June, the last month of the state’s fiscal year, is probably the busiest month of the year for contracting as state agencies rush to encumber funds rather than face the prospect of seeing them lapse back into the general fund....
Above photo: Deputy DAB director Dean Matsukawa, DAB director Sharon Hurd, and DAB legislative liaison Cedric Gates meet with Rep. Mike Gabbard in this photo from April 2025. Credit: Gabbard Instagram Until Cedric Gates ran for state Senate in 2024, … Continued
Rudo Statement: Alan Rudo, the former Hawaiʻi County employee at the heart of a scheme to profit from the sale of housing credits, was scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on May 28. In anticipation, he has submitted to … Continued
LUC Nominees: On April 22, Governor Josh Green informed the Senate that he was withdrawing the nomination of Nancy Carr Smith for a second term on the Land Use Commission. According to the LUC, she will serve through June 30. … Continued
Russell Tsuji, until last year the longtime administrator of the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Land Division, is suing the DLNR and Dawn Chang, chair of the Board of Land and Natural Resources. His lawsuit, filed in 1st Circuit … Continued
Whether short-term vacation rentals can exist on land in the state Agricultural District seemed for a while a question that the Supreme Court had decided once and for all back in September 2024. That month, the high court issued a … Continued
Over the last year, the members of the state Land Use Commission have not held back when it comes to expressing their interest in becoming more involved in the legislative process. They have objected to testimony given by their executive … Continued
By law, the Land Use Commission has nine members. Five are at-large, four are representatives of their respective counties. One of these is to have expertise in Hawaiian culture and traditions. At present, one seat is vacant. Two current members … Continued
CNMI-ning: Last month, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management moved forward with plans to open up to seafloor mining more than 69 million acres offshore of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. The action was part … Continued
In a letter to the Public Utilities Commission on March 25, Douglas Codiga, attorney for the Wailuku Water Company, reported that the recent severe storms so severely damaged its irrigation and water delivery systems that the company is on the … Continued