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

Civil Beat is reporting from the inside.

4:03 p.m. Sidewalk Bill Advances

With objections only from , Bill 54 passed out of committee this afternoon and now heads back to the full for final reading.

No additional testimony was allowed, as the meeting was continued from Tuesday. After the vote, protesters registered their disapproval with a “human microphone” chant.

Full story coming soon.

2:36 p.m. Occupy Honolulu Has Arrived

The Committee on Safety, Economic Development and Government Affairs will convene shortly, and the crowd has started to gather.

The Transportation Committee is wrapping up with a discussion of a traffic management center. The committee meeting room is now mostly full with about two dozen Occupy Honolulu protesters who arrived in one group.

They’re holding signs like “City Council Should Serve The Many,” a reference to the protest song Makana performed to world leaders during . One has a guitar. Almost all are young. Some are pierced and tattooed and have facial hair.

Earlier, we heard there may be a “human mic” used to criticize Bill 54, which would allow the city to confiscate all personal belongings left or kept on public property for more than 24 hours.

It’s almost time.

2:07 p.m. Berg: Redistricting Plan ‘Reeks’

Last week, we told you about the redistricting plan that sets up a potential showdown between and , and the accusation that the decision was political in nature.

Now, Berg is telling constituents about the injustice.

In a sent to supporters Wednesday, Berg threatened a lawsuit.

Outrage. In my opinion, that should be the sentiments of us on the Ewa Plain regarding the Reapportionment Commission’s action/decision taken on November 10 to split Council District One down Renton Road for the next ten years. Dividing the historic district of Ewa Villages into two separate halves was pure politics and it reeks. Come to the Ewa Neighborhood Board’s Special Meeting being called to digest this “foul play” on November 22, at 7:00 p.m. at Asing Park. A lawsuit may be pending for relief to protect, preserve, and fight for the good people of Ewa Villages who have been made pawns by certain commissioners for political gain.

For more background on the redistricting plan and the players involved, read:

11:54 a.m. HART Will Delay Ansaldo Contract

The financial questions about Ansaldo are serious enough that Honolulu will delay executing the $1.4 billion core systems contract and will conduct additional due diligence.

Interim Executive Director just told the board of directors that reports in Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal this week about Finmeccanica’s willingness to sell Ansaldo STS and the parent company’s own financial health “raised a new concern for Honolulu.”

“HART will conduct additional due diligence,” Hamayasu said. “If the results are favorable, we will execute the contract.”

The additional due diligence will take place, at least in part, at a Finance Committee meeting like the one hosted by committee Chair at First Hawaiian Bank in September. (For more on the results of that meeting, read: )

That meeting will take place shortly after Thanksgiving, Horner said. The deadline to execute the contract is Nov. 25, which is the day after Thanksgiving. But Hamayasu said there’s an opportunity to extend that deadline, and that Ansaldo will agree to that extension.

11:41 a.m. General Plan Survey Results Are In

The city’s asked you to weigh in on the plan for the future of the island, and now it’s revealing your answers.

The city’s Department of Planning and Permitting has published the conducted between June and September that polled citizens on their vision for Oahu. More than 2,400 people responded, and more than 1,900 of them completed all 17 questions.

Here’s a small sampling of the findings:

Asked to identify characteristics they value about Honolulu, more than three-fourths of respondents chose “Opportunities to enjoy surrounding natural areas” as one of their three answers. More than half identified “traffic and congestion” as one of the five largest problems facing Oahu.

Most respondents said the island doesn’t need “another large scale destination resort like Ko Olina” and the overwhelming majority expressed support for “Attractions based on Hawaiian culture.”

Review the for more details. For more information on the general plan, go .

Nov. 30 is the last day to submit written comments on the proposed plan update.

11:24 a.m. Applicant Toru Steps Outside

For years, has shepherded the , and is perhaps the ultimate insider. Now, he’s on the outside looking in — literally.

Headhunter Gregg Moser is giving the an update on the search for a permanent executive director/CEO. It’s a rehash of the conversation held earlier in the Human Resources Committee.

Hamayasu, who’s the interim executive director, stepped outside as the discussion started. Board Chair Carrie Okinaga explained that Hamayasu is a potential candidate for the position, so is going to recuse himself from all deliberations and remove himself from the chain of command that receives updates from Moser’s company as it conducts its search.

It’s not clear if Hamayasu is qualified for the job. Documentation distributed this morning said qualified candidates should have five years specifically working with a fixed guideway system. Hamayasu’s work in Honolulu over the past decades has been focused on the design and engineering stages, and does not include operation experience.

11:12 a.m. Berg, Harimoto Add Their Manao

Earlier, we told you about the letter from and asking the to hold off on executing its contract with Italian trainmaker Ansaldo.

Two more members of the have just finished their in-person testimony.

urged a new or supplemental that would allow Honolulu to consider alternate technologies like monorail and magnetic levitation.

warned any delay at this stage would kill the for good, since federal funding is contingent on local support and progress.

The includes an update on the core systems contract. That’s coming soon.

9:53 a.m. Council to HART: Slow Down

Members of the are concerned about Ansaldo‘s ability to build the train, and they’re taking those concerns public.

Chair and member today sent a letter to the urging that it not yet execute a contract with the Italian joint venture and conduct additional due diligence.

HART Interim Executive Director has repeatedly said that bond guarantees would make the city whole financially in the event that Ansaldo fails, but that doesn’t assuage the concerns of rail proponents who want to make sure the project is completed.

