Priorities
Public Safety
We have all heard of, or perhaps even been the victim of, vicious crimes occurring in our neighborhood. The frequency is unsettling, especially as current leaders have provided no reason to believe the issue will be getting any better. The strongest bill to pass regarding crime in 2024 had to do with habitual violent crime (SB2347). But three individuals should not need to become victims for consequences to strengthen. Our criminal justice system is in many ways failing, from unforced laws to a lenient judicial branch. Though with increased emphasis on two areas -- deterrence and diversion -- we can make large strides in ensuring safety and allow the greatest number of citizens to be contributing, law-abiding members of society.
DETERRENCE
To be honest, there are times it is hard to wonder why someone wouldn't commit a crime. We have all seen news reports discussing a recent offense, with the culprit having a record of dozens of prior convictions. Law-abiding citizens deserve to know there are stiffer deterrents in place. With an understaffed police force and a corrections system in serious need of resources, it is no surprise incidents are occurring on our streets, day and night.
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In many cases, it is impossible to separate conversations regarding crime from other factors such as mental illness, substance abuse, and homelessness. Yet, many of our resources are reserved for those who have already committed a crime, rather than intervening in a manner that could prevent the act from ever occurring in the first place.
Deterrence measures are an underutilized tool in our state.
In order to use this means to full effect, we must have a fully operational and staffed police force and focus deeply on treatment, both voluntary and involuntary, for those with mental illness or addiction.
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DIVERSION
Our Department of Public Safety was recently renamed the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation -- and for good reason.
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While the message should always be that with crime comes punishment, that does not mean we cannot use offense as an opportunity to correct and rehabilitate where time served is not enough to set an individual on a better path.
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It is important for us to expand programs for mentally ill defendants to enter community treatment in lieu of jail. In a recent pilot, 76% individuals who received mental health treatment as opposed to simple jail time were not arrested again following release. This is compared to our general 52% repeated offense rate.
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We must implement approaches like these which actually correlate an offender's root problem with a better-tailored solution. As we can see from our currently hit or miss recidivism rates, investing in diversion is how we will finally attain long-lasting results and close the revolving door of offense.
COST OF LIVING
It breaks my heart to hear the financial burdens straits faced by so many. For those in my age group, breaking even on a monthly basis is the new definition of being financially sound. Homeownership is drastically out of reach while a night out to eat can feel like a splurge. Of my closest childhood friends, all born and raised in our state, not one still lives in Hawaii less than a decade following high school graduation. Coming as little surprise, cost of living is the primary reason for their being unable to move back home. Those of us still toughing it out are reluctantly subjecting ourselves to conditions that are increasingly unbearable, exhibited by the thousands of residents each year making the tough choice to give up the struggle and move elsewhere.
Countless policies work to bankrupt our people as they simply try to survive. In the last three years working in our State Legislature, it has been incredibly frustrating to see the lack of recognition that our state is in a cost of living crisis. We must aggressively pursue reductions in numerous areas and pledge to not increase the cost of living by another penny until the average, hardworking family can comfortably afford the price of paradise.
Fiscal Transparency
Our state's budget is extremely complicated to dissect. From funding coming from a wide variety of sources before going towards countless uses, it is impossible for any of us to keep track of how our hard-earned tax dollars are being spent.
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This inability to "follow the money" is even worse when we hear of blatant mismanagement of funds, high-profile faux pas, and excessive dollar amounts for what should be simple projects.
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Moving forward, legislation must indicate its financial impacts and dollar amounts cannot wait until the 11th hour to be inserted. Rather than blindly pouring money down the drain, performance indicators such as return on investment and measures of effectiveness should be conditions for continued funding. And most importantly, the average taxpayer should be entitled to explore how state funds are being spent through an online financial database.
Housing
For the vast majority of us, the purchase of a home is the largest investment we will ever make. Though the ability to own a home is becoming impossible for countless hard-working residents as prices soar to unbelievable levels.
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While recent attempts to create an affordable housing market for our local people have been rejected due to anticipated illegalities, we have no choice but to think creatively and ensure a median income is enough to buy a mere modest home.
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Additionally, there must be more action taken to address our tight land-use and zoning requirements, as well as our permitting process that takes 3 times longer than the national average in order to reduce current hindrances affected our housing supply, which raise demand and by extension prices.
UTILITIES & infrastructure
Though often overlooked, infrastructure is one of our state government's most important responsibilities. The gears that make our society run can be the difference between prosperity and catastrophe, yet these vital components are lacking attention and funding which in many cases are decades overdue. Some elements may bring about daily concern, such as pothole-ridden roadways, while others are less undetected, such as a dam with a high likelihood of causing disaster. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, as of 2019 our State scored a D+ in terms of infrastructure condition, meaning many elements are approaching their end of life and are at a strong risk of failure. It is imperative that remedying such hazards is top-of-mind, as failure to prepare is simply preparing to fail. We must bring our core infrastructure up to satisfactory levels, and also plan for consistent maintenance and upgrades.
ENERGY
The future of Hawaii’s energy grid is at a pivotal point. Our state is marching towards a 2045 100% renewable energy goal, sacrificing grid resiliency, energy mix diversification, affordability, and decision-making based in feasibility in the process.
In the pursuit to be first-in-the-world energy leaders, we are making impractical changes to our electric supply, with customers left to pay the price both with highest in the nation electric bills and increasingly frequent blackouts.
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Our leaders must be more discerning in their policies. We cannot leave our people in the dark while expecting them to pay high bills and we cannot force our energy industry to blindly abide by goals they know are ultimately unfeasible.
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In addition, most of our state has put all our eggs in Hawaiian Electric's basket, which now faces dire financial and legal straits. At this point in time, it is vital that we stabilize the future of the industry and take steps to shield ourselves from future vulnerability.
OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE CONCERNS
With a growing population and increasing density, we will only continue to see the effects of aging infrastructure accelerate.
From bridges to dams and drinking water to wastewater, funding for upgrades, repair, and maintenance are lacking, while large sums of money that have been appropriated remain unspent or squandered.
Seeking higher infrastructure grades (our highest category as of 2019 was a C+ for bridges) should be a priority to assure the safety of our residents and reduce the likelihood of an unplanned disaster jeopardizing human lives and societal function.