http://www.CountryTalkStory.com
Choon James is a real estate broker in Hawaii and has a B.A. in English and TESL as a minor from Brigham Young University - Hawaii. She's the proud mother of four Eagle Scouts and one daughter.
Choon is originally from Singapore. She comes from a family of ten children. Her mother was the second of her father's three wives. In the Chua household, they have Methodists, Catholics, Buddhists, Mormons, atheist and Taoist believers.
"We're fortunate to grow up with diversity. My father’s best friend, Chandra, was a Hindu Indian who spoke Hokkien. My best childhood friends at school were Malay Muslims. We learned to focus on the merits and content very quickly and forget about the superficial exteriors.
Like many in Hawaii, our immediate household is quite chop-suey as well. My husband is a Caucasian born in North Dakota and grew up in Massachusetts. In our immediate household, English, Mandarin, Fijian, Japanese, Hawaiian, Tahitian, French, and Spanish can be spoken.
We love Hawaii. Its diversity and aloha represent the best in all of us!"
Choon's past and present civic involvement includes the following:
Defend Oahu Coalition - Founding member for Grassroots for smart planning
Save Oahu Farmlands - Founding member
Ko'olauloa Sustainable Communities Planning Advisory Committee
Kahuku Hospital Board of Director
Laie Point Community Association President & Board Member
Laie Community Association Board
BYU-Hawaii/CCH Alumni Association President
Sierra Club Member
Refugees Language Tutor Volunteer
Amnesty International Freedom Writer
Friends of "South Pass City", Wyoming, USA
Boy Scouts of America
Host - Country Talk Story - Olelo Public Television
North Shore News columnist
Huffington Post Hawaii Blogger
View all posts by ChoonJames →
We the citizens have watched with horror the escalating mismanagement and runaway costs of the outdated Honolulu Rail Transit project. The Rail project was estimated at $2.7 BILLION in 2006. Today, it’s climbing to $10 Billion, with unknown future costs. Even the Operations & Maintenance (O&M) costs and ridership revenues are unknown. The Rail project is under federal investigations.
Consequently, core services are being undermined while our taxes and fees are escalating. Our property taxes have increased. Our vehicle registrations have increased. Our sewer fees have increased. Mayor Caldwell now wants to even charge us garbage fees. Our mainstream residents will not withstand these escalating costs of living.
More of our people are leaving Hawaii the past two years, due mostly to “high costs of living”. Young parents are holding down two or three jobs to make ends meet only to face more escalating fees and costs. We’re being priced out of our house and home.
Furthermore, we the citizens are angry at the malfeasance, misfeasance, and non-feasance behavior that have been happening at City Hall.
The list of corruption and mismanagement is long! The independent Ethics Commission Director Mr. Chuck Totto was ousted. The Mayor’s chief Corporate Counsel Donna Leong is on paid leave due to federal investigations. The former Honolulu Police Chief Kealoha is on trial at the federal courts. The city’s Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro 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 concerns relating to the Ala Moana Regional Beach Park, the Sherwood Forest in Waimanalo, the cries of residents to have basic clean and well-managed beach parks and other public facilities in all parts of Oahu.
We the citizens see the Mayor’s bad behavior; 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 values and push us out of our homes and island.
Today, let’s take a stand and rise up. We need and want new leadership based honesty and transparency and putting residents first! We don’t need a mayor who disses ordinary people in his city hall kuleana but holds a second job as a Bank Director for $250K a year.
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 need public facilities to be managed well and consistently. We don’t want to have to beg for core services for our communities.
We want to protect Oahu for our children and their future. We want an Oahu where all have the opportunities to work hard and succeed!
We want to live happily in our beautiful island and not be priced out!
Are Taxpayers Paying for Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s Social Media Posts?
What do you think of this facebook post, the day after Thanksgiving 2018?
Have you ever wondered what some of the filtered/deleted comments were in the Mayor’s posts?
I’ve heard Honolulu Residents who are blocked from the Honolulu Mayor’s FB page. Some comments that I’ve read are pretty witty and caustic but to the point. Some are really funny. I think there are always implanted trolls who praise him or his ventures to hyperbolic proportions.
