Counties should craft vacation-rental rules

Once again, Oahu-based interests are attempting to write statewide legislation to correct an Oahu problem. This time it is vacation rentals.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority’s vacation rental study shows the hazards of looking at four different jurisdictions through a single lens. The study claims to have "found" about 10,000 new vacation rentals on Maui.

What they "found" and included in their inventory for the first time are the estimated 8,000 condo-based units that operate legally as vacation rentals in Maui County as a matter of zoning. Many of these units have done business in Maui County for about 40 years.

The fact that HTA just recognized their existence is indicative of the pitfalls of attempting to legislate statewide solutions covering four very different land-use jurisdictions.

City Councilman Ikaika Anderson is right: The counties are in the best position to address this issue.

David DeLeon
Haiku, Maui

Ige’s choice of Ching for DLNR is baffling

Thank you for your editorial in strong opposition to Gov. David Ige’s choice of Carleton Ching for director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources ("DLNR nominee is wrong choice," Star-Advertiser, Our View, Feb. 16).

It is the wrong choice for all the reasons you stated.

This stunning choice betrays the faith and trust that many of us put in Ige when we voted for him. We viewed him as a breath of fresh air; now we wonder whether he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing who has nominated a fox to guard the chicken coop.

For our islands with limited land and fragile natural resources, no department is more important than DLNR. Our future depends on the wise management of our natural resources. While Ige may like Ching’s heart, those of us concerned with the protection of our natural resources ask, "For whom does this heart beat the strongest?"

Given Ching’s past career of promoting development, no matter how he would perform as DLNR director, distrust of him would be difficult to dispel.

Perhaps the most unfortunate by-product of Ige’s choice is that it fuels further public cynicism about — and alienation from — the political process.

Ursula Retherford
Kailua

Where is the courage to take on ISIS threat?

When is the president going to take action against ISIS? When they are at the gates of Rome, threatening to behead the pope?

That scenario is not far from real, as long as the Arab and Western worlds continue to hide their heads in the sand and pretend ISIS is an economic or lack-of-jobs problem.

Our State Department is telling the world that ISIS is unbeatable by military means and we must pursue the root cause. Why? So they can keep on their brutalization of civilization?

If the Western and Arab worlds pooled their powers and used as much effort toward eliminating ISIS as they have to hate and fight Israel, ISIS would be history within a month. Unfortunately there is not one leader in the world today strong enough, or with enough courage and moral fortitude, to say enough is enough. I include the U.S. leader in that category.

James Roller
Mililani

Something wrong at Paiko sanctuary

Mahalo to Andrew Gomes for his thorough story on the violations occurring at Paiko Wildlife Sanctu-ary ("Land battle," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 8).

And mahalo to Livable Hawai’i Kai Hui for helping community members express and share their concerns for not only the Paiko situation but other ocean access issues as well, such as the restoration and reopening of the Hanapepe Fingers Public Right of Way.

The hui has consistently worked with and assisted the community on where to go for help.

When homeowners place illegal signs to mislead the public about their rights, or say beach areas are private when they are not, or place boulders in the public areas of the beach to stop people from using the area, something is very wrong.

As an ocean user at Paiko, I fully support the state Department of Land and Natural Resources in its work to correct the situation going on at Paiko sanctuary and beach area for our community.

David Loui
Wailupe

Limits of Oahu growth need to be explored

Two Feb. 8 letters, one critical and one supportive of the Land Use Commission, call attention to the need to think about Oahu’s future ("Land Use Commission should be eliminated" and "Counties have done terribly with land use," Star-Advertiser).

How many people can reside on this island before it becomes unlivable? How many cars can it accommodate before there is universal gridlock? How many acres of prime agricultural land can be devoted to housing before the concept of food self-sufficiency has to be abandoned?

How many 40-story buildings have to be built before Oahu begins to take on the appearance of a Hong Kong with palms? How many miles of a concrete snake have to be built before our island loses its appeal as a tourist destination?

With the relentless pressure for more and more development, it is the responsibility of the state Land Use Commission and the city planning department to consider these questions and seek reasonable answers. What a daunting task that is.

Ed Sullam
Aina Haina

Sailing is a bright spot among UH activities

What is the Board of Regents of our University of Hawaii thinking?

It was shocking to read that they were thinking of giving up the sailing team.

We have showed the world that Coach Andy Johnson has produced some of the best sailors ever in our country. Some are Olympians. Some are now professional sailors crewing for the top skippers in the world.

Most of all, they are the best and the brightest of our country.

The regents should think hard about what they are doing. We are the only state surrounded by water and the best place for the students who want to be serious sailors. That is what our university is about.

