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Wishful thinking: It’s not too late for lawmakers to close that loophole in campaign finance law that lets people with big government contracts give big donations to the politicians who are giving them those big government contracts. A Civil Beat-New York Times investigative report showed that amounted to tens of millions of dollars over the last 15 years or so.

But they need to hurry.

Even though lawmakers have already killed bills introduced this session to fix the problem, it turns out a similar bill left over from last year is still alive this session, buried in the black hole that is a never-ending yet inactive conference committee. would prohibit the owners, officers and immediate family members of state and county contractors from making donations, pretty much the same thing that this year’s bills would have done.

Amazingly, given the molasses pace of reform at the Hawaii Legislature, HB 724 made it all the way to conference committee, where — as happens all too often — it was smothered to death with no explanation, and no fingerprints, of course.

Among those in strong support of the bill was Beppie Shapiro of the League of Women Voters of Hawaii, who wrote this in her testimony:

“Anyone who has taken the time to look at the websites of contributing businesses has seen examples of individuals who are officers or employees of contributing business making similar almost simultaneous donations to the same politician or candidate. Such multiple donations subvert Campaign Spending Commission limits on amounts which can be donated by one entity. Equally troubling is the suspicion that these multiple contributions by individuals associated with one business or organization are an attempt to influence the awarding of contracts or grants.”

If House and Senate leadership chose to do so, the bill could be agreed upon this very week. The Sunshine Blog thinks that would be a very cool message to send to a public deeply jaded about trust in the Legislature.

Party on: Sure, Hawaii is dominated by the Democratic Party of Hawaii with the Hawaii Republican Party managing to get a few members elected here and there. But there are other political parties to choose from.

The Hawaii Office of Elections this week determined through a random drawing the order the parties will appear on the Aug. 10 primary election ballot this year: Green Party, Solidarity Party, Republican Party, Democratic Party, Nonpartisan Ballot, Libertarian Party, Party for Socialism and Liberation (who are those guys, the Blog wonders), We The People and No Labels.

The parties can field candidates to run in partisan contests like for U.S. Senate or state representative, while candidates not affiliated with a political party may still run as nonpartisan candidates.

But remember: Voters can only pick one party on the primary ballot, a restriction that does not apply to the Nov. 5 general election.

On a related note, voter notification cards should be turning up soon in mailboxes statewide. If you don’t see one or if you have moved recently, visit or call (808) 453-VOTE (8683). That way voter rolls can be updated.

April showers: How important is local news? Important enough that U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz and 13 of his Democratic colleagues this week designating April 2024 as “Preserving and Protecting Local News Month.”

“Americans rely on local news to stay informed about their communities and the country,” Schatz said in a press release. “As the industry continues to face unprecedented challenges resulting in newsroom closures, layoffs and budget cuts, it’s critical that we highlight and support the essential public service local news provides.”

Overall employment in newspaper, television, radio and digital newsrooms in the United States fell by 26% — or 30,000 jobs — from 2008 to 2020, according to Schatz’s office. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, more than 360 local newsrooms closed across the country.

Schatz’s resolution “affirms the significance” of local news in increasing civic engagement, strengthening democratic norms and practices, and maintaining healthy and vibrant communities.

Familiar face: Cindy McMillan spent eight years as communications director for Gov. David Ige, a roller-coaster ride given all that happened — you remember Covid, false missile alerts, natural disasters.

This gig should be easier: The Honolulu City Council has asked McMillan of a member of the seven-member .  It reviews fares, fees, rates, tolls and other charges for the use of any and all modes of the multimodal municipal transportation system. 

McMillan previously handled communications and government relations with Pacific Resource Partnership. She is currently a substitute employee with the Hawaii State Public Library System.