Are we taxpayers paying for these Facebook posts? How many public relations people does the Mayor of Honolulu employ at Honolulu Hale?
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 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.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell Pushes Rail Forward Despite Public Protests
Mayor Kirk Caldwell Touts Bill 42 as a “Historic Bill”. It’s credibly profound that despite relentless and robust public sentiments against the runaway rail project, the Mayor and his
affiliates push on. Below are samples of public sentiments on the Mayor’s facebook page. Comments that are worse are already taken out. Some residents claim the Mayor has blocked them from commenting. It’s also a known fact that the Mayor’s staff and trolls participate in social media to support the Mayor.
The Mayor spends a tremendous amounts of efforts through the social media include FACEBOOK LIVE. Often, he initiates his spat with the Honolulu City Council through press conferences, without first making the effort to reach out to the Council members who are situated a floor below his offices.
Press conference for signing of Bill 42 (2017), CD2 which allows the use of a maximum of $214 million in city general funds for rail. Mayor Caldwell has been pressing City Council leadership to pass the bill since last year.
The $214 million amount was mandated by the state Legislature through the passage of Act 1.
Most Relevant is selected, so some comments may have been filtered out.
Natalie Iwasa · 5:54Mayor Kirk Caldwell The $214 million is NOT the maximum amount city taxpayers will pay. City taxpayers will have to pay for bond finance costs on top of the $214 million.
Cindra Minakami · 2:21that money should be spent on upgrading water mains and sewage systems!! the general fund should be spent on infrastructure upgrades that benefit the general public,NOT that money pit called “rail” that will benefit who?!
Brian Takara · 0:13Sam Wolff What do you think the ridership numbers will look like? Take a look across the country and show me a successfully operated and maintained rail system. Oh and let’s not forget how property taxes and other taxes will be the Kuleana for generations to come.
Janian Thurman · 0:28San Diego has a trolley system that is very well utilized. I rode a bike to the train, took the train to work and back. I loved it! We also used it to football games, baseball games, and down to Mexico and back! It’ll be worth it, it just needs to get done.
Cindra Minakami · 2:21that money should be spent on upgrading water mains and sewage systems!! the general fund should be spent on infrastructure upgrades that benefit the general public,NOT that money pit called “rail” that will benefit who?!
Brian Takara · 0:13Sam Wolff What do you think the ridership numbers will look like? Take a look across the country and show me a successfully operated and maintained rail system. Oh and let’s not forget how property taxes and other taxes will be the Kuleana for generations to come.
Janian Thurman · 0:28San Diego has a trolley system that is very well utilized. I rode a bike to the train, took the train to work and back. I loved it! We also used it to football games, baseball games, and down to Mexico and back! It’ll be worth it, it just needs to get done.
David Espinda · 0:00This is why Some may say Mayor Kirk CrookWell; Because of theses bad decisions and the fact if he had that maybe give teachers a raise without property tax scam. Or fix the cost of living and fix the roads and sewer systems etc.
Dave YesterWhat a shame. Biggest bait and switch scam that I’ve witnessed in my lifetime. It bankrupted many , many businesses that were near construction . Created massive traffic for years and now they want to burden the taxpayers to eternity.
Chuck De FrancisHow do you justify spending at least $10 Billion for a 2% traffic relief? /. Answer : you can’t . The whole thing makes me sick to my stomach . Corruption plain and simple . Seems to me 10 billon would go a long way to helping solve the homeless situation that everyone seems to be so concerned about.
Juniah KayReady to bail out of Hawaii. Oh Hawaii my Hawaii. Skies are blue my money going to the rail. No can live now in my Hawaii I going be homeless cause of Mir is Rail.
Elgin OnagaEveryone please tie a white ribbon around your antenna if you want oppose the rip-off Rail… I’m going to have a big surprise…stay tuned, pass the word
Rick JohannElgin Onaga – they started the thing out in the middle of nowhere so that it would look like smooth sailing. They even lied about it going to the west side. I used to live on the west side, Kapolei isn’t the west side. We have already been horribly screwed by the construction up til now. Imagine what downtown is going be like for 5-10 years (at least).
