Ka‘ū News Briefs, Thursday, April 16, 2020

FULL CALABASH FUND has been launched by The Kohala Center and a group of Hawai`i food systems practitioners. "In Hawai'i, when an 'umeke or a calabash was full, it was a sign of strong relationships, knowledge, and resource abundance held within our communities," says a statement from The Kohala Center. "The Full Calabash Fund reminds us of the honor that comes from the generous exchanges of gifts, including time, energy, and food."
      With initial funding from The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Frost Family Foundation, and The Johnson Ohana Foundation, the fund will support Hawaiʻi's community-based organizationsnmilne@kohalacenter.org. Information for prospective applicants will be available online in early May.
that are purchasing food from local farmers, ranchers, and food producers and providing food to community members in need. For more information or to donate to the Full Calabash Fund, contact Nicole Milne, TKC's vice president of food and agriculture initiatives, at 808-987-9210 or

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LILIU'OKALANI TRUST SHARES THE KUIKUU OLA resource for individual and 'ohana well-being. Kūkulu Kumuhana is a well-being framework, developed by Kānaka Maoli and others for the lāhui and all who live in Hawaiʻi. It is a transformative model to be utilized by families and communities for holistic well-being. This fact sheet shares tips and ideas for self care, ʻohana care, and community care.

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Volunteer firefighter Lizie Stabo and Terry-Lee Shibuya help with  Food Basket distribution in Ocean View.

THE FOOD BASKET DELIVERED 14 DAYS of food to make meals on Tuesday at its staging place across from St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View. The Food Basket gave drive-up family members an amount of food based on the number of persons they reported in their families.
    The next Food Basket distribution will be in Nāʻālehu at Sacred Heart Church at 95-558 Mamālahoa Hwy. Called the  Loaves and Fishes program, it will take place Thursday, April 23 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Call 928-8208.
     The next Food Basket distribution in Pāhala will be at Kaʻū District Gym at 96-1149 Kamani Street, with help from the ʻO Kaʻū Kākou Pantry, on Thursday, April 30 at 11:30 a.m. Call 933-6030.

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FORESIGHT, NOT HINDSIGHT, SHOULD BE OUR GOAL is the title of the latest opinion piece from Gary Hooser, founder of Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action. The former state Senator. He writes:

     2020 vision and decisive action by our state legislature is needed now more than ever. Hawaiʻi cannot afford to wait until 2021.

Food Basket volunteers  at Ocean View. Photos from Terry-Lee Shibuya

     The State House and Senate have each convened a "Special Committee on COVID-19." Ostensibly, the mission and goal of each committee is to monitor and review the pandemics' economic impacts, and the executive branch's management of the situation. Unfortunately, neither committee provides an opportunity for public input or testimony. Citizen input is a valuable and necessary component of any successful information gathering process and should be welcomed, not prohibited.

     It would seem that by now, both legislative committees have done their due diligence and that our legislature at some point soon will actually begin legislating. Whether the 2020 Session reconvenes in May and/or extends into a special session in June or even July, the work can and should begin now.

     Word on the street however, is that leadership in the House and Senate is considering simply
putting everything off until January of 2021. Apparently, they are thinking to "gavel in" the session around May 1, schedule a handful of hearings necessary to pass and fund Grant-In-Aid (GIA) requests and Capital Improvement Projects (CIP), and put off all other work until 2021.

     Needless to say, I believe adjourning without addressing the many critical issues facing our community now, would be a gross failure of legislative leadership. There is much work to be done and no valid reason why the legislature cannot do it, this year.

     Legislators can and should be doing the nitty-gritty work now, remotely. Just as the COVID-19 Special Committees are meeting, so can other committees of the House and Senate. Proposed bill language can be discussed remotely with experts and stakeholders, and possible amendments refined.

Officer Dane Shibuya helps with the rainy day distribution of food in Ocean View from The Food Basket.

     At some point in the coming few months, Hawaii will start reopening both business and government. The legislature could then be reconvened and extended into June or July as may be needed. There is no shortage of legislative "vehicles" (bills), and the appropriate public hearings could be held to comply with open government laws and avoid issues associated with "gut and replace."

     Hawaiʻi needs more than just a blanket approval of so-called "shovel ready" projects and pending Grant-In-Aid funding.

     There are many issues that simply cannot wait until 2021.

     The state budget must be massively readjusted in order to deal with the financial realities of tax revenue grinding to a halt as economic activity does the same. This process deserves and requires active legislative participation. Hiding on the sidelines – sheltered from the political ramifications of the hard choices while leaving the governor hanging out to dry – is not acceptable.

     Nearly 25 percent of Hawaiʻi's workers are now unemployed. Without employment, most are also now without health insurance. Whether through an expansion of Med-Quest or via other means, our legislature must develop and fund health coverage for these workers.

     In order to fully reopen our economy, incoming travelers must be screened and tested for COVID-19. A statewide screening and testing program must be established with appropriate personnel hired and trained to implement it. This requires legislative action.

     It is essential that worker rights be protected during the economic recovery period and beyond. Recently laid-off workers must be given first preference to return to their former jobs under the same terms that were previously held. The government must not allow nor reward businesses who attempt a shift to part-time, no health insurance, lower-wage workers.

     The EITC and other tax credits aimed at low income working people along with the minuscule increase in the minimum wage must be preserved and passed into law. Our state budget must not be balanced on the backs of low income working people.

     The fragility of our food supply chain has become more apparent than ever. Providing both public policy and tangible financial support to local farmers growing food for local consumption is crucially important and should not have to wait until 2021. Our farmers need help now.

Hawiian Electric is replacing utility 180 poles in Volcanoes National Park and along Hwy 11 toward Pahala. This photo shows workers at a road inside the park, changing a pole. Essential workers are allowed to carry out their duties during the Stay-at-Home directive from local and state government. Photo from Hawaiian Electric

     Emergency funding could and should be used to support "remote access" that will allow all residents access to the legislative process and meaningful public participation, regardless of where they reside. According to the National Council on State Legislatures , Alaska began holding remote hearings for residents in 1978. In 2014, more than 4,000 citizens participated remotely in 5,000 hours of legislative teleconferences. Here in the islands, Hawaiʻi County and Maui County both allow residents to testify via teleconference from remote locations. Given the COVID-19 limitations on "social distancing" and other "stay-at-home" rules, now more than ever, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature needs to make universal remote access a reality.

     GIA funding should be substantially increased and new applications from entrepreneurs focused on food-self sufficiency, import-substitution, recycling, economic diversification, and job creation should be encouraged. Construction projects should be funded only if they truly meet the needs of the community, and are genuine "shovel ready," rather than just pet projects located in some influential legislators district.

     Waiting until 2021 to tackle these and many other issues facing our state would be an unequivocal failure in leadership. I am hopeful and cautiously optimistic that those elected to high office, will not let us down.