Even in an emergency pandemic shutdown, there are right ways and wrong ways to conduct governmental meetings — the public’s meetings. The Honolulu Police Commission, for one, is doing it the wrong way.

Today, the commission was to hold its second meeting out of public view and involvement. This, despite Gov. David Ige’s proclamation stating that boards take “reasonable measures to allow public participation consistent with social distancing practices, such as providing electronic notice of meetings, allowing submission of written testimony on agendized items, (and) live streaming meetings.”

Other public entities now livestream meetings regularly. The Police Commission must do likewise.

Grim business numbers from UHERO

A new survey of nearly 625 Hawaii businesses, conducted by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii and other industry associations, pegged workforce reduction at about 220,000 full- and part-time workers due to COVID-19’s shutdown.

The findings underscore worries that among the hardest hit are households living paycheck-to-paycheck. Among full-time employees, those earning less than $50,000 per year were more likely to lose their position — 35% — compared to 30% of those earning $50,000 to $100,000. Job loss dropped to 16% of those earning upwards of $200,000.