Nattie NIcolasokay, using city funds… what about unfinished business with the homeless, people with fixed income, etc., what will they get? NOTHING! WHY USE MONEY THAT IS ALREADY RESERVED? just dont understand these people that were voted in!
Choon JamesAGENDA
SPECIAL MEETING
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2018
9:00 A.M.
AFOR ACTION
1. RESOLUTION 18-240 – WAIVER OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE REVISED CHARTER. Waiving the provisions of the Revised Charter of the City and Countyof Honolulu in order to allow the City to provide $44 million in City moneys to the
Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation for expenses related to the Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project.
Norrin LauThank you for getting the word out on our corrupt goverment….thinking of their own pockets first…not thinking of our children and the good of everyone else. Free money is never free.
Anthony CatekistaHow many more times will the Rail be bailed out using funds that could be used in areas more in need..How much more will Caldwell and other crooks make by these decisions to back a leaking dam(rail), and what will happen when the dam bursts..
Ihor BaskoMeanwhile….Car and truck sales increase while road space decreases and traffic continues to be nightmare as well as our taxes. Time to get the Tar and Feathers ready
Preeda KodaniI love Hawaii and I would never move even with this rail fisico. But the people need to wake up and start voting all these career politicians out of office. Please don’t keep voting the same people back in because there your uncle or your aunty or your…See More
Tony WoodIT’s not about the traffic…Never has been. It’s about getting rich and paying off the Union vote. I’m just sitting here waiting patiently for the FBI to begin their investigation…then we’ll have lot’s of openings for new prison guards.
Lana Ululani RobbinsIt is bad news for elderly living on a fixed income, kanaka maoli as as a group we are economically disadvantaged, and the next generations who will be forever enslaved by the Federal Reserve. I wish former Governor Cayetano would come out of his compound again 😩
Laniloa Point aka “Laie Point” in Laie, Oahu is a peninsula that juts into the ocean.
The peninsula rises to higher elevation (40-45 feet) at the Laie Point Lookout. A small part of the Peninsula is connected at ground level by Clissolds Beach aka Bikini Beach. However, most of the Point peninsula drop into the ocean waters with no sandy beach below.
Several Point properties have carved steps on the 40-feet shoreline setback in their backyards to gain access to the ocean waters.
On October 1, 2018 a resident was walking along Clissolds Beach and noticed huge quantities of fresh naupaka foliage with its roots washed up along the shores. She had not seen this the day before. It was estimated that this cliff collapse triggered at 55-064 Naupaka Street happened in the early morning of October 1, 2018.
I live next door to this property. My house is the one on the far right. We built this home with our mason friend, Wahanui Elkington and other construction friends about 25 years ago.
Our next door neighbors then (subject white roof house with safety netting) were friendly and open. It was just the two of them senior citizens. They let the surrounding neighborhood children visit them at will. She loved children. They had a grand piano. They had a small Koi pond. We visited often. He even showed me the natural fissure in their shoreline set back and suggested carving steps to access to the waters below, together. We both didn’t do anything about it. She passed away first. Her husband later sold the property in 2007 to the current owner from California.
This property would turn into an Airbnb vacation rental. Many illegal vacation rental impacts problems ensued.
We would be subjected to loud partying, be woken up by loud quarrels and so on. Their hot tub was first situated next to our yard boundary but would later be relocated even closer to the ocean. There would then be a fire pit with smoke coming our way.
We would hear jack-hammering. Sometimes I would even hear jack-hammering in the darkness but it would stop after I turned on our deck porch lights. These hammering, chipping, terracing and fillings into the 40 feet shoreline set back began around 2012. I heard the jack hammering and also felt the vibrations through the years.
As recently as last month, a local fisherman attested to hammering activities then in facebook comments. The local fisherman also commented he was told he was not allowed to fish from the cliff ledge.
