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It came as a tip to Civil Beat’s email from a reader in Waipahu: Why are Scott Saiki’s political banners on government buildings like 677 Queen St., the Hawaii Government Employees Association building and a couple of other buildings on Halekauwila Street?

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s campaign sign, the reader added, is now on 677 Queen St. as well.

There is indeed a large blue-and-white election sign for Rep. Scott Saiki on the office building that is headquarters to the HGEA, the state’s largest labor union.

There’s also a sign for Rep. Scott Nishimoto, who is running to replace Calvin Say on the Honolulu City Council and also favors blue-and-white signs. (It must be a Democratic Party thing.)

But HGEA’s office at 888 Mililani St. is on private property. The powerful union makes political endorsements coveted by candidates, of course, and I figure HGEA can post whatever they want. Indeed, both Scotts have the union’s endorsement.

And talk about location! The HGEA building, which fronts Queen Street, is a stone’s throw away from several government buildings including the offices for the state attorney general, the state judiciary and the labor and tax departments.

I also checked Halekauwila Street, where there are signs for Saiki, Blangiardi (his signs are Kelly green) and state Sen. Sharon Moriwaki (they’re yellow). But, unless I missed it, I did not see them on government buildings.

However, the question of posting campaign signs at 677 Queen St. is another matter. That’s because the state of Hawaii has several offices there: the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. and three run by the Department of Human Services.

State law does not allow for political signage on any public property, with some exceptions. I’ll get to that in a moment.

But the main focus of this column is about the dos and don’ts of political signage. It’s a relatively cheap and very effective way to raise a candidate’s profile.

Paid advertising on TV, radio, print and social media can be pricey and not very effective unless a candidate seeks a county or statewide office. Sign-waving still works, as people driving to and from work during rush hours appreciate seeing their elected officials sweating out in the sun

And, as Civil Beat columnist Beth Fukumoto wrote just this week, old-fashioned door-to-door canvassing can’t be beat.

But signs are all over the place and unavoidable for anyone who drives, walks, buses or bikes. There’s a reason why Hawaii campaigns fork over big bucks to make their messages pop when protruding from yards and hanging on fences.

What The Laws Say

Under , signs urging voters to vote for or against any person or issue may be “erected, maintained and used,” except where contrary to or prohibited by law.

Those prohibitions include , which makes it unlawful to post banners, signs, posters, advertising and similar materials on any public property in the state. That includes (with some exceptions) utility and streetlight poles, curbstones, traffic signs and traffic lights, hydrants, bridges and trees.

The HRS 445-114 is so specific as to forbid pasting, posting, painting, printing, nailing and tacking signage.

The Hawaii State Ethics Commission, meantime, says state law prohibits state officials and employees or conducting campaign business on state premises, including state offices and meeting rooms.

State employees can’t even post campaign signs in their state workplace or allow candidates to conduct “walk-throughs” of state agencies.

But state premises or facilities that are available for public use “may generally be used” for campaign activities on the same terms that apply to the general public — such as renting a school cafeteria for a public meeting.

The State Ethics Code also allows state officials and employees to support candidates on social media as long as it’s clear they are not speaking in their official capacity.

Still, violations happen. Civil Beat reported during the 2016 elections that so many campaign signs cropped up along state right-of-ways that the Hawaii Department of Transportation was forced to issue a reminder of the rules under , which deals with outdoor advertising.

A from the Hawaii Office of Elections offers more legal instruction, including on how the four counties regulate political signage.

Even though there are a lot of laws on the books when it comes to political signs, even government officials need to be reminded. On July 1, for example, Dawn Takeuchi Apuna from Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting sent a memo to City Clerk Glen Takahashi (via Mike Formby, Blangiardi’s managing director) reiterating that there are county and state laws to follow.

“As another campaign season progresses, questions concerning political signage will again be raised,” Apuna .

And, though it’s not legally binding, The Outdoor Circle offers for campaign signs. It includes reasons not to use them at all. Excerpt:

• Annoyance: Overwhelming numbers of signs can irritate voters, causing a backlash against the candidate.
• Perceived Insincerity: Heavy reliance on signs might be seen as a substitute for genuine engagement with the community.
• Negative Association: Voters may associate a cluttered environment with a lack of respect for public spaces and community well-being.

Digging Into The HRS

Now, back to that matter of campaign signs at 677 Queen St.

Saiki’s campaign sign is displayed prominently on the exterior of the building, which is known as Pohulani and is part of a mixed-use complex that includes a senior living high rise next door on Coral Street. There is also a sign for Blangiardi, who is also running for reelection this year.

But here’s where it gets a little fuzzy in terms of the law and ownership. A sign on Pohulani’s exterior states that it is government property, even though you might not notice it when passing by on your way to Lex Brodie’s or one of Kakaako’s excellent brew pubs.

Still, while HRS 445-114 makes it unlawful to post campaign signs on public property, does allow them on property when the owner, holder, lessee, agent or trustee gives consent.

That appears to be the case at 677 Queen. HHFDC owns the land but an entity controlled by Komohale Services owns the mixed-use improvements on the land through a ground lease with the state agency. HHFDC is an office tenant of Komohale, and DHS is the agency’s subtenant.

The property management agent for Pohulani is Hawaii Affordable Properties Inc. Pohulani is also the name for the senior living high rise that’s right next door and is also managed by HAPI.

The principal owner of Komohale, developer Stanford Carr, allows the Saiki and Blangiardi signs on the building, according to Gordon Pang, HHFDC’s information officer. Pang says he got that information from HAPI’s regional manager.

Neither the Komohale ground lease nor the HHFDC office lease prohibit political signs on the building, which Komohale owns for the next 70 years.

“Upon HHFDC’s leasehold sale of the property in 2019, the asset was effectively privatized,” he said via email.

But Pang, who stressed that HHFDC does not endorse any candidates for any elected office, said it intends to update its ground lease for future agreements to prohibit the installation of campaign or similar signs at any project located on land leased from HHFDC.

Got all that?

Saiki and Carr did not return my calls.

Caroline Witherspoon, a spokesperson for the Blangiardi campaign, said it checked with the elections office and confirmed that, as the state is only leasing these spaces from a private company, the building does not meet the criteria of a government building.

And Robert Harris, executive director and general counsel of the state ethics commission, said he did not see any red flags with the signs.

Carr, by the way, donated $4,000 to Blangiardi last year and $3,000 to Saiki this year. But that’s what developers do.

‘Those Damn Signs’

Now, let’s get back to one other complaint about campaign signs.

Another email to Civil Beat, this one from Niu Valley, complained about all the campaign signs from Arturo Reyes, who is running for the U.S. Senate in the Republican primary.

“He’s been polluting the scenery for years, those damn signs are everywhere,” said the Niu Valley resident.

It’s true: Reyes signs, which are blue and white (even though he’s with the GOP!), have been stuck to utility poles all over town, including three one right after another on Wilhelmina Rise.

But someone in government appears to be paying attention, as some of those same signs have since been removed.

Reyes did not return my call, but it doesn’t look like his signs are much help anyway. He’s run for either Senate, the U.S. House or governor in every election since at least 2010 and lost every time.