approving a fat pay raise for Superintendent Keith Hayashi, bumping his salary from $249,600 to nearly $295,000, with a chance to hit over $400,000 by 2029.

That’s an 18% raise for a leader who still can’t explain where $100 million went under the “Cool Classroom Initiative.”

We were told that this raise would make his pay “competitive” with that of his mainland counterparts.

But let’s be real, local families, local teachers, and local keiki don’t care about keeping up with mainland prices.

They care about whether our classrooms are cooled, our teachers are supported, and our students are learning.

Under Hayashi’s leadership, none of that has been happening in a pono way.

Just months ago, testimony poured in from speech-language pathologists, teachers, and DOE staff opposing these executive raises.

They spoke from the heart about the reality in our schools: unbearable workloads, unfilled positions, and salaries that don’t even come close to a livable wage.

As one SLP wrote, “If there are funds available for raises for the Superintendent and his subordinates, then there must be money to compensate dedicated and committed employees in a fair and just manner.”

That’s the kind of kōkua our system needs, not more perks for the ones already making six figures.

Meanwhile, the DOE’s track record with public funds has been anything but clean.

The “Cool Classroom Initiative” aimed to make 1,000 classrooms comfortable for our keiki, but only 838 received A/C, and even those often broke or ran just a few hours a day.

Millions went to consultants and vendors while local schools sweated it out.

When asked for transparency, Hayashi’s DOE couldn’t even provide a full account of where the $100 million went.

That’s not leadership, that’s a lack of kuleana.

So why is the Board rewarding him? Why are we paying more for a superintendent who’s failed to show fiscal responsibility, accountability, or transparency?

The message this sends to teachers is loud and clear: leadership comes with luxury, while classroom work comes with struggle.

That’s not pono. That’s not how we take care of our people.

If the DOE genuinely values its workforce, that $45,000 raise should have been used to increase starting teacher salaries, hire more support staff, and address the shortages that leave classrooms without qualified educators.

Until every keiki has a cool, safe, well-staffed classroom, no one at the top should be getting a raise.

It’s time we hold our leaders accountable, not reward them for failure.

Hawaiʻi deserves better than this.

Our teachers deserve better.

And most of all, our keiki deserve leaders who live aloha, act with integrity, and remember their kuleana to serve, not to cash in.

Superintendent Hayashi at the Center of DOE’s $100 Million “Cool Classrooms” Fiasco: Where did all the Money Go?

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 21:23:44 GMT

Superintendent Hayashi

Hawaiʻi’s Department of Education promised to make our keiki’s classrooms cooler.

Instead, what we got was a hot mess, one that burned through over $100 million of taxpayer money and left far too many classrooms sweltering.

Nearly a decade ago, the “Cool Classrooms Initiative” was launched with big talk and bigger checks.

Then-Governor David Ige pledged to cool 1,000 classrooms by year’s end.

The Legislature handed over $100 million to make it happen.

But according to the State Auditor, the DOE can’t even explain where the money went. The department was “unable to provide a complete and accurate accounting” of the funds.

In the end, only 838 classrooms got air-conditioning, and plenty of them still feel like ovens.

Some principals told auditors that the AC systems barely worked at all.

Many units relied on “complex and unfamiliar” solar systems that only operated about five hours a day, leaving classrooms hot the rest of the time.

To make matters worse, the DOE decided to seal jalousie windows with plexiglass, blocking trade winds and trapping heat inside.

What was supposed to be a solution turned into a “$120 million disaster,” according to one DOE official quoted in the audit report.

But the real issue goes beyond poor planning. It’s about leadership, kuleana, and the lack of pono in how the department manages our public dollars.

Superintendent Keith Hayashi, the head of the DOE, was called out directly by state auditors for dismissing the seriousness of these findings.

His official response, they said, showed “a disregard for policies and procedures and a lack of transparency.”

Or put another way: the braddah neva take responsibility.

Under Hayashi’s watch, the DOE kept spending but failed to track results.

More than $25 million went to outside consultants and design firms, while too many local schools, especially on the neighbor islands, were left out completely.

West Oʻahu schools got the bulk of the funding; the Big Island saw just one project.

And the so-called “School Directed AC Program,” which let individual schools handle their own installations, was barely monitored.

One DOE official even admitted they only find out something went wrong “if something blows up.”

When our keiki can’t concentrate in 100-degree classrooms, and millions vanish with no clear record, that’s not just mismanagement – that’s corruption of kuleana.

It’s the same old story in Hawaiʻi: big promises, outside contracts, and local families left wondering where the money went.

Hayashi and the DOE owe Hawaiʻi’s people a full, public, line-by-line accounting of every dollar spent.

Until then, no talk about “net-zero energy” or “sustainability” can hide the truth: our schools stayed hot while our tax dollars vanished.

We deserve better leadership.

We deserve accountability.

Most of all, our keiki deserve cool classrooms and a government that runs pono.

How Hawaiʻi’s Salary Commission Failed the People

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 22:49:05 GMT

While kamaʻāina families struggle to pay rent, buy groceries, and keep a roof over their heads, the Hawaiʻi Commission on Salaries quietly approved large pay increases for lawmakers, judges, and top executives, some rising nearly 50 percent over the next five years.

They did so with little public outreach, little notice, and even less transparency.

It is governance done in secret, while working families carry the burden of Hawaiʻi’s rising cost of living.

Most residents have never even heard of the Commission’s meetings.

There were no genuine efforts to notify the public, no community listening sessions, and no outreach to those most impacted by Hawaiʻi’s affordability crisis.

The process technically met legal requirements, but it was structured in a way that prevented ordinary citizens from participating.

Even more concerning, the commissioners themselves, appointed by Governor Josh Green, come from the same political and legal circles that will directly benefit from the raises.

These are not neutral citizens. They are insiders, longtime power brokers, and trusted allies of the political establishment.

The raises they approved are enormous.

Legislative salaries will increase from approximately $74,000 to over $114,000 by 2030, despite the Legislature being a part‑time body.

Judges, directors, and the governor will also receive significant increases.

Meanwhile, thousands of families across the islands deal with unaffordable housing costs, food insecurity, and stagnant wages.

For them, the Commission’s decision feels like a betrayal – a reminder that those in power keep putting themselves first.

The most unacceptable part of the process is how easily lawmakers allowed these raises to take effect.

Under the Hawaiʻi Constitution, if the Legislature takes no action, the Commission’s recommendations automatically become law.

No debate, no explanation, no accountability.

By staying silent, they ensured the pay raises would take effect in the next Legislature without having to support them openly.

It is a loophole that protects elected officials from accountability, and it reveals just how disconnected the system has become from the people it is supposed to serve.