Another local fisherman commented he could no longer fish there because of the cliff collapse. His fishing spot has disappeared. There was a parameter foot path along the cliff ledge where local fishermen used. That path is now cut short.
Airbnb Guest reviews in 2013 also reveal the “carving” into the 40 feet setback on the cliff for a hot tub and other amenities to be closer to the ocean.
Photos of the Airbnb vacation rental website, closed as of October 14, 2018, also showed the encroachments and placement of amenities into the 40-feet shoreline setback.
Through the years, the operators – Eric Orr – Property Manager, of this illegal vacation rental encroached and violated Hawaii’s 40-feet shoreline setback. These continuing encroachments into the 40-feet shoreline set back crept closer and closer to the edge of the cliff and ocean.
I emailed the property owner who lives at Dana Point, California about this cliff collapse on October 1, 2018. His response was that it was an “erosion”. He said to contact his property manager who also claimed “erosion” and that he was in no way responsible for the cliff collapse. Their seven Airbnb online websites for Laie have been discontinued as of October 14, 2018.
As of October 15, 2018, the Honolulu City and County Department of Planning and Permitting has issued a NOTICE OF VIOLATION to the owners in California – “Development work within the 40-ft shoreline setback, but not limited to, including a CMU fish pond, hot tub, and a circular stone fire pit-type structure are to be removed“ and so forth.
The Notice of Violation also stated for owners to “Restore the area immediately. . .”
How does one restore the irreparable carved out cliff top and portions of the collapsed cliff?
What is the relevance of the 40-feet shoreline set back in Hawaii?
What do you think? Is it Erosion or did the 40-feet shoreline set back violations through years of jack hammering, terracing, fillings, and other activities to get closer and closer to the waters contributed to the cliff collapse into the ocean?
Additional Photos Taken October 3, 2018
Photos below expose the leveled area, fillings, and missing retaining wall at the trigger spot of the cliff collapse.
Photos below show portions of a natural vertical fissure (left) in this property.
October 17, 2018 Photos Taken BELOW Portions of the leveled area/retaining wall collapsed into the waters. A new bamboo screen and other accessories are seen. New palm frond debris now cover the surface edge of collapsed cliff top.
The hot tub below has been lifted up from its position onto the fire pit area, exposing grading on cliff surface inside the 40-feet shoreline setback. Other portions have further been terraced and leveled towards the ocean.
1-29-2013 Laie Point Google Image (below) showed a “fisherman’s foot path” along the cliff’s edge known to locals.
April 2017 These images below were shared on YouTube, showing sprawl towards the natural fissure in the 40-feet shoreline setback.
UPDATE: Property Manager Eric Orr later contacted Honolulu City and County DPP Inspector: On Tue, Oct 23, 2018 at 12:59 PM Hirano, Lester <lhirano@honolulu.gov> wrote:
Good afternoon, Choon,
Thanks for the heads-up concerning the edge of the cliff. I really appreciate your concern for our safety and I’ll be careful not to get too close to the edge!
This morning I received a call from the agent/tenant, Eric Orr who admitted to jackhammering the cliff side in order to carve out a stairway to the rocks at the base of the cliff.
Therefore, since Eric admitted to doing the jackhammering and causing the collapse, the City will now be working on creating a notice of violation to the owner and tenant for causing the cliff side collapse.
Just FYI, I have made an appointment to meet with Eric at the property this Friday at 2pm. In order to observe the progress he’s made in removing the items within the shoreline setback which the City cited him for.
And thank you as well for offering even further assistance than you already have in the form of additional drone flights. The photos you provided from previous drone flights were extremely useful in pinpointing the problem areas of the subject property.
I’ll let you know when and how the City will be taking action against the owner and agent as soon as I confer with the other DPP planners.”
The Public, fishermen, neighbors and community have yet to receive a response from those responsible – no apologies for destroying a natural resource for their profits; no apologies for destroying the local fishermen’s path; no apologies for destroying our land area. The State of Hawaii needs to tighten the laws and treat this as a crime for those who INTENTIONALLY violate the shoreline management setback laws for their illegal profits and greed and no respect for the aina.
