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There’s always something interesting going on at Honolulu Hale.

Civil Beat is reporting from the inside.

10:38 a.m. Honolulu Water Still Cheap

Honolulu’s water rates are on the rise, but even after five years of price hikes, they’ll still be low.

Civil Beat’s Alia Wong compared our water costs against Portland, Seattle and San Francisco, and found that we’re the cheapest right now and will still be the cheapest in five years.

Read her story here.

9:31 a.m. Sumitomo Hearing Postponed

Inside Honolulu was expecting to spend most of today at the state Office of Administrative Hearings, listening to expert testimony for the rail core systems contract appeal filed by Sumitomo. But it’ll have to wait until tomorrow.

The hearing was postponed for one day. Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs spokeswoman Cathy Yasuda said it was a scheduling conflict. A calendar posted to the wall showed two other hearings would be occupying the two hearings rooms this morning.

Yasuda also clarified that Senior Hearings Officer David Karlen‘s weekend rulings merely denied summary judgment, meaning he needs more evidence before making a final decision on many of the claims. Our earlier post below, “Sumitomo Appeal Gets Rolling Today,” has been amended to reflect that.

9:21 a.m. Sierra Club Is In

We told you the state’s largest environmental advocacy group was poised to strike again.

Now, it’s happened.

The Sierra Club announced this morning it has filed a petition with the Land Use Commission to intervene in opposition to the proposed Hoopili development in Ewa.

“Our reliance on imported food leaves us extremely vulnerable to disruption and inflation,” said Randy Ching, described in a press release as a “long-time leader” of the club. (He’s not the same Randy Ching that’s the co-founder and president of Civil Beat)

Read the full announcement .

Police OT Case Back In Court

The criminal charges against Honolulu Police Department Sgt. Duke Zoller and officers Patrick and Christopher Bugarin for falsifying overtime documents are back in court this morning.

The three will be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. in District Court, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, and will have a chance to enter their pleas. A fourth officer, Sgt. Aaron Bernal, will be arraigned next month.

Read Nanea Kalani‘s earlier coverage of the cases here:

• Judge Dismisses Honolulu Police Officers’ Cases in Overtime Pay Scandal
• Charges to be Refiled Against HPD Officers in Overtime Scam

UPDATED: Sumitomo Appeal Gets Rolling Today

Today is the start of the evidentiary hearing for the rail contract appeal brought by Sumitomo. Before that gets going, though, there’s the matter of the motions Senior Hearings Officer David Karlen took under advisement last week.

Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs spokeswoman Cathy Yasuda said Karlen ruled on various motions over the weekend, and provided these summaries to Inside Honolulu:

• Ansaldo‘s motion for dismissal was denied.
• Ansaldo’s motion to strike and exclude testimony of Sumitomo’s expert witnesses was denied.
• Sumitomo’s allegation that the city did not properly consider Ansaldo’s past performance issues in Italy, France, George and Spain was granted.
• Sumitomo’s claim that Ansaldo was not a responsible offeror was denied, pending further evidence.
• Karlen found that Ansaldo’s bid might not be imbalanced.
• Ansaldo’s offer might conform to the Request For Proposals.
• The city’s scoring system might not be flawed.

In other words, the case is far from over. We’ll be following it this week.

Where’s Carlisle?

At 11:30 a.m. today, Mayor Peter Carlisle delivers remarks at the 27th Infantry Regiment’s Holy Family Home Orphan Reception Ceremony at Honolulu International Airport.

Read Previous Editions of Inside Honolulu

July 25: Wife of “Dog the Bounty Hunter” a Carlisle Backer; Kaneshiro’s Small-Kine Fundraiser; Eric Ryan Is a Crook?; Slush Fund for Ansaldo Parent?; Mayor Rakes In Campaign Cash; Where’s Carlisle?

July 22: Carlisle’s Public Sked; City Seeking Hackers (just kidding); Honolulu’s Locked-Down Freeways; Disposing Needles on Kauai; Bombardier Mulling Options; Where’s Carlisle?