Frannie Haws
Kaneohe

City’s zoo problems bode poorly for rail

Dave Shapiro’s Feb. 15 column regarding our Honolulu Zoo was incredible reading ("Small agencies like the zoo have big management woes," Volcanic Ash, Star-Advertiser).

He has such a cohesive style of writing that his last paragraph was finalized in my mind even before I read it.

Since our city is unable to effectively manage what we have, Shapiro’s reference to billion-dollar projects brings Honolulu’s mayor and Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation to the front.

A federal investigation into the city and the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation is overdue, and if it takes a whistle blower to uncover graft, then it is time.

Our City Council and Legislature must take responsibility to stop it now; they are being strung along by the developers and false promises. The rail project was always about development, and never has been about in the interest of traffic or citizen taxpayers.

There will never, ever be enough money to fund this rail project, so we dare not extend the general excise tax or float any bonds.

If we do, we are headed toward guaranteed bankruptcy and a permanent debt for decades to come.

Mary J. Culvyhouse
Kaneohe

FROM THE FORUM

Readers of the Star-Advertiser’s online edition can respond to stories posted there. The following are some of those. Instead of names, pseudonyms are generally used online. They have been removed.

“Cost, community opposition nix Makapuu Trail plumbing," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 16:

>> Anytime they throw money into a nature area, I smell admission fees not far behind. I no longer go to Diamond Head and Hanauma. Enough taxes. And they don’t even put it back into Hanauma and other public parks and toilets like they should. 

>> Minimalism prevails, nature prevails. Honor it, respect it. Ka Iwi is nature made manifest by decades of human endeavor. You want to go there, go shi shi first and bring your own water. It’s dry, hot land! Once we start putting in “conveniences,” nature runs away fast!

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“New pact will guide use of city stables,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 16:

>> This article is a total misrepresentation of the facts. Riders, horse owners and trainers simply will not use the facility because it is so poorly managed. This one belongs squarely on the city for not managing this wonderful asset. 

>> Emogene Yoshimura has been doing the city a favor for 25 years and to give her only three days to move out, if it comes to that, is disgraceful treatment.

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“Killer’s defense eclipses $5 million,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 17:

>> They never should have considered the death penalty as Hawaii does not have it. For the federal government to kill someone in a state that does not allow killing is simply disgusting.

>> Had this guy been given the death penalty, then it would’ve cost us even more due to the mandatory appeals process. This is the whole point behind most of what the commenters here are saying, that our entire legal system is faulty and needs to be revamped.

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“Hikers flown to safety after chilly night on ridge,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 17:

>> These reckless individuals should be publicly named and shamed.

>> The taxpayers continue to foot the  bill for folks who choose to go places that are marked as unsafe or closed. With a free ride, there is zero accountability and no reason not to try it again.

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“Condo project faces opposition,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 18:

>> This is a terrible project with densities that are out of scale with the surrounding neighborhood. Why isn’t there more focus on preserving the existing open space around Punchbowl?

>> Everyone loves affordable housing until it blocks their own little view plane. Then it’s “out of character” with the neighborhood.

>> Same old complaints: It doesn’t fit; it will change the nature of the neighborhood, etc. Most of the houses on the development site are dilapidated eyesores. Good riddance to them.

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“Co-op files to ensure plug-in with utility decisions,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 19:

>> A stand alone “co-op” providing power to the tiny population of the Big Island spread over its vast geography would be a losing proposition from day one. The rates of the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative are nearly identical with those of Hawaiian Electric on Oahu, the benefits of the Kauai initiative thus being exactly nil.

>> The good thing is that NextEra’s offer has set a value for the Hawaiian Electric Industries companies. If an agreement can be reached to split off the Big Island, then all power to them.

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“Hands off federal bus cash, Council tells rail project,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 19:

>> Bus funds actually should not be used for rail. We need to maintain the quality of TheBus as it is a major component of our multi-modal transportation system. We will need excellent bus service to feed into the rail line. Extending the GE tax surcharge is the best way to obtain the needed funds for rail.

>> We taxpayers have been charged millions of dollars for a financial plan that turned out to not be worth the paper it was printed on. It’s not too late to have an honest discussion about rail, free of bogus and self-serving financial plans prepared by rail insiders and bogus dog-and-pony virtual train rides. If the citizens of Oahu decide that no price is too high for a train to run from DR Horton’s newest sprawl to the fancy tourist mall, then OK, but we need to have that discussion.

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“Haiku Stairs: Is it the end of the trail?” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 19:

>> Shut it down. Too much humbug and costly. When people get hurt, who pays? The taxpayers. Shut it down.

>> The city needs to get its act together and fix this whole mess by improving access to the stairs and charging a reasonable fee to climb and maintain them.