Tag Archives: HART

IMPEACH Mayor Kirk Caldwell

Download Petition here! http://www.ImpeachMayorKirkCaldwell2019.com

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    PETITIONS TO IMPEACH MAYOR KIRK CALDWELL

Persons of contact: Choon James 808 293 8888 Kapohuolahaina Moniz Pa Dave Moskowitz 203 8898 EMAIL: ImpeachMayorCaldwell2019@gmail.com

We are severely concerned with the malfeasance, misfeasance, and non-feasance behavior that have been happening at City Hall.

We have watched with horror the escalating mismanagement and runaway costs of the mismanaged and outdated Honolulu Rail Transit project. The Rail project was grossly under-estimated at $2.7 BILLION in 2006. Today, it’s escalating to $10 Billion with unknown costs. Even the Operations & Maintenance costs and ridership revenues are unknown. The Rail project is now under federal investigations. There are relentless reports of mismanagement and fiscal mishaps about the rail but Mayor Caldwell acts oblivious to them.

Consequently, core services are being undermined while our taxes and fees are escalating. GET/property taxes have increased. “Residential A” property taxes for local landlords who provide services to long-term renters have tripled, triggering rent increases. Other fees like vehicle registrations, sewer and water fees have increased. Our mainstream residents are struggling with these escalating costs of living.

The last two years had more Hawaii residents LEAVING, due mostly to “high costs of living”. We’re being priced out of our house and home.

The list of Mayor Caldwell’s arrogance, corruption, and mismanagement includes, but not limited to, the following: The independent Ethics Commission Director Mr. Chuck Totto was ousted. The former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha is on trial at the federal courts. The Mayor’s chief Corporation Counsel Donna Leong is on paid leave, related to the   Kealoha federal investigations. The city’s Prosecutor is being investigated and on paid leave.

Homelessness, crime, environmental degradation, monster homes, violations of residents’ civil rights, violations of state and US Constitution that force the city to pay for settlement awards, abuse of the Community Development Block Grants and so on. Mayor Caldwell is not responding to severe land-use and planning concerns relating to, but not limited to, the Ala Moana Regional Beach Park, the Sherwood Forest Beach Park in Waimanalo. The cries of residents to have basic clean and well-managed beach parks and other public facilities in ALL parts of Oahu are ignored.

Every day, we see the Mayor’s bad behavior and we feel angry but helpless. We see our beloved island worsening. We see ourselves being forced to pay the price for his bad management and bad decisions.

We cannot afford to give Mayor Caldwell any more time to further destroy our island and price us out of our homes and island.

Today, we’re taking a stand and rising up. We need and want new leadership of honesty and transparency and putting RESIDENTS FIRST!

We want fairness, even application of the law and city’s funds across Oahu.

We want to do away with political “pay to play” games at the taxpayers’ expense.

We want our neighborhoods to be clean and safe.

 We want to protect Oahu’s overarching environment, sustainability, safety, and prosperity for our children and their future.  

We want to live in our beautiful island and not be priced out!

We want to take our government back!!!

Please kokua. Stand up and be counted! Please sign the petition to impeach Mayor Caldwell to send him a message that we’re not happy with the direction Oahu is heading! Mahalo!

Mayor Kirk Caldwell Holds another Press Conference – Honolulu Rapid Rail Transit

Mayor Kirk Caldwell held yet another LIVE press conference. It’s interesting how this Mayor
always blames or hide behind something or someone else. This time, it’s the Hawaii State
Legislature’s mandate. Oftentimes, its the mysterious Wizard of Oz FTA. He has blamed the
rush or deadlines on FTA but so far, these rush and deadlines have proven to be moving
targets. Or he would say “the FTA wants this and the FTA wants that” as if the FTA is an ogre
to be feared or kow-tow to.
Perhaps the most illogical and egregious is the hell-bent agenda to protect the $1.55 Billion
from the federal government. The project started at $3.6 Billion. It’s now estimated at $10 Billion. How does it make sense to thrown away at least 6 more billions of dollars into this fiasco to protect the initial $1.55 Billion?
Mayor Kirk Caldwell was live.
46 mins

Mayor Caldwell announces selection of funfing mechanism for $44 million for rail. Use of these funds was mandated by the state Legislature through the passage of Act 1 in 2017.

