A bullying leader trying to advance an agenda that lacks widespread public support and now faces potential legal action. An elected official who refuses to work with legislative branch members who disagree with him. Lawyers mandated to serve the public interest instead cater only to selected officials. Political toadies use script-like talking points to malign colleagues who … [Read more...] about Dirty Water: Why is the Victorino Administration monkeywrenching Maui’s water issues?
stream diversion
Nothing Is Dead in the Land of the Zombies: The twisted legislative saga of the “Corporate Water Theft” Bill
The passage of HB1326, the so-called “Corporate Water Theft Bill” that affects the future use of East Maui’s water, has morphed from a civics lesson into an episode of “The Walking Dead.” In the past week alone, the bill has been alive, dead, undead, and buried-but-still-moving. It has become so toxic that few lawmakers even want to discuss it anymore. Currently, HB1326 is … [Read more...] about Nothing Is Dead in the Land of the Zombies: The twisted legislative saga of the “Corporate Water Theft” Bill
‘It’s Hawai‘i, Jake’: In the State Legislature, water legislation grows murkier
[In November 2018, MauiTime first broke the story of the $267-million sale of 56,000 acres of Alexander & Baldwin sugarcane land and watershed to Mahi Pono, a joint venture between California-based Pomona Farming and a Canadian pension fund. Our Changing Maui: Mahi Pono series examines all facets of the sale and the chages it will bring to Maui. It is part of Changing Maui, … [Read more...] about ‘It’s Hawai‘i, Jake’: In the State Legislature, water legislation grows murkier
“It’s Hawai‘i, Jake”: In the State Legislature, water legislation grows murkier by the minute
This story has been updated. Click here to see the latest version. In the film classic Chinatown, hard-bitten but good-hearted detective Jake Gittes (played by Jack Nicholson) confronts the politics of water in 1930s Los Angeles. By film’s end, Gittes’ personal devastation by power and perfidy is summed up in two words, “It’s Chinatown.” In 2019’s Honolulu, the same elements … [Read more...] about “It’s Hawai‘i, Jake”: In the State Legislature, water legislation grows murkier by the minute
State Democratic Party Opposes ‘Corporate Water Theft’ Bill
[This story has been updated since its first posting. See the updated version by clicking here.] The increasingly unpopular HB1326 – the so-called “Corporate Water Theft” bill, currently languishing in the Senate – took another hit over the weekend. In a letter to legislators, the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i has officially declared its opposition to the proposed bill, which … [Read more...] about State Democratic Party Opposes ‘Corporate Water Theft’ Bill