Column: Not all ‘investment real property’ owners are wealthy
By Choon James
September 18, 2018
Updated September 17, 2018 6:44pm
An investor landlord incurs many expenses, including monthly mortgage payments, flood, hurricane, fire and liability insurances, maintenance/repair costs, appliance replacements, and utilities.
“Shall the legislature be authorized to establish, as provided by law, a surcharge on investment real property to be used to support public education?”
Voters will have the opportunity to vote on that proposed constitutional amendment this November. Unfortunately, this open-ended language provides unfettered taxing powers to the state on ambiguous “investment” real property.
Up to now, only counties are authorized powers to collect real property taxes.
Even then, it’s a fallacy that every investment property owner is wealthy and thus, low-hanging fruit for taxation.
Many “investors” are self-employed residents. They lead frugal lives and sacrifice in order to purchase an investment property. They have mortgages with monthly payments. They doggedly work on their fixer-uppers. While others take vacations to Las Vegas, they are home fixing or improving.
Their investment property is their retirement benefit. And let’s not forget, the benchmark used by Honolulu County for double tax on investment or Residential “A” is $1 million (an amount easily reached).
Since this constitutional amendment is a Hawaii State Teachers Association initiative, let’s use a public school teacher as example: Teachers have a guaranteed monthly salary, including a long summer, spring, Christmas and holiday breaks. Teachers generally get annually 18 days of paid sick leave that can be accumulated throughout their tenure. Each school year has 189 curriculum days. Teachers generally receive 80/20 EUTF medical benefits. At retirement, teachers could receive a $1,000 monthly pension, more or less, depending on the rate of pay and length of service.
On the other hand, an independent or retired property “investor” has no guaranteed fixed income, and no benefits like medical, pension or holidays.
In fact, the demands on an investor landlord are 24/7/365. The alternative is to hire a property manager who charges 12 percent of gross rental income.
An investor landlord incurs many expenses, including monthly mortgage payments, flood, hurricane, fire and liability insurances, maintenance/repair costs, appliance replacements, and utilities. Expenses can often include absorbing unpaid rents, legal fees to evict delinquent tenants, or costs for property damages.
Allow me to highlight just three categories of “investors” to present another perspective to this taxation issue. Not every investor is wealthy; many are trying to survive, just like our teachers:
>> Investor A is retired and depends on his second home income to help him and his wife in their retirement years. Both their million-dollar homes (on paper) need repairs and maintenance that they cannot afford right now. If they had to be in a care home, they’re hoping that the rental income could help. Currently, they’re barely making ends meet and worry about being priced out of house and home with increasing fees and taxes.
>> Investor B is now working on the mainland. He cannot find a comparable job in his field here. They want to come home eventually but they can’t afford to, yet. They’re renting their mortgaged home to a local family long-term. Their shack is now over the $1 million valuation, triggering increased “Residential A” taxes. They reluctantly will have to raise rents soon.
>> Investor C is a self-employed young man with construction skills. He maintains a million-dollar (on paper) second home that he fixes up through sweat equity. He depends on this rental income to pay his two mortgages, support himself and his growing family. They have no other income or benefits like medical or pensions for themselves and their children.
Most Hawaii’s residents, including such investors, are trying to make ends meet. Can we see strict fiscal discipline and tightening of waste and spending in our government before more taxes are imposed? Otherwise, more locals will be priced out of Hawaii.
Aloha Honorable Chair City Council Ernie Martin (District 2), Ikaika Anderson, Carol Fukunaga, Ron Menor, Kymberly Pine, Brandon Elefante, Ann Kobayashi, Trevor Ozawa, and Joey Manahan.
During the Primary Elections campaign for your seat, ALL four candidates – Robert Bobby Bunda, Dave Burlew, Choon James, Heidi Tsuneyoshi have publicly stated that they are for agricultural lands preservation. Particularly, at the Hauula Candidates Forum and the Kahuku Candidates Forum, the question was asked directly about Bill 1. ALL candidates stated that they were against the alleged 200 homes proposed on so-called “North Laie”. They were against expanding the community growth boundaries between Laie and Malaekahana, a subdistrict of Kahuku. Unless the candidates are lying to get votes, this reflects each candidate’s position.