Ilalo ParaynoIlalo has a badge showing that they are a constituent of Kirk Caldwell7:01 Hmm…

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Kai LorincKai has a badge showing that they are a constituent of Kirk Caldwell34:11 We really need to vote them out. Wait until the real estate market resets what are you going to do then.
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Cynthia Ahn31:41 That’s alot of money that could be used else where that would make a Huge difference in people’s lives!!!
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Sheila Gage27:07 U had no right to touch the general funds…end the rail…

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Joseph Kaahema Simpliciano14:16 So back in 2017 this was already a plan to use these funds?

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Lowell Nagata28:33 How about the city set up a GoFundMe account for rail (but with no end date)? 😀

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Cynthia Ahn29:28 The Rail is more important than the “HOUSELESS”

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Elgin Awong2:12 Hey stupid it’s still going to the rail. BS will continue to have reporters come to the tax payers office. Not yours.

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Manu Sanders23:58 I wish Council would get their act together. All this delay is just making it cost more… should have done it back in the 70’s!

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Choon James: Answers to Civil Beat Questions

                                                      CIVIL BEAT QUESTIONS

1. How do you think the city should pay for the operation and maintenance of rail once it’s built?

Shouldn’t this O & M costs be addressed at the initial stages?

This flawed Rail project began with Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) executive Wayne Yoshioka being appointed by Mayor Mufi Hannemann as City Transportation Director.

City then contracted with PB to design the rail route. City then hired InfraConsult LLC to coordinate with PB. (Three PB principals formed InfraConsult prior to the City’s contract).

HART, the semi-autonomous transit authority, was formed with nine appointed directors with no transit background. (Mr. Robert Bunda, fellow candidate, joined the HART Board in 2013.)

The 2012 federal Porter Report stated that Oahu had the ability to pay for its rail project, but must forgo other expenses!

 HART recently shifted this unknown O &M duty to the City Transportation but retained the lucrative Transit Orient Development (TOD).

Earlier, Mayor Caldwell and HART disputed city council’s jurisdiction over HART fiscal decisions. Today, Caldwell and HART want the council to sell $44M bonds to appease the FTA!

 Experts have questioned the ridership estimate of 119,600 trips per day. It’s nearly twice the ridership per kilometer of Miami’s heavy rail – a metropolitan area five times the size of Honolulu.

This ridership estimate is also little higher than Atlanta’s with a population six times the size of Honolulu, according to Erick Guerra, assistant professor of city and regional planning at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Tren Urbano in San Juan, Puerto Rico achieved only 23% of its ridership projection. Rail bonds contributed to its accumulated $74 Billion bankruptcy.

When will the oligarchy stop this fiscal insanity and reassess this runaway project?

Choon James -Honolulu City Council District 2

 

                     RESIDENTS FIRST!

Choon James For Honolulu City Council District 2

Aloha! 

I’ve been involved in city affairs as an activist and advocate for decades.  I’ve grown older and impatient! I would like the opportunity to make a difference in  the lives of our residents INSIDE city hall.

I truly believe the government exists to improve the life and happiness of its citizens. I want to put residents FIRST! You are the major  stakeholder.

So many of our residents face economic and social pressures.  Many of our residents have to carry 2 or 3 jobs to survive. Our kama’aina  folks worry about escalating costs of living and being priced out of Hawaii. 

One fundamental issue I want to champion and work with the other eight council members is to provide a property tax cap for local homeowners who have lived in their homes for more than 15 years and to provide incentives to property owners who rent long-term to long term residents. (This is not out of the blue. Case in Point – The city has provided property tax relief where developers only paid $300 per year instead of  about $160,000 .00 per year for property taxes. )

Of course, there are other issues like traffic, tourism impacts, infrastructure, homelessness, jobs creation and business opportunities, oligarchy, gentrification,  Aloha Disconnect, parks and resources, retirement, families in distress, carrying capacity, crime, drug addiction and so forth. Jobs that are here today may be obsolete tomorrow.

