Inside Honolulu: Nov. 19
Welcome to Inside Honolulu! There’s not much on the at Honolulu Hale this week, but there’s always something going on. Civil Beat is reporting from the inside.
4:38 p.m. Fourteen candidates vie for District 1 seat
A last-minute surge of candidates filed nomination papers in the District 1 City Council race before this afternoon’s 4:30 p.m. deadline. More than one dozen candidates are running in the special election, which is being held to replace former City Council Chairman Todd Apo, who resigned earlier this month. District 1 candidates include:
- Bob McDermott
- Mel Kahele
- Matthew LoPresti
- Christopher Lewis
- Thomas Berg
- John Roco
- Rose Ellazar-Martinez
- Victoria Carvalho-Yuen
- James Manaku
- Michael Kioni Dudley
- Patricia Teruya
- Jason Espero
- Gary Velleses
- Celeste Lacuesta
To vote in the Dec. 29 special election, District 1 residents must register by Monday, Nov. 29. The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot is Wed., Dec. 22.
1:12 p.m. Golf doesn’t count as a form of agriculture, Trust for Public Land reps say
Leaders from the are this afternoon briefing the city’s Clean Water and Natural Lands Commission on the trust’s efforts to preserve agricultural land near .
The Trust for Public Land is working on negotiating conservation efforts with Turtle Bay Resort, so that nearby land can be preserved as agricultural land. Local Trust for Public Land staffers say it’s a great example of former sugarcane land that’s been converted into farmland for the growth of watermelons, basil, papayas, bananas, sweet corn and more.
They also point out they’ll work to keep a strict definition of “agricultural land”
“The agricultural uses we would not allow would include golf,” said Lea Hong, director of the Hawaiian Islands program for The Trust for Public Land.
There are instances in Hawaii where golf courses meet criteria for the classification of environmental land-use.
12:13 p.m. City gets seven new ambulances
Seven of the city’s older ambulances are getting replaced. Vehicles that have logged 187,000 – 330,000 miles will be swapped out for new ambulances to be used in and around:
- Queen’s Medical Center
- Hawaii Kai
- Kaneohe
- The EMS Unit on Young Street
- Wahiawa
- Waipahu
- Wailupe
11:04 a.m. Environmentalists’ continue outcry over Tanoue nomination
Environmental groups are making “countless” phone calls to the city over Peter Carlisle’s pick for the director of the Department of Planning and Permitting.
Several environmentalists and others worried about major development projects turned out for a City Council meeting in which David Tanoue’s nomination was discussed. Tanoue is likely to be confirmed at Monday’s full council meeting.
10:49 a.m. City workers head to State Capitol
Some city officials are crossing Punchbowl Street to make an appearance at a homelessness awareness event this morning. Today marks the culmination of a 10-day walk around the island by the group . Mayor Peter Carlisle made a proclamation early this week about homelessness awareness.
