A proposed ordinance to help enforce a residential zoning law on vacation rentals is expected to be sent to the City Council without recommendation from the city Planning Commission.
The nine-member commission sent on the measure despite its failure to gain a majority vote.
A 3-3 vote Wednesday was the second time the panel could not muster five votes. It voted 4-3 in favor on Aug. 24.
Under the proposal supported by the city’s Department of Planning and Permitting, a short-term rental operator would be required to list a certificate number and address or tax map key in advertisements.
The proposal, if passed by the Council, would allow the city to impose an initial fine of up to $1,000 on rental agents who fail to list the information, including website operators.
Man indicted in home invasion allegedly impersonated officer
An Oahu grand jury indicted a 26-year-old man Thursday on charges that he was one of four men who impersonated police officers last month in a home invasion robbery in Aiea.
James K. Kaleopaa Jr., who gave no local address, was indicted on multiple charges of armed robbery, kidnapping, firearm possession, impersonating an officer and other counts related to the holdup shortly after midnight Aug. 22.
The armed robbery charges each carry a prison term of up to 20 years, but Kaleopaa could get an extended term of life in prison with parole if convicted of all the charges. Kaleopaa was arrested Friday in Waipahu. Deputy Prosecutor Keith Seto said no other arrests have been made in the case.
Police said four men with badges and a pistol walked up to two men in a driveway, told them to get down, then went into the home and ordered five people to empty their pockets. The robbers fled in a white pickup truck, police said.
Kaleopaa’s bail was set at $100,000 in the case.
He is scheduled to be arraigned later this month, when he is expected to plead not guilty.
FAA grants $5M for Kona, Lihue airport repairs
The airports in Kona and Lihue will benefit from $5 million from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Hawaii’s congressional delegation announced Tuesday a bulk of the FAA grant is to be used for rehabilitating a runway at Kona by removing debris and strengthening the pavement.
Other repairs include eliminating ponding on airfield surfaces at Lihue.
Kamehameha’s civil trial against ‘Does’ delayed
Kamehameha Schools’ civil trial against a Big Island family has been postponed, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Thursday.
The trial was to have started Aug. 29 in Hilo.
Kamehameha is suing “John Doe,” and his mother, “Jane Doe,” for disclosing the terms of a $7 million out-ofcourt settlement in an earlier lawsuit.
The Does, who are Caucasian, sued Kamehameha Schools in 2003 because the boy was denied admission. They alleged that Kamehameha’s “Hawaiians first” admissions policy violated his civil rights.
The policy was upheld by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court.
An out-of-court settlement was reached in May 2007.
One-time Big Island attorney John Goemans, who represented the Does, disclosed details of the settlement to the media in early 2008. Goemans has since died.
Kamehameha is also suing Eric Grant, a Sacramento, Calif., attorney who also represented the Does.
On Aug. 25, Judge Greg Nakamura denied a motion by the trust to reveal the identities of the Does at trial. The judge said the Does could be exposed to “some degree of harm” if their identities were made public.