There are solutions to the challenges on  our island home.  You the residents have valuable local knowledge and wisdom to share.   Many of you  have have international  experience, professionally combed the world,  gained insights and expertise.  Collectively, we can improve our island home! 

Let’s put your smarts, imagination, expertise, common sense and aloha together to improve our lives and communities.  WE can all win!

Let’s gang up for the public good!   I humbly ask for your vote!

                      Mahalo, Choon

Mililani MaukaWahiawā, Schofield, Whitmore VillageMokulēʻiaWaialua,
HaleʻiwaWaimeaPūpūkeaSunset BeachKahukuʻieHauʻula,PunaluʻuKahana BayKaʻaʻawaKualoaWaiāholeKahaluʻu

Choon James: The Dark Side of Honolulu City Hall – Retaliations,Trolls & Disinformation

 

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The Honolulu City Charter clearly  states the purpose for its being:

“Section 2-102.  Purposes —  All city powers shall be used to serve and advance the general welfare, health, happiness, safety and aspirations of its inhabitants, present and future, and to encourage their full participation in the process of governance.”

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Unfortunately, in real life,  when Mayor Kirk Caldwell has his own pet project, the opportunities for citizen participation are met with disinformation, retaliation, and abuse of city powers/resources. The circle-the-wagon mentality kicks into gear from the top on down. Similar ill-thought justifications  are parroted from top on down.  Process reports and Budget Forms are filled with fabricated information. Lies are perpetuated top on down.

If citizens  further resist, there are always the Mayor’s spokesperson and media trolls to vilify the messengers  and to create confusion and distort facts. (There is an unspecified number of public relations and assistants, paid for by taxpayers,  who service Mayor.)

An example of this dark side at City Hall  would be Hauula Fire Station Relocation project. Despite robust protests and over 1,200 signatures against this extravagant relocation, the city stuck to its nefarious PR tactic to distract from the city’s gross malfeasance in  this process.

The  below August 18, 2008 letter is the “sale contract” that the city and clan freely disperse to the public to distract from its failures to provide due process to the most affected citizens in Hauula. The fact is, even if the owner DONATED the land to the city for the project, the city still has to provide due process to the people living next to this despised project. The city miserably failed its environmental review process to the people of Hauula.

August 18, 2008. This is the  CHERRY-PICKED letter used by the city and clan to hoodwink the city council and the public. This letter does not even meet the basic rudimentary of a basic sale contract, if there was one.

EM- Jpeg Miyata0001

July 2009 – This subsequent city notice is never provided to the public by the city  – “This Notice is not a contractual offer or commitment to purchase your property”.

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December 13, 2013 Deposition was taken under oath from Land Chief Thomas Miyata where he finally had to stop his lies about an agreement to sell and confess that “ there was no agreement between Miss James and the City for the City to purchase or Miss James to sell her property.” Page 120.

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Iseke-Lessary City Hall

Additionally, when Hauula residents protested with signs against the extravagant relocation of the $13 Million Hauula Fire Station Relocation, Mayor Kirk Caldwell dispatched the Department of Maintenance & Facilities from Halawa (under the supervision of William D. Balfour, Jr.) to seize the free speech signs. The federal judge had since ordered the City and County of Honolulu to pay the legal fees of the Plaintiff.

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Mayor Kirk Caldwell further engaged the City Corporation Counsel to bully the residents by erecting threatening signs to forcefully close down the recycling center that many depended on. The irony is the Mayor has already stolen $4.6 Million of federal HUD Community Development Block Grants ( CDBG) for this pork project. CDBG funds are meant to improve the quality of lives and economic opportunities in low-income communities. Recycling is a critical cottage industry where even the homeless recycle daily to buy themselves a hot meal! The people are asking for “bread’ but this Mayor is forcing “cake” on them.

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When residents further protested with new signs below, the Mayor dispatched city county inspectors to threaten private property owners with a daily $50 fine if they did not remove the signs!

Mayor no damn good

As of this writing, there are three Hawaiian kupuna ( 2 of them in their 80s) resisting Mayor Caldwell in the federal courts now. Federal Judge Leslie Kobayashi is hearing the case.  CV No: 15-00193 LEK-RLP

Additionally, in April 2017, Mayor Kirk Caldwell opened this controversial project up for bids ( for $7M) when the funds have been deleted by the city council!