July 21: Carlisle Out Of Town; Horner Rails Against LEED Costs; $1.3M in Rent for HART? Hamayasu on the Defensive; Head-Hunting Costs Money; Ready to Strike Again; A Third Rail Lawsuit To Watch?; Natatorium Re-Opens … In California; HART Meets Today (Twice); Where’s Carlisle?

July 20: Sumitomo Speaks; Water Rates Going Up, Up, Up; Sumitomo Rail Protest Still Alive; The Release; Carlisle: Sludge To Honouliuli; Martin: I Could Be Mayor; Sewage Sludge Presser at 10; Police Commission, Behind Closed Doors; Sumitomo’s Turn; Where’s Carlisle?

July 19: Koa Ridge Hits a Roadblock; City Pleased With DCCA Decision; Landfill Site Search Expands; Fact-Finding Rail Trips Cost $11,000; State Denies Bombardier Appeal; Open That Kimono; Rail a Rare Open Appeal Hearing; Where’s Carlisle?

July 18: City Files Rail Lawsuit Response; UPDATE: Tom Berg, Also a Crook; Martin’s Campaign Treasurer a Convicted Coke Dealer; City Wants More Time at Landfill; Then There Were Two; Eric Ryan: Tom Berg Is A Crook?; Berg “Pissed” but Ryan “In Play”; Food for Conflict Thoughts; HART Ready to Buy Parcels; Bike Battle Still Brewing; City Response to Rail Lawsuit Due Today; Weekend Shakeup at the Hale; Where’s Carlisle?

July 15: HART Board to Meet Next Week; ORI Plan Due Today; Kym Pine Website Launch Delayed By “Major” News; Mayor’s Public Sked; Tulsi Pulls In $20K; Where’s Carlisle?

July 14: Zoning Board Appointees On Track; Neighborhood Board Battle Brewing; HPD Not Alone in Lack of Self-Tracking; Where’s Carlisle?

July 13: City’s Staggered Terms Stay Staggered; Pow-Wow Just An Update; Does Military Count: City Edition; Rail Pow-Wow at the Hale; They’re Talking About Us In Dallas; Berg Stands By His Man; Laie Developer Resigns at Gov’s Request; About Those HART Offices…; Rail Opponents Pay for Ink; Where’s Carlisle?; On Tap for Today.

July 12: (Unnamed) City Official Violated Ethics Code; Ethics Questions Up From Last Year; Prosecutor Kaneshiro Target of Ethics Complaint; Elsewhere on Civil Beat; Carlisle Quiet Today.

July 11: Transparency Site Getting Stale; Hoopili Hearing Set for September; Fire Commission Meeting Today; Carlisle’s Early Start.

July 8: Rail Appeals Opened to Public; Carlisle’s Public Sked; Ethics Panel To Decide on Violations Tuesday; Smoke on the (Waste) Water; Three Oahu Projects in Environmental Notice; County Governments Gather in Honolulu; General Plan Process Under Way.

July 7: T-Minus One Hour to General Plan Meeting; Rail Contractor Protest Closed To Public; What to Read This Morning.

July 6: Oh Godbey, New City Lawyer in the House; Derailed: Tom Berg Q&A; Steinberger Slams ‘Anti-Synagro’ Resolution; Ag Land Property Tax Bill Heads Back to Committee; New Chair, New Seats; Council Gathers Early to Fete Honorees; Martin, Anderson Ink Op-Ed.

July 5: New State Law Protects County Firefighters, Lifeguards; Federal Highways Rep: City and State Need to Play Nice; Leeward Politicians Push for Bikeway; State Officials in the Hale for Transportation; Ernie Martin’s First Agenda as Chair; No Crime Stats for HPD.

July 1: City Parade to Cost $20K; Furloughs Are Over, Pay Is Up; No Laie Decision At Next Council Meeting; Housing Office Open For Business; HART Kicks Off New Era for Honolulu Rail; Happy New Year!; Martin Tabs Kobayashi as Budget Chair.