Advocates urge larger minimum wage hike
The Senate Committee on Labor will hold a public hearing today regarding a bill that would increase minimum wage rates throughout the state.
Beth Giesting discusses the funding of pensions for government workers
One of the biggest items the State of Hawaiʻi has to fund, is pensions for government workers. Public workers and retirees make up 11 percent of the state’s adult population.
A grand bargain on vacation rentals
The Honolulu City Council will begin a historic discussion to resolve the frictions fueled by the spectacular expansion of illegal short-term rentals on Oʻahu.
WAM sends minimum wage bill to Senate
The Senate’s Ways and Means committee passed Senate Bill 789 on Monday, Feb. 25, 2019, setting it up for a final vote on the Senate floor.
Who really benefits from illegal vacation rentals?
Will we prioritize investors’ ability to wring profits out of their second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) homes, or will we preserve our neighborhoods for the benefit of those who actually live in them? The choice is ours.
Hawaiʻi ranks last in participation rate for school breakfast programs
Hawaiʻi's high poverty rate means ensuring more students have access to healthy meals is imperative.
Hawaiʻi in last place for school breakfast
Fewer than 40 low-income children in Hawaiʻi ate school breakfast for every 100 that received free or reduced-price school lunch last year.
More kids need school breakfast
Fewer than 4 in 10 low-income students who eat school lunch are also eating school breakfast in our state.
Raise the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour
In a state that has one of the highest costs of living and lowest unemployment rates, it’s time for lawmakers to put things back in balance for workers.
Introducing KAKOU, Hawaiʻi’s first ever civic engagement app
KĀKOU is a unified, digital platform that makes it easy for everyone to engage with Hawaiʻi’s elected officials and participate in the democratic process.
Half of Hawaiʻi barely gets by
Two or three jobs are not enough to provide financial stability for many local families. How can we create CHANGE?
How to encourage healthy diets and support local agriculture
Nutrition incentive programs like SNAP help stretch budgets and put good food on tables.
City council debates fate of Oʻahu's short term rentals
The council planning committee heard seven bills that would drastically change the fees, fines and enforcement on thousands of Oʻahu short-term rentals.
Addicted to Airbnb: Hawaiʻi’s tourism economy depends on illegal vacation rentals
While calls for a crackdown on short-term rentals grow louder, their rapid expansion accounts for a big chunk of the recent growth in the state’s largest industry.
Is housing sacrificed to attract more tourists?
One gets little sense that there is a plan behind Hawaiʻi’s tourism growth beyond sustaining it.
It takes everyone to bring fresh local food to keiki
Under the ʻĀina Pono initiative, schools are serving nutritious meals using locally sourced ingredients.
Hawaiʻi Interagency Council on Homelessness legislative priorities: $218M
The coalition of state, county, faith-based and social services organizations is setting its priorities for the upcoming legislative session.
No one is speaking up for Hawaiʻi’s renters
There is no organization dedicated to advocating for the rights of tenants, and a new study finds they lose nearly every eviction case.
Council must be forceful to reduce illegal short-term rentals
The Honolulu City Council must push forward for the sake of establishing a balance between collecting taxes owed and deterring further illegal vacation rentals.
Policing Hawaiʻi’s illegal vacation rentals
Honolulu’s weak law makes it hard to crack down on illegal vacation rentals, but a new law is in the works.