Off the News: More questions for Sharon Har over DUI

A special House committee is holding state Rep. Sharon Har’s feet to the fire, despite her acquittal on procedural grounds for a criminal DUI charge. She’s been asked to explain, in writing, why she went out at night during the COVID-19 pandemic, drank alcohol although she’d taken respiratory medication, then got behind the wheel.

It’s a legitimate request, as the committee considers whether Har violated a House code that members “conduct themselves in a respectful manner befitting the office.” Har was acquitted on procedural grounds; however her driver’s license was suspended for two years. As a lawmaker, she fought for that suspension rule, so it’s only right that we should hear from her in this case.

UHERO assesses home-building regs

The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization knows the local circumstances well and was quick to say the state’s challenging regulatory landscape isn’t necessarily the cause of high housing costs.

But the results of its new survey are impossible to ignore: Hawaii outranks other states for its stringent rules. While surely land costs are the paramount factor, regs don’t simplify things.

The real question: Which land-use rules are based on the isles’ limited capacity, and which are plain bureaucratic irritants?