Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
In Waiahole Valley we own our house but rent the land from the state. We pay all maintenance, all property taxes (land and improvements), insurance and our cesspools/septic tank costs.
During lease renegotiations, the state recently sent counteroffers to Waiahole residents. After initially proposing a whopping 560% rent increase last July, the state’s counteroffers still propose increases that eventually could reach 555%.
These increases are not affordable! This violates the spirit of our leases and brings about an untenable situation — the majority of tenants simply cannot afford the rents offered. This action undermines Gov. Josh Green’s No. 1 priority to preserve and expand affordable housing.
We’re not asking for special treatment. All we are asking is for what we were given by the state: affordable rents. The state agreed to affordable rents for the working-class families in 1986 and again in 1998, where our leases listed affordable rents.
Kathy Oshiro
Kaneohe
EXPRESS YOURSELF
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser welcomes all opinions. Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor.
>> Write us: We welcome letters up to 150 words, and guest columns of 500-600 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Include your name, address and daytime phone number.
>> Mail: Letters to the Editor, Honolulu Star-Advertiser 7 Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana, Suite #7-500 Honolulu, HI 96813
>> Contact: 529-4831 (phone), letters@staradvertiser.com, staradvertiser.com/editorial/submit-letter