Senate Ways & Means chair blocks a bill to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour
A proposed bill would bump the minimum wage to $12.25 in 2019, then to $15 in 2020, but a committee chair says he won't hear the bill without more research.
Airbnb says no to collecting taxes on rentals
State officials are worried they could end up with no new revenue if Airbnb backpedals on the collection process.
Hawaiʻi may switch to all-mail elections in 2020
A bill requiring the conversion in hopes of increasing voter turnout is headed to the House floor.
New bill works towards equal pay in the workplace
A bill at the State Capitol is gaining momentum in the movement to help women in the workplace earn just as much as their male counterparts.
Cries over ‘poor door’ ignore worse segregation in affordable housing
The reality is that affordable housing produced by developers under city and state requirements is governed by loose standards that often result in separate and unequal residences for those with low or moderate incomes.
Affordable-home sizes getting squeezed
Affordable housing: Like all Hawaiʻi real estate, it’s gotten more expensive. It’s also getting incredibly smaller.
Gradually raise minimum wage
The call for a minimum wage that keeps pace with cost-of-living price tags will never go away.
Hawaiʻi schools can’t seem to give breakfast away
Getting eligible students to eat free or reduced-price morning meals is more of a struggle in the islands than on the mainland.
Kamaile Academy wanted its kids to eat breakfast; here's how they made it happen
Most public schools in Hawaiʻi struggle to get kids to participate in school breakfast: Kamaile Academy seems to have found the solution.
Rent spike scare highlights anxiety over displacement
The rent increase scare highlights a broader anxiety over displacement in Hawaiʻi’s affordable housing complexes.
Bill would raise minimum hourly wage to $15
Hawaiʻi’s hourly minimum wage would increase over two years to $15 by 2020 under a proposal advanced Tuesday by the Senate Labor Committee.
The to-do list for the 2018 legislative session
What should be at the top of the to-do list for Hawaiʻi’s legislators this session? From our high cost of living, to affordable housing, to climate change, the breadth of issues could make this one of the most pivotal years for lawmakers—or it could be politics as usual.
Ige seeks pay raises for foster parents amid legal battle
A drawn-out legal battle over how much families are paid to care for foster children is headed to court, where attorneys say the dispute could end up costing the state significantly more than a multimillion-dollar settlement that was rejected last year by the legislature.
Plan for tower’s ‘poor door’ scrapped
Designs for a residential tower near urban Honolulu’s Walmart store no longer feature a front door for market-priced condominium buyers and a side door for moderate-income renters.
Ala Moana high rise developer removes ‘poor door’ from proposal
The plan to create separate entrances for low-income residents was opposed by affordable housing advocates.
Council: Ala Moana developer must answer ‘poor door’ critique
Objections over plans to provide separate entrances for luxury condo owners and the tenants of affordable rentals has delayed approval for an Ala Moana highrise.
Health and human services providers gearing up for legislative session
A $15 an hour minimum wage and an increase in the low income renter’s credit will help struggling families.
Segregation? Tenants in affordable units to get separate entrance
A mixed-use residential high-rise planned for the Ala Moana area is raising some concerns because it has separate entrances for those who purchase market-rate condo units—and those who will live in affordable rentals on the same property.
Hawaiʻi vacation rentals threaten our survival
It’s time local political leaders begin making hard decisions to resolve this growing problem.
Gavin Thornton: Hawaiʻi Appleseed co-director helps the poor, aims to untangle the state budget process
Thornton serves as a co-director of the Honolulu-based nonprofit that advocates on behalf of low-income individuals, families and communities.