Residents are thinking that Mayor Kirk Caldwell is employing the same tactics – SUNKEN COST FALLACY – as he does for the Honolulu Rail.  He’s hoping to encumber as much costs as he can, hoping the judge will not take a bold action against his malfeasance.

A citizen should not be surprised at these capricious and nefarious tactics. Whether it’s a huge project like the Honolulu Rail or this relocation project, the same modus operandi  – lies, distractions and retaliations – is implemented.

Honolulu deserves better.

 

 

 

 

 

Honolulu Rail Woes

A few profound issues  jumped out at me as I read the TimeOut Honolulu facebook page about the Honolulu Rail.

What are yours? I’ll highlight mine in green.

No More Tax Extensions! If Rail is over budget – shorten the project at Middle Street!

“The upcoming bids on the project’s airport and city center segments, Grabauskas said, “will make or break the current budget. … We will no longer be estimating or guesstimating.”

HART expects to announce one of the bid results in June, and the other later in the year.”

Despite the political rhetoric surrounding Honolulu’s rail project, all that is certain when it comes to the final price tag: Nobody will know the ultimate cost until at least next January and it could exceed the current $6.6 billion estimate. That was the…
civilbeat.com|By Bob Porterfield

 

COMMENTS:

Royman Arizo
Royman Arizo They are robbing da people of Hawaii…. Dirty politicians, hope da best for ur families Kahuna da people involve May ur decendents reep da suffering dat u put upon others…. Our government iz no good

 

TimeOut Honolulu

TimeOut Honolulu Royman Arizo – please keep the comments G Rated. Send your city council member an email.

 

Terry Sandobal

Terry Sandobal TimeOut Honolulu I see no swearing, so what is it he wrote that is rated R

 

Terry Sandobal

Terry Sandobal TimeOut Honolulu Much mahalo. Was wondering why

 

Royman Arizo

Royman Arizo DIS MASSEGE IZ FOA ALL POLITICIANS…. U R WELCOME

 

Terry Sandobal

Terry Sandobal Royman Arizo your saying what a lot of us are saying , but THEY choose not to hear

 

Darren Chang

Darren Chang Jail these politicians

 

Royman Arizo

Royman Arizo Someone has 2 be accountable…. Sad

 

Charles Stanton

Charles Stanton Royman Arizo No they won’t – until our 1 party political system is rejected by voters. It’s up to you as we’ve given up and are moving to a different state. Aloha oe.

Like · Reply · 1 · 16 hrs

 

Royman Arizo

Royman Arizo Sorry 2 hea dat…. Ahuihoukakou…. Malamapono….. I have no wea 2 go, i am Keiki o ka aina, fight till i die, foa my grandchildrens….. Y would u jump on a sinking ship?

Like · Reply · 1 · 15 hrs

 

Charles Stanton

Charles Stanton Royman Arizo I tried for 15 years, good luck with your fight!

Like · Reply · 1 · 13 hrs

 

TimeOut Honolulu

TimeOut Honolulu This rail project is already over budget at $6.6 billion!!! Going through downtown for 4 miles could cost a billion/mile. The math is simple….. 4+6.6= 10.6, and that’s without those pesky change orders.

 

TimeOut Honolulu

TimeOut Honolulu In 2016 the Federal Government would not allow Honolulu to build rail in these Flood Zones. http://frenzel.us/images/tmaprail.jpg

frenzel.us

 

 

4 Replies · 8 hrs
TimeOut Honolulu

TimeOut Honolulu Look at the map, Bertram, to realize the majority of stations AND necessary ground level support/electricity will be under water if/when we get even a grade 1-2 storm surge! We stand to spend another $4 billion to go 4 miles through town. Are you feeling lucky, and do you think it’s worth returning perhaps SOME fed funds to change the route BEFORE we go downtown?