Additionally, the most robust indication of the general population’s sentiments can be found in Senator Gil Riviere’s position on Bill 1 ( aka Bill 47 or Bill 53). Senator Riviere has consistently testified in person at City Council hearings in support of Bill 1 aka Bill 47 and aka Bill 53, without further amendments to expand the boundary growth into the agricultural Malaekahana area. Senator Riviere has been clear and precise. There is no ambiguity in his actions or words through the years as the Senator for this district. He most recently received a strong 67% of the public vote on August 11, 2018. This reflects a mandate from the people of this area.
During the past two short months that I myself have campaigned for your City Council seat for District 2, I received the same feedback from our residents.
While I could not quickly share the record of my decades old advocacy and civic activism to garner enough votes in Wahiawa and Mililani Mauka this primary elections, I have again received the confirmation that our residents in District 2 and all over Oahu want to KEEP THE COUNTRY COUNTRY! And it’s not because they are against housing.
They do not want to see the entire island of Oahu paved over and turned into a parking lot. The other issue that is consistently brought up is the costs of living and traffic. Your residents are fed-up and up-in- arms about the Laniakea traffic that destroys their quality of life with daily frustrations and angst of traffic jam. Residents are fed-up with having to work two or three jobs to keep up with the rising fees, taxes and other costs.
From Kahalu’u to Hale’iwa, our small communities are connected by the 100 year old 2 lane Kamehameha Hwy. They are angry that the politicians who supposedly represent them are not considering the carrying capacity of infrastructures in our rural communities and yet continue to lure more and more tourists into the area. They are not happy that farm lands are disappearing and displaced with homes that they cannot afford. No one is against housing but most are leery of gentrification where the most affluent will chase the less affluent out of this region.
As you know, the Ko’olauloa Sustainable Communities Plan has been in limbo as Bill 47, Bill 53 and Bill 1 for the nearly past eight (8) years that you have been in office.
Many of us find it highly unfair and unethical for you, as it appears, to now want to push this Bill 1 through at the very last few months of your tenure as the City Council man for this district.
This Ko’olauloa Sustainable Communities Plan has been in limbo for nearly 8 years; what’s the problem with waiting for a few more months for the new city council member to more fully address it. After all, your staff, Heidi Tsuneyoshi, city council member-elect, has publicly stated her position AGAINST it at various public forums during the campaign.
I submit that there are more questions than answers to the latest Hawaii Reserves, Inc (HRI) proposal in Bill 1. It has not been veted by the community of Laie or at large. Residents-at-large are opposed to sacrificing their quality of life to appease the economic goals of HRI. This include many residents of Laie. If I were the council member-elect, I would engage directly with the residents first, without HRI or its staunch supporter LCA, present.
Laie residents have relevant questions like whether it’s fee simple or leasehold, rental or outright ownership?
Who will be eligible for these homes? Laie or Ko’olauloa region?
What other developments and amenities are in the works not yet revealed and so forth.
Because Mr. Eric Beaver of HRI refused to provide pertinent specifics in writing, who is to say that “affordable housing” could not be cancelled again in the future? It happened in 2008 after HRI raised the hopes and dreams of Laie residents for decades:
“Feasibility estimates pose an unacceptable risk at this time,” Beaver said in the statement. “Cost of the entitlement process, current market and political conditions, moderate community support, and other nearby residential development plans were key factors in our decision to stop the project.
Beaver told The Advertiser yesterday that a combination of factors would have resulted in homes that would cost more than the citizens who were to benefit from it could pay.”
