Raise property tax standard home exemption

There are plenty of Honolulu Hale reasons to oppose Bill 3, which would lower property tax revenue by $10 million annually. Among them: rising costs tied to city employee retirement and, of course, rail’s financial drain. Still, the City Council should support the measure, which would raise the standard home exemption for owner-occupants to $100,000 from $80,000, where the bar has been set since 2006. That works out to about $70 annually for a residing homeowner. Amid climbing assessed valuations, taxpayers are due the pocket-change gesture. After all, the homeowner class kicked in some $557 million in tax revenue for the city in the latest fiscal year — up from $447 million collected in 2015.

Traditional Democratic Party traditions upended

For a state formerly known for rock-solid traditions of backing incumbent fellow partisans, Hawaii’s politics have become anything but predictable. Already two former Democratic governors, Neil Abercrombie and John Waihee, are supporting Democratic state Sen. Kai Kahele in his run for the seat now held by U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

Gabbard, of course, has announced a run for the White House, but it’s anything but clear that she has given up her congressional post for good. When the party’s presidential field firms up later this year, expect intramural fireworks, on several fronts.