June 26, 2020

Musicians given green light by City after
Councilmember Pine holds music industry town hall

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I – On behalf of a grateful music industry, Councilmember Kym Pine thanked the mayor for allowing resumption of live singing and musical performances under conditions providing for artists’ and audience members’ safety.

“We talked about these and other steps in a virtual town hall with a wide range of people in the local music industry and I encouraged them to collaborate and create a plan with a unified voice, like the salon and tattoo industries, that I also supported,” said Councilmember Pine. “These talented artists provide the soundtracks for our lives and we treasure their contribution to our local culture.”

Panelists for the virtual town hall were local music leaders and celebrities including Amy Hanai‘ali‘i Gilliom, an entertainer who is also president of the Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Artists; Hawai‘i Theatre Center President and CEO Gregory Dunn; Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Dave Moss; Matty Hazelgrove, president of BAMP Project and co-owner of The Republik and more.

“Councilmember Pine led a productive conversation and we talked about several ways to keep audience members safe while we get back to work,” said Gilliom. “Many musicians, hula dancers, sound and lighting technicians and others don’t qualify for traditional assistance and HARA is helping eligible members in every way we can.”

“The nonprofit Hawai‘i Theatre Center has been closed since February 2020 and we were forced to cancel or reschedule more than 70 performances resulting in more than $5 million in lost revenue,” said Gregory Dunn, president and CEO. “We look forward to working with Councilmember Pine, other City and State officials and industry members to get everyone safely back to work.”

“The wellbeing, health and financial security of the 84 musicians of the HSO is what keeps me up at night. It was encouraging to see that the amended order includes allowances for outdoor and indoor performances,” said Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Dave Moss. “We look forward to further collaboration on these policies and I’m confident that we can find a safe path for our musicians and audience to return to our venues.”

Hazelgrove notes that dancing still is not allowed in the amended order but says, “I think that a blanket ‘no dancing’ provision could be replaced potentially with the suggestion that groups of 10, separated by at least 6 feet from other groups of 10, could be allowed to dance within their grouping.” He has a proposed grid system for the large dance floor at The Republik to enable reopening to the public.

Councilmember Pine will continue her work with the local entertainment industry to ensure the safety of performers and the public as the kama‘aina and broader economy moves toward recovery.

CM Pine’s entertainment industry virtual town hall: https://youtu.be/nQ_iu3vC9-c?t=48

Link to the order:
http://www.honolulu.gov/rep/site/may/may_docs/Emergency_Order_No._2020-16.pdf

Councilmember Kym Pine represents residents of District One (ʻEwa, ʻEwa Beach, Kapolei, Honokai Hale, Ko ʻOlina, Nānākuli, Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae, Mākaha, Kea‘au, Mākua) and is chair of the City Council’s Committee on Business Economic Development and Tourism.

Media contact:
Erika Engle
Communications Director
erika [dot] engle honolulu [dot] gov

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 5, 2020

City Audit Confirms – Our Parks are Not Maintained Equally

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I — “I requested the audit last year because it was clear to me and many constituents that islandwide park maintenance was not a priority. It seemed like the parks that tourists visited most, near Waikīkī, were repaired faster, maintained better and improved more frequently. So, I decided to get to the bottom of this to determine if taxpayer money was being used fairly and equally. The auditor’s report shows that there are several operational problems at the Department that stand in the way of making these public spaces beautiful and safe for our residents,” said Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine.

An audit she called for last year is being released to the public today and according to the Office of the City Auditor, it proves what Councilmember Pine suspected: DPR’s efforts are focused on parks that visitors frequent, mostly in urban areas of Honolulu and near Waikīkī. Sixty nine of the City’s parks are in East Honolulu and they receive 27% of the total funding while there are 90 parks on the Leeward side which receive only 23% of parks funding.

The audit found that the amount DPR spends on ground maintenance around the island is not equitable; that DPR lacks sufficient maintenance standards and accountability, lacks professional processes and procedures and suffers from chronic understaffing.

Among the beginning statements in the report, the auditor says, “Current operational practices are reactive and appear to wait for park conditions to deteriorate before action is taken, rather than maintaining quality conditions. Park vandalism continues to be a high-risk area as it compromises park usability and appearance. For its Capital Improvement Program (CIP) projects, DPR does not track financial data and lacks awareness of project status. There is limited accountability for park CIP projects that were funded, but not completed.”

“I’ve created my own list of recommendations for the Parks Department and I urge the City Council and the Mayor to read this audit report, adopt the auditor’s recommendations and join me in asking the DPR to provide a plan to improve its operations and accountability,” Pine said. “These measures should include best practices used by other municipalities including quality standards, employee logs, maintenance checklists, and as I included in the Fiscal Year 2021 budget, plans to install cameras at all city parks.”

According to the Audit Report, in 2019 National Community Survey found that only 39% of Honolulu residents rated city parks as excellent or good. Honolulu ranked at 306 out of 311 nationally.

