Sand Island users need to be heard

The city is working with the state to establish a "temporary shelter" for the homeless at Sand Island ("Bills aimed at clearing off sidewalks are OK’d by panel," Star-Advertiser, Aug. 29).

I would like to voice my concerns over that plan.

The Sand Island Business Association hosts the premier industrial park in the state and is a major employment center. Sand Island hosts campers and picnickers, and the beaches stage canoe paddlers. Also, the state has proposed a marina and other enhancements.

"Temporary" can become permanent once established. The homeless need affordable housing, not another shelter far away from services. It is not a case where "if you build it, they will come." The homeless will go where they feel comfortable and cannot be forced to go to shelters.

Let’s treat homeless individuals with dignity and respect. Slow down on the hasty plan to create another shelter and let the interests of the people who use Sand Island be heard.

State Rep. Romy M. Cachola
District 30 (Kalihi-Kai, Sand Island)

Case shows he still has the right stuff

I much enjoyed your interview with Ed Case ("Ed Case," Star-Advertiser, Name in the News, Aug. 29). However, it filled me with a great deal of sadness.

Sadness because Case’s political career ended in 2006 when he dared to challenge aging U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, whom Time magazine called "One of America’s five worst senators." His "bad manners" (so deemed by U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye) cost him the election, and resulted in the loss to our state of an energetic, talented and dedicated political leader — with eight years of precious seniority.

Let’s hope someday we have the good sense to return Case to Washington. With his executive experience at Outrigger, and new insights on our most important industry, he will have even more to contribute to Hawaii’s future.

C. Richard Fassler
Manoa

Maybe turn HECO into a nonprofit

The premise of Hawaiian Electric Co. President Dick Rosenblum’s defense of proposed HECO rates seems to be that solar power adopters are getting a "good deal" from HECO ratepayers after paying off their solar systems.

Rosenblum seems to conflate taxpayers with ratepayers.My solar "deal" was a result of taxpayers deciding that the common good was served by decreasing the amount of electricity generated by HECO and increasing the amount of electricity generated by individual solar panels.The $55 charge advocated by HECO is really solar owners paying for 200 kWh of electricity they don’t use.

Using Rosenblum’s logic, shouldn’t taxpayers own HECO so that the subsidies provided from non-solar to solar customers are equitably distributed?

HECO reported $161 million profit for 2013.If HECO was non-profit, the $38 million subsidy claimed by Rosenblum could be easily absorbed by the public corporation and rates could be lowered for all.

Mark Felman
Kapolei

Solar users should help pay for grid

I was pleased to see Hawaiian Electric Co. standing up for its regular customers in its new energy plan.

Success of the rooftop solar energy business is dependent on tax credits and a backup grid funded by all HECO customers. In other words, it depends on non-solar customers helping foot the bill, with no direct benefits to themselves. Solar customers should pay the actual costs of receiving backup power from the grid — or go off the grid entirely.

As a regulated utility, HECO is entitled to a reasonable profit, but not more than the Public Utilities Commission allows. So I believe its plan is an attempt to have everyone pay their fair share of the costs involved in moving to new energy sources, which is as it should be.

James B. Young
St. Louis Heights

Privatization could fix ‘sit-lie’ problem

Ever notice that there are no homeless "sitting and lying" on the Royal Hawaiian Center’s sidewalks?

That is because it is private property, as is the Sheraton, the Hilton Hawaiian Village and scores of other locations where permission or access can be revoked at any time.

Perhaps it is time to lease the sidewalks to an authority like the Waikiki Improvement Association, which can hire its own security guards to patrol and limit access to the areas to people who respect themselves, others and property.

Never mind passing more laws and ordinances that make criminals of the homeless and burden our police with even more enforcement duties.

Private enterprise is capitalizing on this golden egg we call Waikiki. Maybe privatization should be called on to protect the goose before it’s too late.

Joseph Uno
Manoa

Developer should build more rentals

According to Howard Hughes Corp, "There is a dramatically higher need for rentals than for-sale (units)" in its planned Halekauwila Street tower ("Builder wants state to alter tower rules," Star-Advertiser, Aug. 29).

The solution proposed is to reduce the number of rental units that would be available.

Hello? That would be great for the company.

Selling more higher-priced units would provide faster cash flow and more profit than continuing with the current planned number of rental units.

But if Howard Hughes Corp. truly wants to be pono and help people who cannot afford to buy and need to rent, it would double the number of rentals, rather than cut them in half.

Let’s hope that HCDA rules against this move to increase profit and hurt families who need affordable rental properties.

Bill Quinlan
Velzyland