As a matter of public policy, BIll 1 cannot be solely for Envision Laie. Laie is not an island. It has to be ENVISION KO’OLAULOA or even ENVISION NORTH SHORE because Hale’iwa, Pupukea, Sunset Beach, Kahuku, Lai’e, Hau’ula, Punalu’u, Kahana, Ka’a’awa, Kualoa, Wai’ahole, and Kahalu’u are all connected by the same arterial 100-year-old 2-lane country road named “Kamehameha Highway”. The multiplier impacts of this public policy that contradict the existing Oahu General Plan and the Ko’olauloa Sustainable Communities Plan are severe and significant.
Furthermore, may I respectfully urge you to leave a wonderful legacy of protecting the welfare and happiness of our Residents First. My campaign platform of placing a cap on property taxes for local residents who have lived in their homes for 15 years or more is urgently needed. Our senior residents who live on fixed income and social security are afraid of being priced out of house and home. They want to be able to pass on their generational home to their children. This can be done if there is political will. California had their Proposition 13 in 1978. What are we waiting for?
During the course of the campaign, your staff and candidate Heidi Tsuneyoshi also quickly adopted my idea. I consider imitation as the best form of flattery. Certainly, there must be consensus and recognition at this point in time that this is a much-needed action to take to protect our residents. I would be most happy to work with you and all our city council members to begin this process.
I sincerely wish you well in your future endeavors and compliment you for running for the highly-contested race for House of Congress. Please adopt Bill 1 as originally proposed by City Councilman Ikaika Anderson on January 2017 or defer Bill 1 to 2019 for the new city councilwoman-elect Heidi Tsuneyoshi who has stated her opposition to this recent new amendment on her campaign trail.
Mahalo!
Choon James
ChoonJames Hawaii@gmail.com
Choon James has been a successful small businesswoman for 30 years. She’s happily married to her PhD husband for 40 years and mother of four Eagle Scouts and one princess. She has been a long-time community advocate for good government and private property rights. She has also been an activist for Environmental, Social, and Economic Justice. She also works on their family organic farm. She self-financed her recent City Council campaign with no funds from lobbyists or corporations.
Previous elected office, if any: Community Associations
Community organizations/prior offices held
Chair, Defend Oahu Coalition – Keep The Country Country; president, BYU-Hawaii Alumni Association; president, Laie Point Community Association; board member, Laie Community Association; founding member, Kahuku Hospital Board, Save Oahu Farmlands Alliance; member, Honolulu Board of Realtors; producer, Olelo Community Media; member, Hawaii Thousand Friends; member, Sierra Club; member, Ko’olauloa Sustainable Communities Advisory Planning Committee; member, Amnesty International; member, Friends of South Pass City; member, Relief Society Women’s Organization; merit badge counselor, Aloha Council BSA.
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I’m a citizen candidate. I do not accept donations from lobbyists or corporations. I owe nobody favors or fear except to work with you residents to improve some basic challenges facing us.
I have severe concerns about the direction that Honolulu is heading. We cannot continue to fund the runaway Honolulu Rail without firm fiscal scrutiny and accountability. I’m volunteering myself as an able and trained alternative to “business as usual” politics.
You can rely on my decades-old record of activism and advocacy. I have been consistent. I maintain a world-view outlook. But I also recognize that we live on a small island.
Additionally, my profession as a real estate broker allows me to work with people from all walks of life and status. We treat every client with care and respect. Should there be a challenge, we quickly and methodically address them with all parties and professionals concerned and find solutions to the benefit of all.
I have great confidence we can tackle Oahu’s challenges together! It doesn’t matter if we’re young or old, rich or poor, Democrat or Republican, military or civilian, unionized or not – – we all have the same dreams for ourselves and our children. We can be fair and reasonable in decision-making; we can all win! There are solutions to the challenges on our island home.
You the residents have valuable local knowledge and wisdom to share. Many of us also have international experience, professionally combed the world, and 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.
Let’s gang up for the public good! I humbly ask for YOUR vote.
Previous elected office, if any: Community Associations.
