Ka‘ū News Briefs, Monday, July 4, 2022

Lady Liberty, Uncle Sam & Community Parade through Volcano

Lady Liberty, Uncle Sam and the Hawai'i County Band strolled along Old Volcano Highway on July 4, accompanied by the Hawai'i County Band, political leaders and representatives of churches, performing arts and horse riding groups.

See the Photos by Lina Kolosov

UNITED PUBLIC WORKERS ENDORSED KAI KAHELE FOR GOVERNOR late last week. Kahele described the endorsement as "brave and bold." He noted that UPW "is one of Hawai'i's largest public-sector unions, which stood on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that our government was able to offer critical services to our community throughout the global health crisis."

Merle Becker, in white, from Aikane Plantation Coffee put together the O Ka'u Paniolo
team for the July 4 parade in Volcano. Ikaika Derasin carries the flag. Photo by Lina Kolosov

Lorilee Lorenzo and Ikaika Grace are O Ka'u Paniolo.

Photo by Lina Kolosov

Kahele said, "There is no doubt that our communities are at a crossroads. Our keiki and young families are leaving in droves because our government and leadership have left them behind. Special interests and corporations have pushed out and marginalized the working class — leading to the rich becoming richer while our hard working local families continue to struggle. And yet, politicians continue to stuff their political pockets with high-dollar contributions from big money, corporate donations, outside dollars, and PACs — much like some of the candidates in this race for governor. The candidate said that he is hopeful that "through this endorsement, we can get our community thinking about what matters in this election — that our working people matter in this election. What's at stake is far greater than a political office. Our integrity is at stake. Our local values are at stake. Our future in Hawaiʻi is at stake."
Kahele promised campaign reform as one "of the steps we must take to restore trust in our government and in leadership statewide — including our unions."

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DURING THE JULY 4 WEEKEND, THE STATE'S EMERGENCY POWERS are the topic of an opinion piece by Grassroot Institute of Hawai'i CEO Keli'i Akina. Akana writes:
"This weekend is a time for celebrating the Declaration of Independence, which was the inspiration behind the founding of the United States of America.

Mayor Mitch Roth and his wife Noriko. Photo by Lina Kolosov

"In Hawai'i, this July 4th can be additionally meaningful, as we have the opportunity to defend liberty and uphold the system of political checks and balances embodied in both our national and state constitutions."
Akina noted that last week Gov. David Ige announced his "intent to veto"SB3089, a bill that aims to reform the state's emergency powers law. "The measure would prevent the governor from unilaterally extending states of emergency beyond the statutory limit and imposing orders that conflict with the state Constitution or are not relevant to public safety or health."
Akina pointed out that "the background for such a reform is the more than two years of lockdowns and other extreme government measures related to COVID-19 that we experienced firsthand starting in March 2020, and some of which still linger today. During that long period, we learned about the flaws in the

Grand Marshal Tim Tunison with Dina Kegler and Emma and Jesse Tunison.
Photo by Lina Kolosov

current law, the most notable of which is its automatic termination clause. This section of the law, which plainly says that an emergency shall end after 60 days. was ignored by the governor as he issued supplemental proclamation after supplemental proclamation, extending the initial emergency period seemingly indefinitely.
"But that wasn't the only problem exposed by the unusually long public health-related state of emergency. The governor unilaterally suspended laws and made new ones, if only temporarily, making him into a kind of super-legislator. Combined with his repeated emergency extensions, the result was an unchecked expansion of executive power that could last as long as the governor wanted."
Akina pointed to Malia Hill, one of his colleagues at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, who explained in her January 2021 policy report, Lockdowns vs. Liberty, that a "legislative check on the governor is the

The Village Church with its sanctuary on Wright Road in Volcano. Photo by Lina Kolosov

best way to restore the state's constitutional balance of powers, especially considering the reluctance of the courts to step in and the uncertainty over how they might rule. Changing the law itself will ensure that the people of Hawai'i have a voice in their government during future emergencies."
The Grassroot leader credited the majority of the state legislators in both chambers and said, "They understood the problem posed by the flawed statute and came close to reforming it during their 2021

A patriotic car in the Volcano Parade July 4. Photo by Lina Kolosov

session. During the 2022 session, they tried again and came up with SB3089. This new bill, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, allows the Legislature to terminate an emergency, in whole or in part, by a two-thirds vote. It also states that the governor's emergency powers must be consistent with the Hawaii Constitution, and requires justification for the suspension of laws. Finally, it deals with the question of whether the automatic-termination clause is the final word on ending an emergency or whether the governor can extend an emergency."

Through the roof waving Old Glory. Photo by Lina Kolosov

Akina said that as recently as a few weeks ago, "Ige indicated that he might allow SB3089 to pass. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way he changed his mind and decided to defend the arbitrary and limitless use of executive power in an emergency. SB3089 is hardly the extreme, anti-health-and-safety bill characterized in the governor's press statement. In fact, it bears a strong resemblance to bills passed in other states as a result of their experiences during the coronavirus lockdowns.
Akina contended that "All SB3089 does is correct an oversight in the existing emergency-management statute, which clearly was not crafted to deal with coronavirus-type public health emergencies. It even allows the Legislature to partially end a declared emergency, thereby providing a mechanism for the state to keep receiving and distributing federal aid.
"My hope is that Gov. Ige will change his mind and allow SB3089 to become law. But if he doesn't, the Legislature can vote to override his veto in a special session. A veto override requires a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate. Given that SB3089 passed easily to begin with, there should be enough support to override Ige's veto of the bill. At the same time, however, the Legislature is preoccupied with the state budget bill, and it would be easy for the emergency powers bill to get lost in the shuffle."

State Senator Joy San Buenaventura who represents east Ka'u through Volcano into Puna will run for a new district this election that will not include Ka'u. Photo by Lina Kolosov

Akina said, it's important to let the Legislature know how important this bill is, by calling or sending a letter to your state House and Senate representatives." He recommended going to the "Take Action" page on the Grassroot Institute's website to fill out the necessary information. "The page will help you identify your elected representatives and assist you in crafting a message about SB3089. This is your opportunity to tell your elected officials what you think about this bill and why it is vital to head off or override the governor's veto."
Akina contended that "Two years of "emergency rule" did untold damage to our liberties — and to the economic and social fabric of Hawaii. Let us act now so Hawaii's future generations never have to experience what we most recently had to endure. This Fourth of July weekend, take real action for liberty and let your legislator know why we need to restore the constitutional balance of powers by ensuring that SB3089 becomes law."