Caldwell vetoes sidewalk bill

Mayor Kirk Caldwell on Monday vetoed a bill that would bar mobile kiosks in Waikiki, arguing that another bill he’s already signed accomplishes the same thing.

Bill 6 was introduced by City Councilman Trevor Ozawa, who represents the area.

Waikiki merchants and residents say unscrupulous vendors skirt the city’s sidewalk nuisance law by making their makeshift store­- fronts easy to move, causing a danger to pedestrians and posing unfair competition to businesses that pay rent for traditional, bricks-and-mortar operations.

But in a memo accompanying his veto, Caldwell noted that in October the Council passed and he signed into law Bill 51, which prohibits people from obstructing public sidewalks across Oahu.

Caldwell praised Ozawa, with whom he has often been at odds, for introducing the measure and noted that both he and Council members “have recognized the critical importance of our public sidewalks in providing clear and open passageways for pedestrians.”

Enforcement of that previous bill, however, has been held up because of language inserted into the measure that requires the Council to accept from the administration a comprehensive plan to address homelessness in all nine Council districts. The Council Public Works Committee on Tuesday gave initial approval to the latest plan.

What’s more, Caldwell said, the offenses Bill 6 targets already can be removed through enforce- ment of the Sidewalk Nuisance Ordinance as well as the city’s Peddling Ordinance. “I will continue to request the city’s agencies to consistently enforce these and other laws,” he wrote.

Also Monday, Caldwell signed into law Bill 61, which requires the administration to give a community notice and “an opportunity for input” whenever it considers removing an established marked crosswalk from a public street.

Members of several neighborhood boards and community associations testified in favor of the measure, arguing that crosswalks were removed from their neighborhoods without any notification from the city.