Community organizations/prior offices held
Chair, Defend Oahu Coalition – Keep The Country Country; president, BYU-Hawaii Alumni Association; president, Laie Point Community Association; board member, Laie Community Association; founding member, Kahuku Hospital Board, Save Oahu Farmlands Alliance; member, Honolulu Board of Realtors; producer, Olelo Community Media; member, Hawaii Thousand Friends; member, Sierra Club; member, Ko’olauloa Sustainable Communities Advisory Planning Committee; member, Amnesty International; member, Friends of South Pass City; member, Relief Society Women’s Organization; merit badge counselor, Aloha Council BSA.
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I’m a citizen candidate. I do not accept donations from lobbyists or corporations. I owe nobody favors or fear except to work with you residents to improve some basic challenges facing us.
I have severe concerns about the direction that Honolulu is heading. We cannot continue to fund the runaway Honolulu Rail without firm fiscal scrutiny and accountability. I’m volunteering myself as an able and trained alternative to “business as usual” politics.
You can rely on my decades-old record of activism and advocacy. I have been consistent. I maintain a world-view outlook. But I also recognize that we live on a small island.
Additionally, my profession as a real estate broker allows me to work with people from all walks of life and status. We treat every client with care and respect. Should there be a challenge, we quickly and methodically address them with all parties and professionals concerned and find solutions to the benefit of all.
I have great confidence we can tackle Oahu’s challenges together! It doesn’t matter if we’re young or old, rich or poor, Democrat or Republican, military or civilian, unionized or not – – we all have the same dreams for ourselves and our children. We can be fair and reasonable in decision-making; we can all win! There are solutions to the challenges on our island home.
You the residents have valuable local knowledge and wisdom to share. Many of us also have international experience, professionally combed the world, and 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.
Let’s gang up for the public good! I humbly ask for YOUR vote.
Previous elected office, if any: Community Associations
Community organizations/prior offices held
Chair, Defend Oahu Coalition – Keep The Country Country; president, BYU-Hawaii Alumni Association; president, Laie Point Community Association; board member, Laie Community Association; founding member, Kahuku Hospital Board, Save Oahu Farmlands Alliance; member, Honolulu Board of Realtors; producer, Olelo Community Media; member, Hawaii Thousand Friends; member, Sierra Club; member, Ko’olauloa Sustainable Communities Advisory Planning Committee; member, Amnesty International; member, Friends of South Pass City; member, Relief Society Women’s Organization; merit badge counselor, Aloha Council BSA.
What are the top three challenges facing the voters you seek to represent?
District 2 is the most diversified and largest land area in the City Council. We span rural communities from Kahalu’u to Wahiawa to an award-winning planned community in Mililani Mauka. We have wonderful residents!
1. Costs of Living & Housing – Hawaii is such a beautiful place with a stable political environment that does not discriminate real estate ownership; our local residents have to compete with international investors for real estate holdings. Increased property values and property taxes outpace many residents’ fixed social security and income. Our residents are feeling priced out on so many different levels.
Many work 2-3 jobs to make ends meet and sustain themselves. Our young people have to resort to exchange babysitting in parking lots on the way to work! Kupuna are worried about sustaining themselves in their golden years and passing on the family home to their children.
Most of us work very hard to make a living.
The government must deliberate carefully before imposing escalating fees and taxes on our people. Residents are not eternal money trees.
2. Quality of Life Ko’olauloa and North Shore is the Oahu’s golden goose for tourism. While residents are welcoming, the quality of life must be considered. Residents are overwhelmed by the increased amount of tourists. Tourism’ multiplier impacts on our infrastructure and public space are real. Traffic is a constant aggravation. The one hundred- year-old Kamehameha Highway, parks, other finite natural resources and other municipal services have to be considered into policy-making and deliberations .
3. Economic Opportunities This cash economy is leaving many of our residents behind. Homelessness is on the rise in our District. We have homeless camping in the streets, mountains, and other public places. This is not good for them and not good for the public. The world is changing. Jobs that are here today will not be here tomorrow.
Fortunately, we have very successful residents who are willing to help and share. As a city councilwoman for my District, I will also focus on this area – to help our residents explore start-ups, resources, education and options to lift ourselves and our families to the countless opportunities out there for economic gain.
Let’s gang up for the public good! I humbly ask for YOUR vote.
