Public Campaign Financing

The question is how do you get legislators who truely represent the public when they have to raise big money from special interests. One solution is provide public funding for candidates running for office.

Like so much in politics, the issue of publicly financed campaigns may finally come down to money.

Supporters of publicly financed elections are looking to the Big Island, hoping County Council members there and the county's lobbyist will lead the effort at the state Legislature this year to establish a system of publicly financed elections for that island's nine council races.

The Big Island council last month became the first elected body in Hawai'i to volunteer to try out the proposed new system, a step that could lead to Hawai'i's first fully publicly funded campaigns there in 2010.

The plan is to provide enough public funding to each qualifying council candidate to run a credible campaign without accepting any campaign contributions from special interests. To qualify for public funding, each candidate would have to collect a signature and a $5 donation from 200 registered voters.

The plan has some popular appeal, but Campaign Spending Commission Executive Director Barbara Wong offers some sobering cost calculations: If 50 candidates qualify for public funding in the council primary election, the primary alone would cost about $1 million.

How many people would want to run if they can use someone elses money rather than their own? How do you limit whose campaign will pay for to only viable candidates. One way would require a larger contribution from more registered voters.

Don't dismiss public campaign financing as just another impractical and expensive idea.

Public Campaign Financing may be the only way we will be able to get the big money lobbiests out of government and bring our government back to the people.

The question truely is money. How much are we willing to pay to have our government leaders accountable to us rather than to Big Business?

Beach Access

In what may have been the biggest beach-access rally ever held on O'ahu, hundreds of people mobilized yesterday around the island with placards, shakas and pleas for passing motorists to support public access to the ocean.

There was a whole lot of honking, especially in Kailua, where locked gates have sprung up in recent years preventing beach access.

Is the future of beach access in Hawaii the same as we see on the mainland where beach access to public beaches is blocked by gated communities and walled beach homes? Add to this the effects of beach erosion resulting from rising oceans and we may be looking at a future where the only access to the water is a swimming pool or a boat.

Beach Access Hawaii is trying to assure that the general public can continue to get to the their beaches.

HB2833 - HB78

The two bills would allow classification of Class D & E AG zoned land to Rural. Recognizing that D&E lands are primarily pasture and "pasture" lands include some of the best remnant native species outside of conservation districts, I see this as a very bad bill. What is your take?
Let us know what you think. To participate, you need to be a member so email bsager42@gmail.com for an invitation. Its free.

Water Use in Hawaii

WAILUKU, Maui — Steve Holaday, the former manager of Maui's last sugar plantation, testified at Thursday's session of the Na Wai Eha contested case that more is involved than allocated water from four West Maui watersheds, The Maui News reported.

"My fear is that no matter what happens here, it's going to be the triggering event for what happens to use in East Maui, and the triggering event for the rest of the state. This is the tip of the iceberg," he said.

The result, Holaday said, could be the collapse of agriculture throughout the Islands.

This came on direct examination by Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. attorney David Schulmeister, who was trying to show the effects on the 36,000-acre sugar plantation if water from the four streams in West Maui known as Na Wai Eha are redirected away from sugar.

At the end of 90 minutes, Schulmeister asked Holaday, "Is there anything else you would like to tell Dr. (Lawrence) Miike?," the hearings officer.

"Not without getting tears in my eyes," Holaday said.

HC&S draws as much as 30 million gallons a day from Na Wai Eha — the Waihe'e, Waiehu, 'Iao and Waikapu streams. It gets as much as 300 million gallons a day from the East Maui Irrigation system, which taps watersheds from Ha'iku to Nahiku under permits from the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

Hui O Na Wai Eha and Maui Tomorrow Foundation have petitioned the state Commission on Water Resource Management to set permanent instream flow standards for the Na Wai Eha streams that would reduce the amount now diverted to the plantation irrigation systems.

Hearings on 2/6

AGR 8:30 Rm 325
HB2501 and HB2516 re biosecurity
HB2517 Prohibiting Sale of invasive species

JDL 9am Rm 016
Bills related to Campaign spending and reapportionment
SB2579, 2630, 2777 3140 3141

FIN 1:30 Rm 308
HB 2907 Ferile Pig Control

WTL 2:45 Rm 414
HB 2525 Providing access to Haena Beach Park
HB3206 Sets up Kawainui Marsh Advisory Council

Summary of Hearing Notices as of 1/31/08

WHL/AGR 2/1 8:30 rm325

Several bills defining "important ag lands"

North Kohala coastline in Hawaii rezoned conservaiton

Allows rezoning certain ag lands as Rural

Addressing Fake Farms

indemnifies the owner of an irrigation system, dam, or reservoir
for tort liability under certain conditions.

Amends the state water code to support making sufficient water
available for agricultural activity on important agricultural
lands. Moritorium on drilling wells in ag land.

WLH/AGR DATE: Friday, February 1, 2008,TIME: 9:00a.m.PLACE:
Conference Room 325

Programs to help taro farmers

WLH DATE: Monday, February 4, 2008, TIME: 8:30 a.m., PLACE:
Conference Room 312

Establishes limitations on liability for damages for owners of
dams and reservoirs.

Increases the maximum penalty for violations within the
Conservation District

WTL DATE: Monday, February 4, 2008, TIME: 2:45 p.m.PLACE:
Conference Room 414

Provides the board and the department of land and natural
resources with the power to make rule changes and decisions
regarding hunting without going through the rulemaking process.

Enhanced tax credit for owners who dedicate their land to
non-development purposes

EEP DATE: Tuesday, February 5, 2008 TIME: 10:00 am PLACE:
Conference Room 312

Permits small wind energy systems in all land use districts
where structures of any sort are allowed except for the
conservation district unless permitted by the department of land
and natural resources.

Bottle recycling and redemtion

Electric vehicles

AHW/ENE DATE: Tuesday, February 5, 2008 TIME: 2:00 PM PLACE:
Conference Room 414

Related to endangered spp Prohibits the sale of plants
designated as restricted plants or noxious weeds.

Loan program for the development of sustainable energy by
farmers and aquaculturists.

appropriates funds for the department of agriculture's
biosecurity program

JUD DATE: Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 TIME: 2:00pm PLACE:
Conference Room 325

HB2455 Takes the cap of corporate campaign contributions.

HB2602 Doubles the amount a candidate can transfer from campaign
or surplus funds to a community or charitable organization. This
allows candidates to contribute to organizations that support
the candidate and opens the door to "swift boat" type
organizations.

Environmental Legislative Network Meeting

the Environmental Legislative Network meets every Friday at noon during the session at the Sierra Club office Room 306 Richards Street YWCA to talk bills and
network.