At the HART Finance Committee meeting this morning, Chair said HART has not reviewed the finances of all bidders but instead did homework to ensure that Ansaldo’s financial position has not changed dramatically since it was announced as the winning bidder earlier this year.

Read Gabbard’s and Martin’s full letter here:

9:31 a.m. ‘Human Mic’ at Honolulu Hale?

Later today, the ‘s Committee on Safety, Economic Development and Government Affairs will resume its deliberations on the bill that would allow the city to confiscate all personal belongings left or kept on public property for more than 24 hours.

Tuesday was the first time protesters raised the specter of the First Amendment and the impact that the bill might have on their right to assemble.

Sanjeev Ranabhat, who’s been embedded with the Occupy protest at Thomas Square Park and has filed stories for Civil Beat, tells inside Honolulu that protesters plan to attend today’s meeting and might use “human mic” — voice amplification created not by electronic means but instead by protesters repeating each others’ statements.

Two months ago today, the original Occupy Wall Street folks set up shop in Zuccotti Park in New York City, and sister groups are .

Will Honolulu Hale be the site of one of those gatherings?

9:12 a.m. Headhunter Wants HART CEO Approved By March 1

The executive search firm hired by the hopes to have finished the recruitment for a permanent executive director/CEO by March 1.

That’s what Gregg Moser of Krauthamer & Associates told the HART Human Resources Committee this morning.

The proposed timeline would begin advertising for the vacancy on Dec. 1, would produce a list of 12 candidates by Feb. 1, would have four to six finalists in Honolulu for interviews in mid-February and would seek final board approval on March 1.

Moser will work with HART to tweak the job description to attract top-flight candidates from across the country and the world. He said the company has worked on transit executive searches in Denver and New York.

Qualified candidates will have five years of experience managing a major infrastructure project and five years specifically working with a fixed guideway system like the one proposed for the .

Here Comes The Tree

Adding to the confusion of all the meetings in and near Honolulu Hale (see below), a gigantic Christmas Tree is being delivered at 9:30 a.m.

City workers will install a 50-foot Norfolk pine from Kalama Valley donated by Joyce Aguirre. It’ll be installed into the lawn fronting King Street.

Here’s a picture of the tree, :

Today’s Meetings

The list of today’s meetings is lengthy. Here’s a list, with links to agendas.

Committees

• 9 a.m. — Committee on Zoning and Planning ()
• 1 p.m. — Committee on Transportation ()
• 2:30 p.m. — Discussion and decision-making on Bill 54, which would allow the city to confiscate all personal belongings left or kept on public property for more than 24 hours. It’s part of the Committee on Safety, Economic Development and Government Affairs that started Tuesday morning.

• 8 a.m. — Human Resources Committee ()
• 9:30 a.m. — Finance Committee ()
• 10:30 a.m. — Board of Directors ()

Where’s Carlisle?

• At 2 p.m., Mayor attends a celebration of Alaska Airlines’ inaugural nonstop service between Honolulu and San Diego at Honolulu International Airport’s Central Concourse.
• At 8 p.m., Carlisle appears on the PBS Insights show at the PBS Hawaii Studio.

Read Previous Editions of Inside Honolulu

November 16: More Drug Charges For Indicted Police Major; Carlisle Hopes ‘Attractive’ World Leaders Model Aloha Shirts At Home; Rail Tax Revenues Up, Again; Carlisle, Obama Talk Hoops; APEC Victory Lap; Rail Construction Three Months Away?; Makana Sings, Speaks at Occupy; Enomoto’s ‘Long Political Record’; Thank You Press Conference; Martin Unsure About Ansaldo; Today’s Meetings; Where’s Carlisle?

November 15: Occupy Protesters Worried By Sidewalk Bill; Indicted HPD Major Caught With Methamphetamine; Makana At Occupy Honolulu; It’s Really Starting to Look A Lot Like Christmas; Caldwell: No Formal Announcement Yet; Sidewalk Possessions Bill Discussion Continues Thursday; To Label GMOs?; Mayor: Thanks For APEC Support; Occupy Honolulu Hale?; Ethics On The Agenda; Where’s Carlisle?

November 14: One Year, 18,000 Tons of Recyclables; City Department of Tree-Cutting; Full Slate of Government Meetings; Back To Normal; Where’s Carlisle?

November 7: Tuesday Events; The County of West Oahu?; APEC Press Briefing; Until the Fat Lady Sings; Tales From Washington; Where’s Carlisle?

November 4: Carlisle’s Weekend Sked; News Before Breakfast; Honolulu a Digital City; City’s Energy Consumption; Occupy Honolulu Saturday; City’s Final ORI Plan; From $2,500 To $560 Million; Alternate Sludge Technologies: The Response; Where’s Carlisle?

November 3: Laulani Village Shopping Center Breaks Ground; Two In, Two Out; City Meets HUD Deadline; ‘I Wouldn’t Be Surprised’; Rematch: Caldwell Running For Mayor; ZBA, Finally; HART Meetings This Morning; Where’s Carlisle?

November 2: Homeless Possessions Bill Advances; APEC Reimbursement Reso Adopted; Airport Sheriffs Get Pepperball, Too; Berg’s Rail Charter Amendment Dies; Sign Bill Deferred; ‘An Unsuccessful Third Generation Real Estate Developer’; Lecture From A Freethinker; $37 Million, Please; Missed Deadline?; Berg: Split Up Ewa Beach; Two Days; Kauai Hiking Water Rates, Too; On The Agenda; Today’s Council Honorees; Where’s Carlisle?

November 1: Rod Tam Sentencing Today; Where’s Carlisle?