Mayor Blangiardi announces new Deputy Director at the Office of Economic Revitalization
Mayor Rick Blangiardi announced on Thursday the appointment of Gavin Thornton as the new Deputy Director of the City and County of Honolulu’s Office of Economic Revitalization (OER).
Is Hawaiʻi’s historic investment in affordable housing paying off?
Two years ago, the state made a record investment in affordable rental housing. Results so far are both encouraging and sobering.
How Hawaiʻi could prepare for financial impacts of second Trump term
Working families in Hawaiʻi could end up paying more in taxes if President-elect Donald Trump implements some of his proposed policies, but analysts say there’s a way the state can help.
Hunting for a new place in renters purgatory
How four O‘ahu residents navigate fees, scams, unanswered calls, intrusive rules and housing options that run from “crappy and crappier.”
UHERO offers ‘uncertainties’ over Council’s proposed empty-homes tax
The University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization offered more insights over the potential ramifications of an implemented empty homes tax on Oʻahu.
Honolulu City Council bill aimed at taxing empty homes advances
The Honolulu City Council Budget committee narrowly advanced a measure that would tax properties left vacant by up to 3 percent.
Honolulu City Council’s empty-homes tax measure advances
The Honolulu City Council’s Budget Committee voted 3–2 to advance Bill 46, which could tax a vacant real property by as much as 3 percent.
The empty homes tax: A promising step on affordable housing—if we get it right
The Honolulu City Council is considering legislation with the potential to bring much-needed assistance to a market out of reach for many.
State Budget 101: New handbook simplifies process for curious citizens
State Rep. Della Au Belatti and Hawaiʻi Appleseed Deputy Director Will White stop by HPR to invite people curious about the budget to get in on the shortcut to understanding.
A Hawaiʻi state budget for dummies
In case you haven’t noticed, Hawaiʻi’s state budget is a very difficult thing to make sense of unless you’re trained as a forensic accountant. Thankfully, the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center has released a Budget Primer to make things simpler.
Climate disasters are an affordable housing problem
U.S. policymakers need to think about affordable housing as part of their resiliency strategies. The next Lahaina could be a hurricane in the Gulf Coast, a storm in the Northeast or a massive wildfire in California. Having a healthy stock of protected and affordable housing should be part of our cities’ climate emergency plans.
Caring for the community
Kaiser Permanente has a hand in helping Hawaiʻi in many different ways, from responding to the needs of Maui residents to helping nonprofits care for the land.
An Oʻahu teacher’s futile apartment hunt shows how bad the rental market is
Housing policy advocates say Helen Lau's story is all too common amid Honolulu's housing crisis.
Governor Green enacts historic tax relief for working class
Taxpayers could see higher paychecks starting next year. However, the tax cuts raise concerns about how the state will manage to balance the budget in the years ahead.
The gap between median home prices and household income in Hawaiʻi? It’s ‘scary’
Based on Honolulu’s median home price of $1,085,800 and median family income of $120,100, the index said a mortgage requires 73 percent of the median paycheck.
Concerns rise for low-income families over legislature's recent tax cut measure
The cost of the tax cuts concerns some advocates. An analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimated an initial annual revenue loss of $656 million, that balloons to close to $1.5 billion by 2030. That's about 10 percent of the state's total budget.
A global relief organization keeps the spigot open for community healthcare providers closer to home
A recent report from the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice found that wages remain low, even though Hawaiʻi has the highest cost of living in America.
Lawmakers give final approval to a ‘historic’ income tax cut in long day of voting
The tax bill along with nearly 200 other measures now go to Gov. Josh Green for his consideration.
It’s being called Hawaiʻi’s biggest tax break, but some will get more help than others
Although pleased the inheritance tax reduction failed, Hawaiʻi Appleseed was unhappy that the reform bill delivers so much relief to people with the highest incomes.
In last-minute plea to Legislature, Maui’s mayor requests $125M for wildfire recovery aid
The request is getting a cool response amid pressure to do more for low-income residents.