 

1 Reply
TimeOut Honolulu

TimeOut Honolulu Tell your City Council member how you feel – click on the map where you live and see their phone numbers and emails. http://www.honolulu.gov/council/default.html

Hover over your district to see your Councilmember. District 5 Ann Kobayashi akobayashi@honolulu.gov…
honolulu.gov

 

1 Reply
Royman Arizo

Royman Arizo Timeouts…. Changes a man 😀

Royman Arizo's photo.

 

James O. Quimby

James O. Quimby Apparently they have skipped ahead to Dillingham and bypassed School Street. This is to continue “we are too far along” argument.

 

William Doc Grant

William Doc Grant Caldwell will find out what the price tag is for rail on Election Day.

 

William Doc Grant

William Doc Grant End the HART rail NOW it at Pearlridge! Pull the plug on this crony feeding trough!

 

1 Reply
Chantal Keliihoomalu

Chantal Keliihoomalu That would undermine the whole project

 

Jerry Lam

Jerry Lam The rail will fail. No riders mean we will subsidize it even more. God help us!

 

Jerry Lam

Jerry Lam 68 comments and 48 shares is impressive! Thank you timeout Honolulu!

 

Daniel Howzitboy

Daniel Howzitboy its probably gonna end up costing around 10 bil… think of how much we could have fixed on this island with that much $$. there would be no homeless, no starving people, better schools, cleaner everywhere, better roads….

 

5 Replies
Charles Stanton

Charles Stanton Ironically we finished the Atlas Shrugged trilogy last night. In it the “collectivist/redistribution/for the good of all” language Supreme Leader Thomson used was exactly the same as the Progressives/Crony Capitalists that Rail proponents used in selling this sow’s ear. With the same inept result, lights out! Who is John Gault?

 

Daniel Lalosin

Daniel Lalosin We already have rail…… Like what panos said in the past…… During high traffic hours ues the carpool lane and the contra flow lane for busses only during the morning rush hours and same for the evening rush hours……….”MAKES SENSE”

 

Glen Waterman Escobido

Glen Waterman Escobido I hope the Feds demand a internal investigation , these politicians who voted for this rail should be held accountable, Hawaii at least deserves that.

 

Charles Stanton

Charles Stanton Why do you think that Hanabusa was appointed? I’d guess to stop any investigation via politics, ’cause she sure isn’t any bright civil engineer.

Like · Reply · 2 · 16 hrs

 

Glen Waterman Escobido

Glen Waterman Escobido Too many PILAU politicians, someone needs to clean house

Like · Reply · 4 · 16 hrs · Edited

 

Charles Stanton

Charles Stanton Glen Waterman Escobido Only the voters can do that. And so far they support The Party, so don’t hold your breath. And as an FYI, I’d not look to the HI-GOP either, they were unable to get a simple email corrected after 3 years of complaints.

Like · Reply · 1 · 13 hrs

 

 
Darlene Travis
Darlene Travis Hart is enjoying all the money they soaking from our little state of Hawai’i…
It’s stupid to compare rail in Hawai’i to rail in the mainland metro larger area and massive Japan!! Oahu is way to small for a rail…

Like · Reply · 1 · 5 hrs

 

Roy Aragon

Roy Aragon Not even half way and$10 billion in debt!!! The BOW supply warned them about the water issues many years ago yet they ignored the advice, Hawaiian electric also warned the HART board about the cross lines that needed to be removed to meet compliance EIS requirements. The entire HART board needs to be fired including mayor PRP the ringleader!!

 

Sonny Pascual

Sonny Pascual This is quite EMBARRASSING! All those that pushed this project forward NEEDS to be called out and one by one and answer for this!!!

There’s a paper trail that needs to be followed up on…

Sonny Pascual's photo.

 

1 Reply
Gail S Heidenfeldt-Gali

Gail S Heidenfeldt-Gali Its funny how they encourage people to get registered and vote. They say if you don’t vote, you can’t grumble! Well we vote and we still don’t got a say!!! No wonder people get discouraged to vote!! Yes the people voted for these people who are for thiSee More

 

3 Replies
Cecilia Raymond

Cecilia Raymond Do the Islands a favor and don’t vote for these same money power clowns. They already know the cost. When the vast majority said no to the rail they listened to the minority. Have the ones who said yes am all the politicians who was and is in favor pay for it.

 

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