Several other steps for improvements Pine is calling for are outlined in her response to the audit:

DPR Audit Summary – Councilmember Kym Pine

The audit and highlights can be found on the City Auditor’s website at 3 p.m. June 5:

http://www.honolulu.gov/auditor.html#gsc.tab=0

Councilmember Kym Pine represents residents of District One (ʻEwa, ʻEwa Beach, Kapolei, Honokai Hale, Ko ʻOlina, Nānākuli, Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae, Mākaha, Kea‘au, Mākua) and is chair of the City Council’s Committee on Business Economic Development and Tourism.

Media contact:

Erika Engle

Communications Director

Erika [dot] engle <at> honolulu [dot] gov

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MEDIA ADVISORY
May 19, 2020

Affordable should mean affordable

Property tax relief measure for affordable housing units on Special Council agenda

WHAT: Bill 34 (2020) relating to real property tax relief for affordable housing

WHEN: Beginning at approximately 11 a.m. Wednesday May 20, 2020

WHERE: Honolulu Hale, Council Chamber, third floor

WHY: To ensure that buyers of affordable housing units are not gouged by unfair real property tax assessments.

Bill 34, introduced by Councilmembers Kym Pine and Joey Manahan, would bar the city from using resales of expensive homes to determine the property value of affordable units for property tax assessment purposes.

We worked hard to create affordable housing, but some people are having to move out in a year because the city is unfairly calculating their property taxes, Pine said.

Owners of units at 1631 Kapiolani Blvd. saw their property taxes quadruple, for instance. The bill provides real property tax relief for government-mandated affordable housing units, whose initial sales were reserved for buyers with household incomes in the low- or moderate-income ranges.

Bill 34 (2020):

http://www4.honolulu.gov/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-257401/BILL034(20).pdf

The meeting will be viewable:

(1) On monitors situated outside of the meeting room;

(2) Internet live streaming through www.honolulucitycouncil.com and http://olelo.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish id=92; and

(3) Live broadcast on Olelo TV Channel 54.

The agenda and methods of submitting testimony:

http://honolulu.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=3&event_id=625

Councilmember Kym Pine represents residents of District One, comprising portions of Ewa Villages and Ewa Beach, Kapolei, Makakilo, Kalaeloa, Honokai Hale, Ko Olina, Nnkuli, Mili, Waianae, Mkaha, Keaau and Makua) and is chair of the City Councils Committee on Business Economic Development and Tourism.

Media Contact:

Erika Engle

Communications Director

erika [dot] engle honolulu [dot] gov

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 15, 2020

Pine: Salons are united and ready to open with modifications

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I — Leading salon industry panelists demonstrated today in a live forum hosted by Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine, that they are ready to open for business. All who are licensed by the State of Hawai‘i Board Of Barbering and Cosmetology are well-trained in sanitation, disinfection and other cleanliness practices.

“I believe that salons are safe, one of the safest businesses and they are prepared to reopen their businesses now. I believe that as an industry, they have been treated unfairly. I believe they are more than well-qualified to keep themselves, their employees and their clients, safe,” said Pine, chair of the Council Committee on Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

“We are an industry of appointments, we can control our occupancy,” said forum co-host Adiel Cline, owner of Salon 253 on Maui and a founder of the Hawaii Salons Forum. She and Joe Randazzo, principal of J Salon and Phil’s Barber Shop, as well as other industry members, have drafted guidelines for safe operations and have submitted them to the State Administration via Lt. Governor Josh Green, for consideration.

Pine calls on all salon owners, working cosmetology professionals and barbers to contact the Governor’s office and their respective mayors’ offices to allow their businesses to reopen. “The owners need to be able to reopen to feed their families and so their employees and independent contractors can get back to work and feed their families,” Pine said.

A listing of participating panelists appears below.

The entire forum can be viewed on Councilmember Pine’s Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Kymberly.Marcos.Pine/

The Hawaii Salons Forum: https://hawaiisalons.org/

Host: Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine

Co-host: Adiel Cline – Salon 253

Panelists:

Paul Mitchell School of Honolulu

Dean: Joannie Rossiter

Hawaiian Beauty Products/Cosmic Beauty

President: Alex Huynh

Vice-President: Julie Tran

HNLAX

Owner: Dominic Escamilla

Faded Hawaii

Owner: Keoki Limahai

Josie’s Salon

Owner: Josie Kohima

Blend House Studio

Owner: Elvinse Moleta

J Salon & Phil’s Barber Shop

Joe Randazzo

Salon Blanc

Owner: Alan Vuong

Councilmember Kym Pine represents residents of District One (ʻEwa, ʻEwa Beach, Kapolei, Honokai Hale, Ko ʻOlina, Nānākuli, Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae, Mākaha, Kea‘au, Mākua) and is chair of the City Council’s Committee on Business Economic Development and Tourism.

Media contact:

Erika Engle

Communications Director

M: (808) 284-6044

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Erika Engle
Communications Director
Councilmember Kym Pine
Honolulu City Council, District One
530 South King Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Main 808.768.5001